The Dahisar Police in Mumbai have arrested a 27-year-old man who allegedly impersonated a Crime Branch officer and attempted to extort Rs 50,000 from a family engaged in handmade imitation jewellery work, officials said on Thursday. According to police sources, a complaint was filed by a 35-year-old businesswoman dealing with imitation jewellery work. She was residing in a rented home at Arvind Chaturvedi Chawl, Ganesh Nagar, Rawalpada (Dahisar East) with her husband, two daughters, and three artisans from West Bengal. On December 8 at around 6 pm, the accused, claiming to be a 'Crime Branch officer,' allegedly accused the family of running illegal commercial work from a residential room and threatened to file a case unless they paid him Rs. 50,000. Believing him to be genuine, the complainant even showed him sample jewellery. The accused then allegedly took Rs. 300 from her purse and her husband’s original Aadhaar card before ordering them to meet him with the full amount by 9 p.m. at the Hanuman Mandir junction on the highway, official sources said. When her husband later met the accused at the spot, the man, identifying himself as Chandresh Pathak, repeated the threat and demanded the money. The couple, sensing something suspicious, approached the Dahisar police and lodged a complaint. "Acting on the complaint, police traced and arrested Pathak for extortion, criminal intimidation, and impersonating a public servant. Further investigation is underway to verify if he has targeted other households in a similar manner," said an officer from Dahisar police station. Pathak was produced before the Borivali Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Wednesday and remanded to police custody.
11 December,2025 06:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanTwo civic employees are among three people arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 16,000 to stop the demolition of an illegally constructed structure in Maharashtra's Thane district, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said on Thursday, reported the PTI. The accused have been identified as Rajesh Kadam (43), a clerk in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC) anti-encroachment department; Suhas Keni (55), a sanitary worker from the same department; and Sanjay Bhola (47), a private individual who acted as the middleman, as per the PTI. According to Sachin Gore, inspector with the Thane ACB, the two MBMC staff members had initially demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000, later settling at Rs 16,000. The complainant had built a small temporary room using iron sheets for short-term use at Kajupada on Ghodbunder Road, and the civic employees allegedly sought payment to avoid taking action against the structure. The complainant then approached the ACB, which laid a trap near a hotel and caught Bhola while he was accepting Rs 16,000 on behalf of the two municipal employees. Following Bhola’s arrest, the ACB team subsequently detained Kadam and Keni as well. An investigation is currently underway. A case has been registered at the Kashigaon police station under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Meanwhile, in an another incident, last month, a court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced a former Assistant Commissioner of GST to five years’ imprisonment in a bribery case, stating that his conduct "does not deserve any leniency", as per the PTI. Special Judge for Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases, A. V. Kharkar, found Ashok Nayak guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act as well as for criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him. The case was lodged in May 2017 following a complaint by a businessman who owns a bar and restaurant in the city. According to the complaint, Nayak, then serving as Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise, demanded Rs 12 crore to settle a matter pending with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He allegedly insisted that 25 to 30 per cent of the amount be paid within a day or two to prevent the complainant’s arrest by the ED, according to the PTI. The complaint further stated that Nayak claimed he could resolve the issue by using his influence with a “senior bureaucrat” in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The original demand of Rs 12 crore was later reduced to Rs 10 crore. Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and arrested Nayak while he was accepting the first instalment of Rs 1.25 crore. The court observed that the evidence proved beyond doubt that the accused had demanded illegal gratification to influence an unknown public servant and had willingly accepted the money. As a public servant, he was expected to perform his duties honestly and sincerely, and his actions did not warrant any leniency, the judge said. However, taking into account his age and a cardiac condition, the court awarded him simple imprisonment rather than rigorous imprisonment. (with PTI inputs)
11 December,2025 04:37 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Marine Drive Police have arrested a 44-year-old domestic worker from Kalyan, Thane, for allegedly stealing a large quantity of gold, silver, and diamond jewellery from a high-rise residence in south Mumbai. The accused, identified as Archana Sunil Salvi, was taken into custody after investigators recovered valuables running into several crores of rupees. In a press conference held at the Marine Drive Police Station on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Praveen Munde briefed the media about the theft, recovery, and the ongoing investigation. According to the Marine Drive Police, the theft took place between August 27 and September 26. Valuables kept in the master bedroom locker of the complainant’s residence went missing during this period. Police said jewellery weighing approximately 9,288 grams—including gold, silver, and diamonds—with an estimated value of over Rs 3 crore was seized during the probe. The accused had reportedly gained the trust of the family over several months and used her access to systematically remove the ornaments from the locker. The missing valuables were discovered when the complainant checked the locker and found items worth Rs 3.16 crore unaccounted for, prompting a police complaint. Marine Drive Police officers, including Senior Inspector Nilesh Bagul, initiated an investigation during which they reviewed Salvi’s movements and financial activities. Police said she allegedly transported the stolen jewellery to her hometown and had previously travelled to Dubai, raising suspicion among investigators. During the search following her arrest, the police recovered the stolen gold, silver, and diamond jewellery. The total value of the seized property has been reported as approximately Rs 9.29 crore, and authorities are now investigating whether the remaining jewellery is linked to other thefts and whether any of it had been sold. Further inquiries are underway to determine if Salvi had been involved in similar thefts elsewhere. A team comprising officers from the Marine Drive Police Station, crime detection teams, and senior supervisory officers executed the operation. Following her arrest, Salvi was produced in court on December 5, where she was remanded in police custody until Wednesday.
11 December,2025 03:46 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted nearly 40 searches across India, with a major concentration in Padgha near Mumbai, in connection with a money-laundering probe arising from cases registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Maharashtra ATS against individuals linked to alleged ISIS activities in the state. Officials said the searches were based on FIRs filed earlier by NIA and ATS related to an alleged criminal conspiracy involving members of an ISIS-inspired sleeper module operating in Pune. The ED action aims to verify suspected money flows, funding channels, and support networks connected to the accused. The module is believed to have been working to further the ISIS agenda in India. Investigators alleged that the accused conspired to commit terrorist acts with the objective of disturbing public order and waging war against the Indian government. The federal agency stated that the suspects had allegedly helped assemble improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at a rented house in Kondhwa, Pune, using materials procured and stored there. During 2022–2023, the group reportedly organised bomb-making workshops and carried out a controlled test explosion in forested areas near Pune. Previous seizures included explosive material, tents, a drone, and multiple electronic devices. The NIA, assisted by the Maharashtra ATS, had carried out coordinated raids across Padgha–Bhiwandi, Borivli, Pune, Thane, and Mira Road as part of its investigation into the ISIS-linked network. During the operation, officers arrested 15 suspects, including former SIMI member Mohammad Saquib Abdul Hamid Nachan, who had long been under surveillance for alleged involvement in radical activities since the 1990s. Investigators said Nachan had earlier recruited youths and organised weapons and explosives training camps in Padgha. The 2023 ISIS Pune module crackdown had brought him back on the radar. (Nachan later died during the ongoing broader probe.)
11 December,2025 11:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilA day after knife attack on a man at a jewellery shop in Vasai East area of Maharashtra, the police have nabbed two people, a police official said on Wednesday. According to the police, the incident occurred around 11:50 am on Tuesday at Ambika Jewellers near Shalimar Hotel in Vasai, when the victim, Kalusingh Khawat, was present in the shop. A man and woman, accompanied by a small child, entered the shop and asked Kalusingh to show a ring and requested water for the child. While the victim went to get the water, the man allegedly attacked him inside the shop with a knife, stabbing him multiple times on his stomach, hands, wrist, palm and cheek, in an alleged attempt to kill him. A case was registered at Vasai Police Station and a parallel probe was launched by the Crime Branch Unit-4. The investigators from the team visited the crime scene, analysed CCTV footage, and gathered information from confidential sources. "The accused were later identified as 23-year-old Sohel Sharafat Khan and a woman, Firdos Bano Sohel Khan, both residents of Tehrouli, Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh," said an official, adding that the duo was arrested from the Nashik Road area and brought to Vasai Police Station after being arrested. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik, Additional Police Commissioner Dattatray Shinde, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Doifode, and Assistant Police Commissioner Madan Ballal. The team of officers from Crime Branch Unit-4, led by Officer-in-Charge Pramod Badakh, assisted by several other officials, successfully apprehended the suspects. Further investigations in the matter was underway, said a police official.
10 December,2025 07:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanMumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested two more people in connection with the alleged Rs 65.54-crore Mithi River desilting scam, taking the total number of arrests in the case to five, officials said on Wednesday. Contractors Sunil Upadhyay and Mahesh Purohit were taken into custody for allegedly obtaining work orders using a forged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), they said. Both have been remanded in police custody, said an official. The police officials said that last year, three BMC officials, five contractors, three intermediaries and two private companies were booked at Azad Maidan Police Station for irregularities in the long-running desilting project, which has reportedly caused losses of Rs 65.54 crore to the civic body. The Mithi River desilting work has been ongoing for nearly 20 years, with contracts worth Rs 1,100 crore awarded over this period. A preliminary inquiry revealed that 18 contractors have been engaged at different stages. Three BMC assistant engineers and the directors of other entities were earlier named by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for alleged conspiracy. They are charged under sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC for criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating and conspiracy. Officials allege that the accused conspired to secure contracts using forged documents, causing substantial financial losses to the civic authority. The SIT is working with the BMC and MMRDA to verify detailed contract records. Of the total desilting stretch, the BMC oversees 11.84 km from Powai to Kurla, while the MMRDA handles the remaining 6.8 km. The investigation began after political leaders raised concerns in the Maharashtra Legislative Council last in August, demanding a probe into the alleged irregularities. Police said the inquiry is ongoing and more arrests were likely in the case.
10 December,2025 07:14 PM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilA 50-year-old businessman from Goregaon, Mumbai, was allegedly extorted of around Rs 1.2 lakh after befriending an unknown woman on social media, with whom he shared his mobile number. During a video call, the woman reportedly undressed and disconnected immediately after. According to information received from Mumbai Police, the complainant accepted a friend request from a woman on Facebook in October, following which they began chatting and eventually exchanged mobile numbers. As per the businessman’s complaint, when he was in Nashik with his family, the woman video-called him and allegedly stripped on camera, leaving him shocked. He immediately disconnected the call. However, last month, the complainant received the same video on WhatsApp where his face was shown alongside the woman. The accused then allegedly threatened to make the video viral and demanded money. Fearing defamation, the man first paid Rs 15,000 and later transferred a total of Rs 1.2 lakh to multiple accounts after receiving calls from various numbers till December 4. The businessman also claimed that some other callers posed as personnel from Delhi Police and demanded money from him. However, as the extortion continued, he eventually lodged a complaint at Bangur Nagar Police Station. "A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), and efforts are underway to trace the accused through bank account and mobile number details", said an officer from Bangur Nagar Police Station.
10 December,2025 03:20 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA sensational real-estate fraud that allegedly thrived on forged Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) papers, fake government seals, and a fabricated Intelligence Bureau (IB) identity has taken a crucial turn, with the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arresting Prabhakar Shetty from Karnataka’s Udupi district. Shetty, believed to be a close aide of the alleged mastermind, the late Rupesh Prabhakar Chaudhary, has been remanded to police custody until December 12, police said on Tuesday. According to the investigators, Shetty allegedly handled portions of the cash and gold collected from multiple investors who were promised MHADA flats in premium South Mumbai and central suburbs. His arrest, officers said, is expected to help map the money trail in what has emerged as one of the more audacious housing scams in recent years. The FIR, lodged at Dindoshi Police Station by businessman Mohammad Aslam Qureshi (45), states that Chaudhary had allegedly projected himself as a senior IB officer with access to government housing quotas. To reinforce this identity, he allegedly circulated forged MHADA allotment letters, fake GRAS challans, and counterfeit correspondence bearing senior officials’ names. Investors were shown these documents and allegedly assured that their flats were "in process". Police sources said Chaudhary maintained a carefully crafted facade—travelling with armed bodyguards, using beacon-fitted vehicles, and mingling with IAS and police officers at social gatherings. One such lavish birthday celebration, attended by bureaucrats and television actors, allegedly helped him attract new investors. Qureshi and others allegedly handed over more than Rs 17 crore between 2023 and 2025, expecting registration on 18 July 2025. Instead, they learnt that Chaudhary had died of a heart attack in Nashik earlier that day. It was during the funeral, Qureshi claimed, that he realised Chaudhary was never an IB officer. An officer said that it had already been established earlier that the documents given to the complainants by the accused were forged. Officers said Shetty’s custodial interrogation will focus on tracing the cash flow, gold deposits, and digital communications linked to the alleged conspiracy. "All allegations are subject to verification. The financial audit and document examination will determine individual roles," an officer said.
09 December,2025 09:14 PM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilThe North Cyber Police in Mumbai have registered a case where a Kandivali-based senior citizen was allegedly cheated of Rs 26.20 lakh after cyber fraudsters threatened him with ‘digital arrest’, claiming that 187 SIM cards registered in his name were being used for human trafficking and abusing women. Posing as officials from the Supreme Court, Telangana Police, and Bengaluru Cyber Coordination Unit, they allegedly told the complainant that a case had been filed against him under the Official Secrets Act, which could result in a 10-year imprisonment and put him under ‘digital arrest’. According to the police, the incident took place in November while the complainant was travelling to Nashik with his wife. He received a call from a man claiming to be a Bengaluru Cyber Police officer and was told that 187 SIM cards under his name were involved in human trafficking and verbal abuse. The caller further claimed that these SIM cards were recovered during a raid in Telangana and Rs 30 lakh had been deposited into his bank account. Soon after, he received a WhatsApp message stating that a police case had been filed and he would be barred from performing any activities. Frightened, the senior citizen returned to Mumbai, where another caller informed him about a non-bailable warrant. A woman posing as a police officer conducted a video call with him, obtained his bank details, and instructed him to send 50 signatures on blank paper. Under pressure, the victim transferred money to the account given by the fraudsters. "After the transaction, the accused stopped responding. Realising he had been duped, the complainant approached the North Region Cyber Police and filed a complaint. An FIR (first information report) has been registered, and we initiated further investigation,” said an officer. The Cyber Police have urged citizens to remain cautious and verify such calls, adding that no agency asks for signatures or orders a digital arrest.
09 December,2025 07:43 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanIn a shocking case of an alleged attempted sexual assault inside a moving auto-rickshaw in Mumbai, a teenager college student suffered serious injuries after she jumped out of the speeding vehicle to escape molestation, officials said. The incident took place near Malad area of suburban Mumbai when the girl was travelling to Orlem on Monday evening, they said. According to police, the victim was seated in the corner seat when the driver asked her to shift to the middle. He then allegedly began making vulgar gestures through the rear-view mirror. Moments later, he pulled the side curtain and forcefully touched her inappropriately while the auto was still in motion. Terrified, the girl leapt out of the moving auto-rickshaw. Luckily, no vehicle was behind at that moment, but the fall left her with a fractured arm and multiple injuries. The driver later fled the spot with the vehicle. The victim informed her family and relatives following the incident and she was shifted to a nearby hospital. Based on the victim complaint a case under relevant sections of BNS was registered on Monday evening, said an official. "Considering the seriousness of the matter, under the guidance of DCP Sandeep Jadhav Zone 11, ACP Parkash Bagal, Goregaon Division and Senior Inspector Dushyant Chauhan began the investigation after forming a team led by API Deepak Raiwade, along PSI Tushar Sukhdev along with their detection staff and tracked down the accused in the case. He was later placed under arrest," said a police official.
09 December,2025 07:19 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a criminal case against Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd. (RCFL), a company of the Reliance ADA Group, in connection with a bank fraud worth Rs 57.47 crore. The case names the company’s promoters, directors, and unknown bank officials, an official statement said. The action follows a complaint filed by the Bank of Maharashtra, which alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating, and misconduct that resulted in a wrongful loss to the bank. According to the complaint, RCFL’s loan account was declared a Non-Performing Asset (NPA) on March 25, 2020 and later classified as fraud on October 4, 2025. Investigators stated that RCFL had taken loans amounting to Rs 9,280 crore from a group of 31 banks, financial institutions, NBFCs, and corporate bodies, including the Bank of Maharashtra. The CBI will now conduct a detailed investigation into allegations of fraud against all these lenders. On December 9, 2025, after securing court-approved search warrants, CBI teams carried out searches at the company’s Mumbai office and at the Pune residence of Devang Pravin Mody, a Director of RCFL. Officials reported that they found several incriminating documents, which are now being seized as part of the investigation.
09 December,2025 05:48 PM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilADVERTISEMENT
