Mumbai Police have seized drugs worth over Rs 13 crore in south Mumbai after arresting five persons in connection with the matter, an official said on Sunday, reported the PTI. In March this year, police arrested one of the accused with MD worth Rs 4.5 lakh. During interrogation, he shared the details of the other accused, the official said.MD, also known as ecstasy, has high potential for abuse, according to the PTI. Personnel from the Anti-Narcotic Cell of Zone 6, RCF police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recently raided a premises in south Mumbai and recovered 6.6 kg of MD, valued at Rs 13 crore, said the official, the news agency reported on Sunday. Four of the five persons arrested in connection with the haul are from Mumbai, and the other is a resident of Navi Mumbai, said the official from the RCF police station. A case has been registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway, he added. Drugs worth over Rs 6 crore seized from house in Mumbai's Govandi; one held In an another major seizure by the Mumbai Police, earlier this week, the police had said that it seized various narcotic drugs collectively worth more than Rs 6 crore from a house in Govandi area of Mumbai, and arrested one person in connection with the matter. According to the police, the seizure of drugs was made on Tuesday night by a team of police officials. Following the seizure, a 23-year-old accused was arrested by the police. He has been identified as Salman Shaikh, an official said. "Based on a tip-off, the police conducted a raid at Shaikh's house. During the operation, three kilograms of mephedrone or MD drug worth Rs 6 crore, 12 kilograms of ganja valued at Rs 2.40 lakh, 36 bottles of codeine phosphate (Corex) of Rs 18,000 and Rs 1.30 lakh cash - collectively worth Rs 6,03, 88,000, were recovered from there," the official of Shivaji Nagar police station said, according to the PTI. The suspect was arrested under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. The police are trying to find out from where he sourced all these drugs, he said, adding that further investigations were underway. (with PTI inputs)
18 May,2025 09:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Andheri police in Mumbai have arrested a softball (tennis ball) cricket player along with two of his friends for allegedly robbing a senior citizen of a gold chain worth Rs 1.5 lakh. The prime accused, Wasim Noor Mohammad Shaikh, is known for uploading cricket videos on his YouTube channel, including clips of him hitting sixes in MS Dhoni's ‘helicopter’ style and of training sessions. The police also recovered the stolen gold chain weighing 25 grams. Shaikh, 30, a resident of Rashid Compound at Kausa, Mumbra, has reportedly participated in numerous softball cricket tournaments. Of the two others arrested, Shaheed Farukh Shaikh, 20, is a resident of Mumbra, while Tofiq Riyaz Ahmad Idrishi, 21, is a resident of Madina Complex at Shilphata, Thane. The complainant, Shankar Jayram Joshi, is a resident of Andheri East. According to the police, the incident occurred on May 5 around 11.20 pm, when Joshi was walking on the footpath near Vijay Nagar Society in Andheri East. Three unidentified men approached him. One of them pushed him, and when Joshi questioned the act, the trio assaulted him, snatched his gold chain and fled toward Andheri railway station. Joshi immediately informed the Andheri police and filed an FIR. The complaint was officially registered at 1.45 am on May 6, prompting an intensive investigation. Under the guidance of DCP (Zone X) Sachin Gunjal and ACP Shashikant Bhosale, Senior Inspector Ramesh Bhame formed two dedicated teams, led by Police Sub-Inspectors Kishor Parkale and S Supe. The teams included Police Constables Pednekar, Suryawanshi, Shinde, Surner, Kamble, Kambari, Gaikwad, Turke, Gawli, Londhe, Mhatre, More, Patil, Narbat, Shinde, and technical assistant Pisal. The investigation teams reviewed footage of over 250 public and private CCTV cameras from the crime scene and surrounding areas. Around three hours after the incident, the suspects were seen boarding a vehicle at Vakola Junction. Using technical surveillance, the police traced the vehicle and subsequently identified and arrested the accused from Mumbra. None of them has prior criminal records. Speaking with mid-day, PSI Kishor Parkale from Andheri police station, said, “We have arrested the three accused who robbed the senior citizen in Andheri. The main accused, Shaikh, is a tennis ball cricketer who has created several social media reels hitting sixes using the helicopter shot made famous by MS Dhoni.”
18 May,2025 08:49 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaThe Mumbai Custom officials on Sunday said that they have seized gold worth Rs 5.10 crore at city airport in two different cases of gold smuggling and arrested two people in connection with the seizure, reported the ANI. According to the Mumbai Customs, in the first case, one individual working in a lounge was intercepted when he was crossing the departure area. He was checked and a recovery of as many as six pouches were made from him, they were concealed in his inner clothes. The pouches contained gold dust in wax form. It has a net weight of 2,800 grams valued at Rs. 2.48 crore. It is suspected that the seized gold was handed over to him by a transit passenger and further investigations were underway. The suspect in the case was initially detained and later officially placed under arrest. In an another similar case, one person working on contractual basis at the airport was intercepted when he was crossing the exit point at the departure area and the officials decided to check him. Upon conducting the checks, a recovery of six pouches was made from him. It contained gold wax having net weight of 2,950 grams valued at Rs 2.62 crore. The gold wax was concealed in the pocket of his jacket that the suspect was wearing. The gold wax was apparently handed over to him by a transit passenger, said the Mumbai Customs officials, as per the ANI. Both persons were arrested and further investigations are going on, officials said. Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday, while acting on specific intelligence inputs, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mumbai intercepted a male passenger, a Chadian national, who had arrived from Addis Ababa on Friday, May 16, 2025, said officials, adding that during a personal search, officials discovered foreign-origin gold bars cleverly concealed within the heels of his slippers. The total weight of the seized gold was 4,015 grams, valued at approximately Rs 3.86 crore. In his statement, the passenger admitted to hiding the gold to evade customs detection. The DRI has seized the gold and arrested the passenger under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, said officials, reported the ANI. Further investigations are underway, they said. (with ANI inputs)
18 May,2025 05:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThree persons, including two women, were arrested after a sex racket operating from a restaurant was busted in Bhiwandi in Thane district, a police official said on Sunday. A raid was carried out on the restaurant in Rajnoli village on Friday by the police's Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC), the official said."Three persons, including two women, were arrested, while four persons, one of them a minor, were rescued. The rescued persons have been shifted to the Shanti Van women's correctional home in Ulhasanagar," said AHTC senior inspector Chetna Chowdhary. A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, the official added. 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.
18 May,2025 01:46 PM IST | Thane | PTIMumbai Police received a hoax email on Friday morning threatening to blow up the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel, an official said on Saturday. The threatening email was sent to the official address of the Airport Police Station. Following standard security protocol, authorities conducted a thorough search of both the airport and the hotel. No suspicious items were found during the sweep, following which the authorities stated that it was a hoax. The email, marked “Urgent,” stated: “7 RDX IEDs at TAJ Hotel/Airport, Evacuate All Public/Staffs Soon!” It went on to say: “The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and the Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Airport will fall victim to a devastating pipe bomb blast. This act commemorates the unjust hanging of Afzal Guru and Savukku Shankar!” A case has been registered against an unidentified individual under charges of criminal intimidation, public mischief, and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). An investigation is currently underway to trace the origin of the email and identify the sender, the official added. Mumbai-Ballia Kamayani Express stopped at MP after bomb threat The Railways received a bomb threat call regarding Train No 11072 Kamayani Express, prompting a swift security response at Khandwa railway station in Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning. The train, which operates between Mumbai and Ballia, was halted at Platform No 5, following which a thorough inspection was carried out by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), Civil Police, and a bomb detection dog squad. The information was relayed to authorities by GRP Bhopal Control, prompting immediate action. The area was cordoned off, and all the necessary precautions were taken to ensure passenger safety, railway authorities informed. IPF Khandwa was present on-site to oversee the operation. Following a comprehensive search, officials confirmed that the threat was a hoax. No explosives or suspicious items were found, and all passengers were reported safe. (With PTI inputs)
17 May,2025 09:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA special court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted three persons booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a rape and human trafficking case, citing discrepancies in the victim's testimony, reported PTI. Special judge D S Deshmukh acquitted Radhika alias Muskan Vinod Jadhav, Sanjeev alias Bunty Dhruv Varma, and absconding prime accused Pravin Omprakash Mishra of charges of kidnapping, rape, and trafficking, reported PTI. A copy of the order dated May 9 was made available on Friday. The trio was booked in the case in 2015 under the Indian Penal Code, POCSO Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA). According to the prosecution, Mishra had sexually assaulted a minor girl in August 2015 and later left her with Jadhav, who allegedly forced her into prostitution, and the crime involved Varma. Judge Deshmukh noted a crucial discrepancy regarding the victim's age and stated that she was not a minor at the time of the incident, reported PTI. The victim's testimony directly contradicted the prosecution's claims. The judge observed that the victim's testimony indicated that she went with absconded accused Pravin Mishra and married him. The victim had given birth to a baby following her relationship with Mishra, and she denied being forced into prostitution, the Thane court noted, reported PTI. The victim's father also failed to support the prosecution's core allegations, stating his daughter was above 18 at the time and not corroborating claims of enticement or forced prostitution. (With inputs from PTI)
17 May,2025 02:34 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Saturday said that two persons have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old boy over his father's outstanding debts and demanding a ransom of Rs 12 lakh in Navi Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. According to the police, the accused arrived at the victim's house in Ghansoli on the night of May 14 and had a heated argument with his father over the Rs 4 lakh he owed one of them, reported PTI. They allegedly beat up the boy and took him away in a car and later demanded Rs 12 lakh for his safe return, an official from the Koparkhairane police station said. Based on the father's complaint, a case was registered under section 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder or for ransom, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against four persons, he said. The boy was rescued within hours from the Rabale area, and two of the accused were apprehended, assistant police inspector Sunil Bodke said, reported PTI. The police have arrested Raj Uday Bhalerao (32) and Yash Satish Garud (26) in connection with the crime, while two other accused are still at large, the official said, reported PTI. Teen held for kidnapping, molesting 4-year-old girl in Navi Mumbai In another case, a man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and molesting a four-year-old girl at a housing complex in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. The 19-year-old accused allegedly kidnapped the child from a housing complex in the Vashi area on Thursday and was caught by residents, an official said, reported PTI. He said the girl was playing near her house in the complex around 8 pm when the accused took her away and allegedly molested her. Alert residents caught him and handed him over to the police, he said. The official said a case has been registered under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and further probe is underway. (With inputs from PTI)
17 May,2025 02:29 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Saturday said that a man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and molesting a four-year-old girl at a housing complex in Navi Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. The 19-year-old accused allegedly kidnapped the child from a housing complex in the Vashi area on Thursday and was caught by residents, an official said, reported PTI. He said the girl was playing near her house in the complex around 8 pm when the accused took her away and allegedly molested her. Alert residents caught him and handed him over to the police, he said, reported PTI. The official said a case has been registered under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and further probe is underway. Two held for kidnapping 15-year-old boy for Rs 12 lakh ransom in Navi Mumbai In another case, two persons have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old boy over his father's outstanding debts and demanding a ransom of Rs 12 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. According to the police, the accused arrived at the victim's house in Ghansoli on the night of May 14 and had a heated argument with his father over the Rs 4 lakh he owed one of them. They allegedly beat up the boy and took him away in a car and later demanded Rs 12 lakh for his safe return, an official from the Koparkhairane police station said. Based on the father's complaint, a case was registered under section 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder or for ransom, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against four persons, he said, reported PTI. The boy was rescued within hours from the Rabale area, and two of the accused were apprehended, assistant police inspector Sunil Bodke said. The police have arrested Raj Uday Bhalerao (32) and Yash Satish Garud (26) in connection with the crime, while two other accused are still at large, the official said, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
17 May,2025 02:19 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Saturday said that a 53-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 79 lakh over the last four-and-a-half years by her Facebook 'friend' who lured her into investing in a cryptocurrency scheme, reported news agency PTI. "The accused, identified as Zuber Shamshad Khan, allegedly lured the woman, a resident of Goregaon in Mumbai, into investing in a cryptocurrency scheme, promising high returns," a Kharghar police station official in Navi Mumbai told PTI. The woman invested Rs 78,82,684 between October 2020 and March 2025 in multiple transactions, he said. The cryptocurrency fraud came to light when the victim attempted to retrieve her invested capital. "When she sought a refund of the money, the accused refused to oblige her," police said. An FIR was registered against Khan on May 15 under sections 318(4) (Cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. No arrest has been made to date. Pimpri Chinchwad firm loses nearly Rs 2 cr; man held from Gujarat In another case, a man was arrested from Gujarat for allegedly duping a firm from Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune of nearly Rs 2 crore, an official said on Friday, reported PTI. A sum of Rs 1 crore lost by the firm has also been recovered, the Pimpri Chinchwad police official added. "An accountant of a Bhosari MIDC-based firm received a message on May 15, purportedly from the company's director, asking him to transfer Rs 1.95 crore into a client's account for a project. As the display name and photo linked to the number matched that of the director, the unsuspecting accountant transferred the funds," he said, reported PTI. "Soon after, the actual director received a message on his phone about the transaction and alerted the accountant. It was then they realised a fraud had occurred. A case was immediately registered and teams began tracing the money trail to recover the amount," said the official, reported PTI. Technical analysis revealed the funds had been distributed across multiple accounts, with some withdrawals being made from a bank in Surat in neighbouring Gujarat, he said. With help from CCTV footage from the bank there, Jenil Waghela was held from Surat, the official said. "We managed to freeze Rs 1 crore during the operation. Preliminary investigations suggest Waghela was assisted by two others from Gujarat. A probe is underway," the official added. (With inputs from PTI)
17 May,2025 02:10 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Saturday said that a 36-year-old man was found dead with stab wounds at a playground in Maharashtra's Palghar district, reported news agency PTI. Passersby spotted the body in the Pasthal town on Friday morning and informed the police, inspector Nivas Kanse told PTI. He said the body was sent for post-mortem to a government hospital, and the police have registered a case under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The victim, Abhishek Ram Singh, was found lying in a pool of blood, and there were several stab wounds on his body, the official said, adding that a probe is underway. Man stabbed to death in Thane; two held In another case, a 27-year-old man was stabbed to death in public over a dispute in Maharashtra's Thane city, police said on Friday, reported PTI. The police have arrested two persons in connection with the attack that occurred in the Laxmi Chirag Nagar area of Thane West on Thursday evening, while the prime accused is at large, senior inspector Rajkumar Wackchoure said, reported PTI. As per the complaint, the victim, Darshan Deepak Shinde, was sitting on a bench in the area when four persons accosted him, and while one of them grabbed his hand, another attacked him with a sharp weapon, he said, reported PTI. The official said the accused also threatened vendors and people in the vicinity. The accused wanted to show their dominance in the area, he said. He said a case under sections 103 (murder), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita has been registered against the accused, Aryan Gadhiwal (20), Tushar Nirukhekar (24), Akash Shinde (28), and an individual known only as 'Bhal' (20). Nirukhekar and Akash Shinde have been arrested while the others are at large, and a hunt has been launched for him, he said. (With inputs from PTI)
17 May,2025 01:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA collegian lost Rs 2.74 lakh to cyber fraudsters after he clicked on a link that offered obscene photographs and video calls on Instagram, a police officer said on Friday. The link was offering adult services for Rs 2000, which the Bhandup-based victim clicked, the officer said. “He ended up paying Rs 4,999 under various pretexts. When he refused to transfer more money, he received a threatening phone call from a new number. The caller identified himself as Ravindra Singh and claimed to be an officer of Uttar Pradesh Police. He accused the victim of sexually harassing a girl,” the officer said. Out of fear, the collegian transferred Rs 2.74 lakh. However, he later realized he had been cheated. Based on his complaint, a case was registered against an unidentified person. A further probe is underway,” the Bhandup police station officer said. 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
17 May,2025 08:34 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
