A Mumbai court on Tuesday remanded a suspect arrested from Haryana in connection with Salman Khan firing case to the custody of Mumbai Police till May 22, reported the PTI. The suspect, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was arrested in connection with firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence which took place last month. The suspect was identified as Harpal Singh (34), a resident of Fatehabad in Haryana. He was apprehended by the Mumbai Crime Branch from his home town on Monday evening, an official said, as per the PTI. After being brought to Mumbai, Harpal Singh was produced before a special MCOCA court in Mumbai. According to the PTI, the police sought his remand for 14 days on the ground that the probe was at an initial stage and a thorough investigation was needed to ascertain the role of the accused in the case. His name came to light during the interrogation of an accused arrested earlier in the case, the prosecution said, the news agency reported. In the court proceeding held in-camera, special judge B D Shelke remanded Harpal Singh to police custody till May 22. Harpal Singh is the sixth accused to be arrested in connection with the firing incident. Two motorcycle-borne persons opened fire outside Khan's residence at the Galaxy Apartment in Mumbai's Bandra area on April 14 and fled the spot.Singh's name surfaced during the interrogation of accused Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary, another Bishnoi gang member who was arrested earlier this month in the firing case, a police official said. Harpal Singh had asked Chowdhary to conduct a recce around Khan's residence and also gave Rs 2-3 lakh to him, the police said. Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Sabarmati central prison in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, and his younger brother Anmol Bishnoi, who is believed to be in the US or Canada, have been named in the firing case. The alleged shooters, Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta, both hailing from Bihar, were arrested from Gujarat within 48 hours of the April 14 firing incident.Sonu Bishnoi and Anuj Thapan, who allegedly delivered weapons to the shooters, were nabbed later from Punjab. Anuj Thapan allegedly hanged himself in a police lock-up here on May 1. (with PTI inputs)
14 May,2024 03:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPolice have registered a case against six persons for allegedly cheating a Navi Mumbai engineer of Rs 3.7 crore after luring him to invest in shares for high returns, an official said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. On February 17, 2024, the 43-year-old Navi Mumbai engineer, resident of Vashi area working with a private company, saw a link on his social media page about an opportunity to invest in shares, reported PTI. He clicked on the link and got details of how to earn a good profit by investing in shares. A mobile number was also mentioned in the link for contacting, Navi Mumbai cyber police station's senior inspector Gajanan Kadam said, reported PTI. Later, the victim started chatting on WhatsApp with one of the fraudsters who asked him to join different groups on the messaging app wherein the admins helped him in investments by providing various links. One of the fraudsters also identified himself as a senior officer pertaining to securities in a well-known bank, the official said, reported PTI. The victim invested Rs 3.7 crore between February 17 and April 24, he said. He later found his investments in shares and IPOs had grown to Rs 22 to 23 crore, reported PTI. When he was unable to withdraw any money, he contacted on the numbers provided to him, but did not get any response, the official said, reported PTI. The victim filed a complaint on Saturday following which the police registered a case against six persons under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) and provisions of the Information Technology Act. In another case, a 65-year-old man was allegedly duped by a cyber fraudster who posed as a Mumbai Police official on the phone and forced him to transfer Rs 1.90 lakh in a bank account threatening action for 'money laundering', reported PTI. The complainant received a call on April 25 from an unknown number. The caller claimed he was a police inspector from the cyber police station in Andheri, Mumbai. He told the complainant that he was involved in money laundering activities, a Nagpur Police official said on Sunday, reported PTI. "The complainant panicked and made an online transfer of Rs 1.90 lakh in the bank account on directions of the caller," he said, reported PTI. The man later realised that he had been cheated and approached police, reported PTI. A case has been registered under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. (With inputs from PTI)
14 May,2024 01:53 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe arrest of a habitual offender who has allegedly committed a string of burglaries in Mumbai has left the police stunned as the investigation suggested that it was his mother who made him consume drugs before he stepped out to commit the crime. The accused, identified as Krishna Ravi Maheskar, 24, has more than 22 cases of housebreaking pending against him in various police stations across Mumbai, an official said on Sunday. “Maheskar is a habitual offender. His mother Vijeta Maheskar, 50, played a vital role in all his criminal activities. She used to give him drugs before sending him out to commit housebreaking. She also used to dispose of the stolen property,” said Kalachowkie police station sub-inspector Rajendra Chavan. He said police are yet to arrest Vijeta Maheskar who is on the run. The mother and son are residents of the Kalachowki area in central Mumbai. Notably, the accused man used to commit burglary a day after he was released on bail in any criminal case. In the fresh case, Maheskar was arrested from Agripada area, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 May,2024 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesAn interrogation of a suspicious man, initially detained last year during New Year bandobast, prompted the Saki Naka police to conduct a thorough investigation into a drug link that further helped the cops bust a ‘meow meow’ (mephedrone/MD) factory in Rajasthan. A total of four people have been arrested while one person has been kept under detention. The police seized 3 kg of contraband and other raw materials worth Rs 107.67 crore from the drug factory in Rajasthan. According to the police, they had arrested Sarfaraz Shaikh, 22, last year during the New Year bandobast, due to his “suspicious behaviour”. Based on Shaikh’s inputs, the police arrested Majid Shaikh, 44, and Abdul Shaikh, 44. Upon interrogation, they revealed that they had procured the drug from Pune, leading the cops to detain Prashant Patil. During interrogation, Patil said that he procured drugs from Rajasthan. He informed the police about the drug factory in Jodhpur. “Hence, we acted swiftly and detained the owner Hukumram Chaudhary, 40,” said a police officer. According to the police, Chaudhary owned the factory in an abandoned area in Jodhpur and had stored raw materials to make MD in its godown. “We raided the factory and found MD and other raw materials worth Rs 107.67 crore,” said the police officer. Last year, the Sakinaka police busted a major drug syndicate in Nashik and arrested drug lord Lalit Patil, his brother Bhushan and 17 others for running his syndicate. The police are yet to investigate whether Nashik’s drug racket has any links with the Rajasthan drug factory. “The investigation is at its primary stage and we will investigate the matter thoroughly,” a police officer said, adding that all the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. The Saki Naka police have seized 67.5 kg of MD in liquid form, worth Rs 101.25 crore. They have also seized 1 kg of MD in powder form worth R3 crore and other raw materials from the godown of the factory in Rajasthan. The total seizure, which includes the liquid form of MD, the drug in powder form and raw materials amounts to Rs 107.62 crore.
13 May,2024 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheThe Ulhasnagar police have rescued a five-month-old boy from a Maoist area of Bihar and arrested two people who kidnapped him. The police said the boy was taken from his parents from Ulhasnagar to Hyderabad on the pretext of giving free treatment. The parents who used to beg for alms in Ulhasnagar claim the boy was taken to Hyderabad and later on the pretext of being given treatment, to Bihar. The police team first reached Hyderabad and later went to Bihar from where the minor was rescued and the two people were arrested. Investigations will shed light on the motives behind the kidnapping and bring justice to those responsible. According to the police, the complainant, identified as Meena Sunil Sonawane is a resident of Kalyan. Sonawane told the police that her five-month-old child Kartik had been kidnapped. “On May 1, Kartik was taken to Hyderabad under the pretext of giving free treatment. The parents were informed that his treatment could take at least a month. Meena contacted them continuously but got no response. The accused woman also demanded R2 lakh as expenses for the boy’s medical treatment, if Meena wanted the child back,” said a police officer. With no hope of getting her child back, Meena approached the Ulhasnagar police and registered a case under Sections 363, 370 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. “On the basis of information provided by Meena, we formed teams and arrested Soni Devi Paswan, a woman from Hyderabad. On interrogating Paswan, it came to light that the child was in the Maoist area of Bhagalpur in Bihar. A team of around 10 police officers reached the Maoist area and with the help of the local police, the boy was rescued and a woman identified as Mal Devi Raza was arrested,” said Vishnu Tamhane, senior police inspector, Ulhasnagar police station. The police said Mala Devi was produced in a Bihar court and after getting transit remand was brought to Ulhasnagar. “We have arrested two people in the matter. Two others booked by the Mumbai police are yet to be taken into custody. Our team is working to break the syndicate involved in kidnapping children from the city. Also, why the child was taken to a Maoist area in Bihar is a question that needs to be answered,” said a police officer.
13 May,2024 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelThe Mumbai Police has busted a drug-making unit in Rajasthan and seized mephedrone worth over Rs 100 crore, an official said. A raid was conducted in Rajasthan's Jodhpur and drugs, drug producing materials were seized by the team of police officials, he said. The total value of the seizure is worth around Rs 107 crore, he added. The action came after the investigations in a case where the police officials from Sakinaka Police Station in suburban Mumbai nabbed two suspects with mephedrone worth over Rs 3 crore in Mumbai in December 2023. The police investigations revealed that the suspects had allegedly got the drugs from a person running a 'drug manufacturing unit' in Rajasthan's Jodhpur, the official said. A team of police officials reached Jodhpur and raided the premises. They found that he was allegedly producing drugs in the unit, police sources said. Apart from mephedrone and raw materials used to make the drug were also seized from the unit being run by a man. All three persons have been booked under the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further investigations were underway. In a similar incident in October last year, the Mumbai crime branch unit-9 had busted a drugs manufacturing factory in Solapur district of Maharashtra and had seized drugs and drug manufacturing materials valuing over Rs 100 crore in the market. According to the Mumbai Police, the officials of the crime branch unit-9 had initially received information regarding drug peddlers being active in Bandra west and Khar areas of the city. a special team of police officials from crime branch unit-9 was formed to investigate the information further. The police had then said, huge quantity of drugs was seized from the suspects- aged 32 and 27 respectively. From one of the suspect 2.547 kilos of mephedrone (MD) drugs was seized, it was valued at over Rs 5.9 crore in the market whereas drugs worth over Rs 5.8 crore was seized from another suspect, it weighed at around 5.8 kilos. During the interrogations of the suspects and further analysis of the peddlers, the team of police officials found that a drugs manufacturing factory was operational in Chincoli MIDC area of Solapur district of Maharashtra. After working out on the available clues, a raid was conducted at the factory where several drugs manufacturing equipment, raw materials and drugs were found. The police officials later seized the factory, the total seizure in the entire operation was valued to over Rs 100 crore, the police had earlier said.
12 May,2024 10:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Kurla Police in Mumbai have nabbed an auto rickshaw driver for allegedly robbing cash worth Rs 65.85 lakh from an angadia, a police official said on Sunday. The matter came to light when the victim approached the police station to register an FIR on May 11, he said. According to the police, the victim, an angadia, had come from Maharashtra's Bhusawal with a bag full of cash to Kurla. "He had come from Bhusawal and had to go to a hotel in Kurla area to deliver the cash. He caught an auto to reach the destination and it had reached Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, where the victim got down to ask the location of a hotel. The alleged rickshaw driver took advantage of the situation and fled away," said the officer. The victim, Sunil Pilkle (55), approached the police station and registered an FIR. The police sprung into action and started to investigate the matter. The police tracked the number of the rickshaw and traced its location to Andheri. "As we had got the number of the rickshaw, we traced the owner of the rickshaw in Andheri. He revealed that he had rented his rickshaw to one Mohammad Ayyaz Khan," said the official. Acting on the inputs given by the owner of the rickshaw, the police arrested Khan from the Gundavali area on May 12. "After a thorough investigation, he confessed that he had stolen the bag," the official said. He has been booked under section 392 (robbery) and other relevant sections of the IPC and have recovered the cash from the accused, he said. As the Lok Sabha elections 2024 are on going, the police have informed the Income Tax department about the matter, the official added.
12 May,2024 08:48 PM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgashePolice have arrested two alleged drug peddlers for possessing mephedrone worth Rs 8.25 lakh at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Saturday. The action was taken on Friday around 3.30 am, he said. Thane crime: Two drug peddlers held "The duo, identified as Mohammad Sudesh Abusaheba Ansari (22) and Vikas Dinesh Gupta (20), was spotted near a lodge at Babla Compound and mephedrone worth Rs 8,25,000 was seized from their possession," the official of Shanti Nagar police station said. The drug-peddler duo was later arrested and booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said, adding that a probe was being conducted. Thane crime: Other similar cases In another case, busting an interstate drug syndicate, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested two accused at Kalyan Railway Station in Thane and seized from them 3,600 Nitrazepam tablets and 270 bottles of Codeine syrup, reported ANI. According to the NCB, the network has its tentacles spread across multiple states, including Maharashtra, and Karnataka. "In a closely coordinated operation, NCB has successfully delivered yet another cracking blow to the interstate drug syndicate, which has led to the seizure of 3600 Nitrazepam tablets & 270 bottles of Codeine syrup for which two persons, including the local distributor and his key associate, have been arrested," said Additional Director NCB (Mumbai) Amit Ghawate in a press statement on Friday, reported ANI. In an effort to curb drug trafficking during the upcoming election, intelligence was gathered and it was noted that a notorious interstate drug syndicate has sketched a plan to smuggle a drug consignment into the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, according to the statement, reported ANI. "Urgent intervention in the input and development of the information led to the identification of a person named SS Khan. Continuous investigation led to identification of details about the SS Khan, and soon information was gathered that he had procured consignment of illicitly diverted prescription medicines from outside Maharashtra in a regular manner for further supply to his customers," the NCB said, reported ANI. Accordingly, a team of NCB Mumbai officials was deputed to mount surveillance immediately. Gradual linkages indicated that SS Khan along with one of his close confidant named M Khan has gone to Karnataka for purchase of a drug consignment. All intelligence sources were alerted which led to further details, the NCB said, reported ANI. On May 10, upon confirmation of possession of a drug consignment, based on analysis, a trap layout was set up at Kalyan Railway Station, Maharashtra. Soon, after the arrival of the train, upon de-boarding from the train, the duo were immediately physically identified by the NCB team. After interception at the spot and further, during the search, a total of 3600 Nitrazepam tablets and 270 bottles of Codeine syrup were recovered, said the NCB, reported ANI. The NCB said that during the interrogation, all the accused voluntarily accepted their involvement in the procurement of the seized drug consignment for further sale in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and other MMR regions. Further, one of the arrested people already has a criminal history and was linked to a syndicate with a notorious criminal background in which a few members were previously involved in other drug trafficking stints, and a few other members are already arrested under various NDPS matters, reported ANI. Incremental information about the syndicate and other details have been obtained, which are not only corroborative but also being analysed for the identification of other members of the syndicate. Further detailed investigation is underway to identify and arrest the other gang members and to neutralise the entire drug network, the NCB added, reported ANI. (With inputs from PTI and ANI)
12 May,2024 01:46 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentOfficers from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI) intercepted a Brazilian national on May 8, 2024, based on specific intelligence regarding drug smuggling. The suspect aroused suspicion and upon questioning, confessed to ingesting capsules containing drugs, intending to smuggle them into India. After being taken into custody, the person was brought before a magistrate, who granted them admission to Mumbai's Sir JJ Hospital. The Brazilian national purged 110 capsules totalling 975 grams of cocaine during their hospital stay; these capsules are estimated to be worth Rs. 9.75 crores on the black market. On May 10, 2024, the seized material—which turned out to be cocaine—was taken away in compliance with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985. "On questioning the passenger admitted to having ingested capsules containing drugs and carrying the same in his body for smuggling into India. The passenger was produced before the Magistrate and as per the court order, he was admitted to Sir JJ Hospital, Mumbai," an official said. The official further said, "He purged a total of 110 capsules containing 975 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs. 9.75 Crores in the illicit market during his stay in the hospital. The substance purported to be cocaine was seized on 10.05.2024, under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985. The passenger has been arrested and further investigation is underway to trace other members of this international syndicate involved in illegal smuggling of drugs into India." The arrested individual is currently in custody, and further investigations are underway to find and apprehend more members of this worldwide drug smuggling syndicate. This is the DRI's second such action in a week.
11 May,2024 05:03 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanUnder the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the Mumbai Zonal Office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally seized immovable property valued at Rs. 52.73 crore in Navi Mumbai in connection with the case involving M/s Monarch Universal Group. This action comes after the Maharashtra Police filed many FIRs against M/s Monarch Universal Group, Gopal Amarlal Thakur, Hasmukh Amarlal Thakur, and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, for scamming real estate customers. The ED's investigation revealed that Gopal Amarlal Thakur misdirected investor monies to sister entities and transferred significant proceeds of crime (PoC) to Navi Mumbai builders such as M/s Baba Homes Builders and Developers, M/s Lakhani Builders Pvt. Ltd, and M/s Monarch Solitaire LLP. It was uncovered that Monarch Group and its directors sold flats to many buyers and mortgaged them to collect loans from NBFCs without the consumers' knowledge. Gopal Amarlal Thakur was detained on July 1, 2021, and a criminal complaint was filed on August 26, 2021. A court decision dated May 10, 2024 has provisionally attached the attached PoC for Rs. 52.73 crore. In a separate operation, the Delhi ED searched eleven locations in Delhi NCR belonging to the promoters and directors of Shree Raj Mahal Jewellers Pvt Ltd (SRMJPL), Ginni Gold Pvt Ltd (GGPL), and individuals Ashok Goel, Pradeep Goal, and Praveen Kumar Gupta, as well as associated shell companies. The searches on May 7 resulted in the recovery of Rs. 20.50 lakh in cash, five luxury cars (Mercedes and BMW) valued at Rs. 2 crore, and Rs. 1 crore in fixed deposits kept in the names of bogus businesses and persons. Additionally, evidence relating to assets and bank accounts held by the promoters through shell companies was discovered and seized. The investigation is underway. (With Inputs from ANI)
11 May,2024 03:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Navi Mumbai Police in Maharashtra have arrested six persons for allegedly kidnapping a six-month-old baby boy from Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Friday, reported the PTI. The Kalyan Police rescued the baby from a residential building in the Panvel area of Navi Mumbai after receiving a tip-off, Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone-III Kalyan Sachin Gunjal said. The baby was allegedly kidnapped from near his house in Reva district of Madhya Pradesh, and a case under section 363 (kidnapping) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code was registered, he said. The official said that the Madhya Pradesh police received information that the accused were somewhere around Kalyan, Shahad region, and the local police were alerted. Two teams were formed, and they zeroed in on two women and three men, who were detained and interrogated, he said. Six persons have been arrested in connection with the case and handed over to the MP police, the official said. Navi Mumbai police books three people over video on Hemant Karkare The Navi Mumbai police have registered an FIR against three persons on charges of promoting enmity between different groups through a video on former Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare, an official said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. The complainant, Suresh Rama Gaikwad (49) from Turbhe in Navi Mumbai, told the police that the accused made the video, 'Salute to Hemant Karkare (Based on true Event)', and posted it on YouTube which he saw on April 22, reported PTI. The accused presented the video as if it was a true story while it was allegedly based on wrong information and showed that Brahmins resort to terrorist attacks and involve Muslims in false cases, the official from Turbhe police station said quoting the complaint filed on Wednesday, reported PTI.Based on the complaint, the FIR was registered on Wednesday against three persons and their unnamed team members. The case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), the Navi Mumbai police police said. Karkare was killed during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. (with PTI inputs)
10 May,2024 04:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
