A Mumbai court has acquitted all eight accused nearly ten years after film set construction contractor Raju Shinde was shot dead in Aarey Colony. They were initially arrested by Mumbai Police in connection with 2015 Film City murder case and nearly 10 years later, the sessions court on Monday acquitted all eight accused in the case. The murder took place in May 2015, when Shinde was attacked by two bike-borne assailants near Film City. Court acquits accused of charges The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge T.T. Aglawe of the City Civil and Additional Sessions Court. The court acquitted the accused of charges under Section 302 (murder) and Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, along with charges under the Indian Arms Act. Names of the accused cleared The eight persons acquitted were identified as Sumit Atmaram Talekar, Jugal alias Papu Babu Dhodiya, Yogesh Ramkrishna Kokane, Sandip Pitambar Khairnar, Satish Ashok More, Jeetu Shankar Dheevar, Suresh Subhash Gaikwad and Ismail Aadam Khan. Release ordered, bonds directed The court directed that the accused be released immediately if they were not required in any other case. Each accused has been asked to submit a personal bond of Rs 15,000 under Section 437-A of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court also ordered that seized weapons be sent to the District Magistrate for lawful disposal. Seized mobile phones and a motorcycle will be auctioned after the appeal period ends. Accused presented from jail and on bail At the time of the verdict, some of the accused were produced from Thane and Taloja jails, while others were present in court on bail. Advocates Bhanudas Jagtap and Anushka Jagtap represented four of the accused. Other defence counsels included Advocate Shirsath and Advocate J.B. Mane.The prosecution was represented by Additional Public Prosecutor I.K. Shaikh. Background of case Raju Shinde, who had a criminal record with more than 13 cases, was shot three times near a studio in Film City on May 22, 2015. He was rushed to hospital but died on July 2, 2015, after remaining under treatment for several weeks. Police had claimed the murder was the result of a criminal conspiracy, allegedly triggered by a physical altercation after Shinde refused to provide employment to the accused in his film set construction work. Police likely to challenge acquittal Sources in the Aarey Colony Police said they plan to challenge the acquittal in a higher court. Officials added that they are awaiting a certified copy of the detailed judgment before filing an appeal.
07 January,2026 05:52 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA single click on a fake Regional Transport Office (RTO) e-challan link allegedly cost a Byculla-based lawyer Rs 2 lakh, after cyber fraudsters gained access to his credit card and carried out unauthorised online transactions, police said. The fraud took place after the victim downloaded an APK file sent through an SMS claiming a traffic fine. According to the police complaint, the 38-year-old advocate received a message on December 23 at around 7.30 pm, stating that a Rs 300 traffic challan had been issued against him. Although he was certain he had not committed any traffic violation, he downloaded the attached APK file to check the details. The application asked for Aadhaar, PAN and mobile number, but he did not enter any personal information. Soon after installing the app, his mobile phone began overheating and working slowly, prompting him to delete the application the next day. Fraud detected after midnight The scam came to light in the early hours of December 25, when the victim received 21 OTP messages within just two minutes, between 2.50 am and 2.53 am. Police said the OTPs were generated for transactions linked to his credit card. Rs 2 Lakh spent through online transactions Investigators said four transactions were successful, including three payments of Rs 50,000 each and one of Rs 50,299, all made through Amazon Pay. The total unauthorised amount debited was Rs 2,00,299, while the remaining transaction attempts were blocked by the bank. Automated calls raised suspicion Around the same time, the lawyer received multiple automated calls from unknown and international numbers. Police believe that malware hidden in the APK file may have given fraudsters remote access to his phone, allowing them to intercept OTPs in real time. The victim blocked his credit card at 4.06 am and later approached the police, submitting call records, OTP alerts and bank statements. Police register case, probe underway The Byculla Police registered a case of online cheating and unauthorised electronic access on January 6. Officials said efforts are underway to trace the digital trail, IP addresses and beneficiary accounts involved in the fraud. Public warned against APK files Police have warned citizens not to download APK files received through SMS or WhatsApp, especially messages claiming to be traffic challans or government notices. They advised people to verify traffic fines only through official government websites or apps.
07 January,2026 05:23 PM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilA New Year holiday in Goa turned into a nightmare for a Lokhandwala-based film and television production family after their bungalow was burgled and valuables worth nearly Rs 45 lakh were stolen. The Oshiwara Police have arrested a habitual burglar in connection with the high-value theft, which occurred while the family was away celebrating New Year’s Eve. Habitual burglar arrested, 90 per cent of stolen property recovered The accused has been identified as Manoj Rathod (40). He was arrested from Virar East, and police have recovered nearly 90 per cent of the stolen property. According to police, the burglary took place at a bungalow located behind Magnum Tower on 2nd Cross Road in Lokhandwala. The house belongs to a 53-year-old film and television producer who lives there with his wife, children and 82-year-old mother, along with domestic staff. Elderly mother and relative were at home during break-in At the time of the incident, the family members were away in Goa, leaving the elderly mother and a relative of her daughter-in-law at home. Police said the burglar entered the bungalow between 11 pm on December 29 and 7.30 am on December 30 by forcing open a bathroom window on the second floor. The intruder allegedly moved silently through the house while the occupants were asleep. Noises heard at night but ignored by elderly woman At around 2.40 am, the elderly woman woke up to use the washroom and noticed faint noises but ignored them. She later observed that a bathroom window was not closing properly and assumed it had been opened by domestic staff. “It was only in the morning that the crime came to light. One of the maids noticed that a window handle in the library was broken and several rooms, including the bedrooms of family members and grandchildren, were found ransacked,” said a police officer. Further checks revealed that a safe locker kept inside a cupboard had been completely removed. What the burglar stole: jewellery, silverware, passports A detailed inventory later confirmed that the burglar had stolen: Diamond, ruby and emerald earrings, rings and bracelets A Cartier diamond and emerald bracelet Gold bangles, bracelets and ornaments belonging to the grandmother Silver plates, spoons, utensils, frames and household silverware Foreign currency Three passports and signed blank stamp papers Cash belonging to a relative and a domestic help The total value of the stolen property has been estimated at Rs 45 lakh. FIR registered, police launch technical and ground probe Based on the complaint filed by the elderly woman, Oshiwara Police registered an FIR and launched an intensive investigation under the guidance of DCP (Zone 9) Dixit Gedam and Senior Inspector Sanjay Chauhan. Technical surveillance, CCTV footage and human intelligence led the police to Rathod, who was arrested from Virar a few days later. Accused linked to multiple burglary cases across Mumbai During interrogation, police found that Rathod is a notorious and habitual offender with more than a dozen burglary cases registered against him across Mumbai and adjoining areas. “For nearly five years, the accused had stayed away from criminal activity and had completely cut off contact with his former associates. When police tried tracing him through old informers, several believed he might have died,” said an officer. Passports recovered after being dumped nearby Police sources said that after stealing passports and documents, the accused discarded them a short distance from the bungalow. Following Rathod’s arrest, police have recovered over 90 per cent of the stolen property. Further investigation is ongoing, and the accused is currently in police custody.
07 January,2026 02:41 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA court in Thane has acquitted a man accused of stalking and sexually harassing a minor girl, observing that his actions did not demonstrate “sexual intent”, a key element required under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reported news agency PTI. Accused allegedly professed love to minor in 2019 The accused, Mayuresh Kailas Shelke (25), a labourer, allegedly entered the 15-year-old victim’s home in Thane city in 2019 and professed his love, reported PTI. Delivering the verdict, Judge Ruby U Malvankar observed that “there was no physical contact with the victim,” and that the words used by the accused, when seen in the context of the case, did not amount to an intent indicating sexual intention, reported PTI. What amounts to sexual intent is a question of fact: Judge “What constitutes such sexuality or sexual intent and what is not is a question of fact, and in the case in hand, there does not appear any such sexual intent from the words used by the accused,” the court noted. A copy of the order passed on December 22, 2025, was made available on Tuesday. FIR details: Incident took place in Dombivli chawl The case stemmed from an FIR lodged in 2019 by the victim, who alleged that Shelke, her neighbour, entered her home in a chawl at Mhatre Nagar in Dombivli on November 1, 2019, while she was studying alone. Prosecution alleged stalking and repeated phone calls As per the prosecution, the accused told the victim, “Do not address me as ‘Dada’, I love you”, and had been stalking her and making repeated phone calls, reported PTI. Charges framed under IPC and POCSO Act The prosecution charged Shelke under Sections 354D (stalking) and 441 (criminal trespass) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Sections 7 (sexual assault) and 11 (sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act. Defence challenges lack of independent witnesses Defence counsel Amresh S Jadhav challenged the prosecution’s case, pointing out that the incident allegedly occurred in a densely populated chawl, yet no independent witnesses were produced to corroborate the allegations. Prosecution fails to prove legal ingredients: Court The court reiterated that determining sexual intent is a question of fact and concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the essential legal ingredients of the offences charged, reported PTI. Evidence insufficient to sustain conviction While acknowledging that the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged incident, the court held that the evidence on record was insufficient to sustain a conviction. (With inputs from PTI)
07 January,2026 12:54 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA 73-year-old man in Maharashtra's Thane city has allegedly been cheated of Rs 5.11 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him to invest in international share markets, police said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI. According to the police, some individuals contacted the victim between October and November 2025 through mobile numbers that began with the international code +44, an official said. The accused convinced the elderly man to invest in international share markets by promising high returns. "They provided him with links to certain websites and guided him to open accounts on these platforms. Acting on their instructions, the man invested Rs 5,11,188 over a period of time," the official said, reported PTI. However, when the victim later attempted to withdraw his returns and the invested amount, he received no response from the accused. Based on the victim's complaint on Monday, the Naupada police registered a case against five suspects under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said, reported PTI. "A probe into the case is underway. We are analysing call details, bank transactions and the websites used in the fraud to trace the accused. No arrests have been made so far," he added. Rs 200 crore international forex fraud racket busted; 7 held in Maharashtra In another case, police in Maharashtra have unearthed a massive international syndicate that defrauded hundreds of people of more than Rs 200 crore by luring them into online forex and gold trading schemes, officials said on Tuesday, reported PTI. Seven persons, linked to more than 50 criminal cases lodged across several states in India, have so far been arrested in Maharashtra, with the police suspecting the masterminds were operating the racket from outside the country, they said. The fraudsters targeted victims by building trust through matrimonial websites and social media platforms before inducing them to invest in fraudulent schemes, Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik said at a press conference, reported PTI. The breakthrough came on November 12, 2025, when a police team, while probing a complaint of fraud, conducted a raid at the Shivsai Residency Lodge and Boarding on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, he said. Initially, five individuals were apprehended for conspiring to receive illegal funds through a network of bank accounts used for money laundering and tax evasion. The police have since arrested seven persons, the official said. An investigation into the victims' complaints indicated that the accused contacted individuals on various matrimonial and social media sites, posing as potential partners or high-net-worth investors, according to the police. After gaining the victims' confidence, they lured them with promises of high profits in forex and gold trading, sent links to bogus/fake websites that displayed manipulated trading data and provided them "mule" bank accounts to deposit the investment amounts, they said. Once the money was deposited, it was immediately laundered through a complex web of accounts, often ending up outside India, the police said. A probe into the bank accounts of the arrested accused suggested their links to 51 different crimes registered across multiple states, including Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur in Maharashtra, Delhi, Telangana, Karnataka, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Goa, the police said. While seven key suspects were in judicial custody, the investigation suggested the "masterminds" were operating the racket from abroad, the police commissioner said. "Our teams are working to trace the money trail, which currently exceeds Rs 200 crore. We are coordinating with various state police departments and cyber cells to consolidate these 51 FIRs and identify the overseas handlers," an official stated. Those arrested have been identified as Roshan Kumar Siddharama Shetty, Abir alias Sachir Mohammad Khan, Sanad Sanjeev Das, Rahul Kumar alias Kailash Rakesh Kumar, Aamir Karam Sherkhan, Abhishek Anil Narkar alias Gopal and Mohammad Rashid Fakir Mohammad Baloch alias Lucky, the police said, reported PTI. The Naigaon police have registered a case under various sections for cheating and fraud of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The police have appealed to people to be cautious of investment advice received through matrimonial platforms and to verify the credentials of any trading website before transferring funds. (With inputs from PTI)
07 January,2026 12:39 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentPolice have seized mephedrone valued at Rs 14.24 lakh and arrested a man in this connection in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI. Based on specific information, the police intercepted the man, identified as Aman Tamin Gadkari (23), in the Kausa locality in the early hours of Tuesday and recovered 71.2 gm of mephedrone (MD), a banned synthetic drug, from his possession, senior police inspector Vijay Kumar Deshmukh said, reported PTI. The accused, a resident of Mumbra, was carrying the contraband with the intention of selling it in the area, he said. A case has been registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the police added. Hydroponic weed, diamonds and gold worth Rs 14 crore seized at Mumbai airport Meanwhile, customs officials seized hydroponic weed, diamonds and gold, collectively worth about Rs 14 crore, at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport over two days and arrested an airport staffer and a few others, officials said on Saturday, reported PTI. The seizures were made between December 30 and December 31 in separate cases, they said. Officials from the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone-III, confiscated 8.008 kg of suspected hydroponic weed from a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok, the official said, reported PTI. The contraband is valued at around Rs 8.008 crore in the illicit market, he said, adding that the passenger was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In a separate case, 1.946 kg of suspected hydroponic weed worth about Rs 1.946 crore was recovered from a passenger who also had arrived from Bangkok, the official said. Hydroponic weed, a potent and expensive form of ganja, is cultivated using water-based, nutrient-rich solutions instead of traditional soil methods. Officials said a passenger was intercepted and 849.6 carats of diamonds, valued at about Rs 2.52 crore, were recovered from him. The precious stones had been allegedly concealed inside his body cavity, they said, reported PTI. Customs also seized 1,470 grams of 24-carat gold dust in wax form, valued at around Rs 1.87 crore, from a passenger and a staffer attached to Air India Airport Services Limited (AIASL), an official said, reported PTI. The gold dust was allegedly passed by one Bangladeshi transit passenger to another, who then handed it over to the AIASL employee inside the airport. In another case, Customs booked a passenger after recovering 89 grams of 24-carat gold rhodium-plated buttons worth Rs 11.35 lakh, officials said. Acting on specific information, a Customs team also recovered 160 grams of 24-carat gold worth Rs 20.41 lakh from two passengers, they said. Efforts are being made to trace the wider networks linked to the seized gold, diamonds and drugs, the officials added. (With inputs from PTI)
07 January,2026 12:15 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA human-like skull and skeletal remains have been found at an abandoned house in Maharashtra's Thane district, prompting police to launch an investigation, officials said, reported news agency PTI. A person spotted the skeletal remains at the house located in a chawl (row tenement) at Mhatre Nagar in the Sonarpada area of Dombivli on January 3 and alerted the police, an official from Manpada police station said on Tuesday, reported PTI. The police then reached the spot and recovered a human-like skull, bones, some clothes, sandals, bracelets, a wire hair ring, hair samples and blood-stained soil from the premises, he said. Following a directive from a medical officer at a local hospital, the remains were sent to the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai for a detailed forensic examination, the official said, reported PTI. The Manpada police have registered a case of accidental death and are conducting a probe into it, he added. Minor girl from Palghar raped by man she met on Instagram; hunt on for accused In another case, police have launched a search for a man accused of kidnapping, raping and blackmailing a 17-year-old girl from Maharashtra's Palghar district after meeting her on Instagram, officials said on Tuesday, reported PTI. The victim, a resident of Valiv in Palghar, became friends with the accused through the social media platform Instagram. Their friendship turned into a love affair, following which the victim eloped with the accused to Madhya Pradesh. She lived with the accused between February and September 2025, during which time she was allegedly subjected to torture and sexual abuse, a police official said. The victim later managed to escape and returned to her parents' home in September. The accused subsequently began posting objectionable content, including the victim's pictures, on social media platforms to malign her and force her to come back to him, he said, reported PTI. Earlier, in February last year, following her disappearance, her family had lodged a case of kidnapping against the accused. Based on a fresh complaint by the victim's sister, the police registered a case against the accused on December 28, 2025, under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including 64 (rape), and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act, the official said. The complaint did not specify the reason for the delay in reporting the crime. Search was on for the accused, the police added, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
07 January,2026 12:04 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Santacruz Police arrested a 53-year-old man and seized an illegal country-made pistol during routine checking and patrolling conducted in view of the upcoming BMC elections 2026. Accused intercepted near SNDT College after tip-off Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Detection Team intercepted the suspect near SNDT College on Relief Road in Santacruz West around 12.45 am on January 5, 2026. The accused, identified as Vijay Narayan Dhokarkar (53), a resident of a slum area in Vile Parle, allegedly attempted to flee after spotting the police but was apprehended following a brief chase. Country-made pistol, magazine and live cartridge recovered During a personal search, police recovered a country-made pistol, one magazine and a live cartridge from his possession. As the accused failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for possessing the firearm, a case was registered against him under Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act. Case also booked under Maharashtra Police Act In addition, sections 37(1)/135 of the Maharashtra Police Act were invoked for violating the arms prohibition order issued by the Mumbai Police Commissioner. Accused is a habitual offender with multiple cases Police records reveal that Dhokarkar is a habitual offender with multiple cases registered against him in the past, including theft, robbery and NDPS-related offences at Santacruz, Vile Parle and Bandra Railway Police stations. Operation conducted under senior officers’ supervision The operation was carried out under the guidance of Dikshit Gedam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 9), and the supervision of Senior Inspector Yogesh Shinde and Police Inspector (Crime) Chandrakant Kamble of the Santacruz Police Station. Assistant Police Inspector Sanjay Kalhatkar and his team executed the action. Probe on to trace source of weapon Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the firearm and its intended use.
07 January,2026 10:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Crime Detection Branch (CDB), Cell-4, has exposed an international cyber fraud racket that duped citizens across India of over Rs 200 crore, using matrimonial websites and social media platforms as bait. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the case. The gang allegedly contacted victims through matrimonial portals and social networking sites, gradually gaining their trust before luring them into bogus online forex and gold-trading schemes, promising unusually high returns. According to police, the case came to light after confidential inputs were received. Acting swiftly, officers raided Shivsai Residency Lodging and Boarding on Ahmedabad Highway in Vasai near Mumbai. The case was initially registered at Naigaon Police Station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Given the magnitude and interstate links of the scam, Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar Police Commissioner Nikat Kaushik transferred the investigation to CDB (Cell-4). How the scam operated Investigations revealed that the accused gained victims’ trust through matrimonial and social media sites, then enticed them with promises of massive profits from forex and gold trading. Victims were redirected to fake trading websites and asked to deposit money into multiple bank accounts controlled by the gang. Early “profits” were shown to build confidence, after which victims were persuaded to invest larger sums, often losing their life savings. Seven arrested linked to 51 cybercrime cases across India The arrested have been identified as Roshan Kumar Sitharama Shetty, Sabir Mohammad Khan, Sanad Sanjeev Das, Rahul Kumar alias Kailash Rakesh Kumar, Aamir Karam Sherkhan, Abhishek Anil Narkar alias Gopal, and Mohammad Rashid Fakir Mohammad Baloch alias Lucky. Police investigations have linked the gang to 51 cyber fraud cases registered across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Goa, and Chandigarh. The offences invoke serious charges under the BNS and Sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act. Investigators confirmed that the racket was being operated from outside India, using mule bank accounts, encrypted communication platforms, and fake digital identities to evade detection. “All the arrested accused are currently in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway to identify additional suspects, trace money trails, and coordinate with international agencies,” a senior crime branch officer said.
06 January,2026 08:04 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA Mumbai-based fitness centre, Flat Fit Gym, has been booked for cheating after allegedly shutting down abruptly despite collecting over Rs 20 lakh in annual fees from more than 200 members. According to Navghar Police, the Mulund East-based gym enrolled members by offering attractive facilities and long-term fitness plans. Members were charged between Rs 10,000 and Rs 11,000 each as annual fees, many of which were paid digitally. The gym initially operated normally, creating confidence among members. However, on August 9, 2025, the gym was found suddenly shut, with shutters pulled down and the premises locked, without any prior intimation. Members arriving for their regular workouts discovered that the facility had ceased operations overnight. “Despite repeated attempts to contact the gym operators and management, phones went unanswered and no refunds were issued,” said Nilesh Nandre, one of the members. Police investigations revealed that around 205 members had paid annual fees, taking the total amount allegedly collected to Rs 20.05 lakh. Members approach police after Mumbai gym shuts amid premises dispute; cheating case registered Members claimed they later learned that the gym had shut even as disputes related to the premises were ongoing, raising questions over why long-term memberships continued to be sold. With no access to the facility or their money, several members approached the police. Based on their complaint, a case was registered on Sunday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating. Police said those linked to the gym’s operations are being investigated and efforts are underway to trace the money trail and ascertain whether similar complaints have been filed elsewhere. Senior police inspector Parag Sonawane said the two accused, identified as Swapnil Nigote and Harshal Salunke, ran the gym. “They will be issued notices to appear at the police station for investigation. If they fail to appear, they will be arrested,” Sonawane said.
06 January,2026 07:39 PM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya IyerA security guard allegedly killed himself at his Kandivali home in Mumbai on Monday evening, police said, adding that the deceased shot himself using a licensed firearm and a probe was launched. Mumbai Police have launched a probe into the incident, an official said. The 45-year-old deceased worked at a showroom in Andheri, he said. The Samta Nagar Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the matter and is further probing the case, the official added. According to police, the incident took place around 4 pm after he had returned back home after finishing his duty for the day. Emergency services took him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Police said that the deceased had a revolver which was legally licensed. At the time of the incident, he was alone at home; his wife and two children were present elsewhere. Need help? below are suicide prevention helplines- Samaritans Mumbai (Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm): 84229-84527 Connecting NGO (From 10 am to 8 pm): 9922004305/9922001122 Snehi (From 10 am to 10 pm): 9376804102 1 Life: 7893078930 Aasra: 9820466726
05 January,2026 09:32 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanADVERTISEMENT
