The male leopard, which was first sighted at the remains of an Indo-Portuguese fort on March 29 in Vasai and triggered panic among residents, has been caught by the joint efforts of the Maharashtra Forest department, wildlife NGOs and researchers in the wee hours of Tuesday. The officials had installed multiple trap cameras to monitor the movement of the leopard, which initially survived on the stray dogs but, later, it is believed that the big cat was surviving on rodents that are found abundant in the fort. Sources said that the authorities concerned had installed two cages at different locations in the Vasai Fort area to trap the wild cat. Finally, the male #leopard has been caught on 25th day of rigorous search operations by the joint efforts of Forest officials, #wildlife NGOs and researchers in Vasai. The first sighting of a big cat in the iconic Indo-Portuguese Fort in #Vasai had triggered panic among locals pic.twitter.com/Pd5KLFDQdX — Diwakar Sharma (@DiwakarSharmaa) April 23, 2024 Sources within the department told mid-day that they had to realign the cages which they had installed on the premises of majestic Vasai Fort, ‘and this helped us in catching the leopard on the 25th day,’ said a source. After the wild cat was imprisoned, it was taken to the Range Forest Office (RFO) in Mandvi, Virar East where its medical tests were conducted. Thousands of local fishing communities had been facing difficulties after the first leopard sighting near Vasai Fort, as the authorities concerned had barricaded all the exits to restrict public movement for 12 hours after 7 pm. The recently launched RoRo boat services - connecting Vasai and Bhayandar via sea- were also impacted as the Vasai fort road leading to Vasai jetty was barricaded in the evening. Of late, the leopard was mostly seen near the creek side of the fort and the wildlife researchers believe that it might be eating crabs, fish and other aquatic animals found near the thick mangrove forest.
23 April,2024 10:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar SharmaIn the investigation into the Salman Khan house firing incident, it is suspected that the shooters had planned the attack during the Eid celebration at the Panvel Farmhouse, a location frequented by the actor and his family. However, this year’s Eid celebration at the farmhouse was cancelled due to Salman’s brother Arbaaz’s recent marriage to makeup artist Sshura Khan. Instead, the family arranged the celebration at Sohail Khan’s house in Mumbai. The bike abandoned by the accused Mumbai police sources revealed that Salman often celebrates Eid at his Panvel farmhouse with his entire family, including his father Salim Khan. The police suspected that the arrested shooters, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, planned the attack at Salman’s farmhouse. The accused also rented a house in Harigram village in Panvel, approximately 7 kilometres from Khan's farmhouse. The Mumbai police also discovered that both shooters conducted reconnaissance outside the farmhouse multiple times on a bike they purchased locally for around Rs 20,000. Salman at his farmhouse. File pic An investigating officer said, "We suspect that both shooters planned to fire at Salman during the Eid occasion because he often celebrates Eid at his Panvel house with his family. Panvel was an easy target to escape after the firing because the farmhouse is located near a forest area. However, this year, Salman cancelled the Eid party celebration at his farmhouse." "On April 10, Salman was in Mumbai at his Galaxy Apartment with his entire family. Both shooters, Gupta and Pal, were also surveilling Salman’s residence area on the same day. We suspect that the shooters planned to fire on Eid, but due to the large crowd outside his apartment, they postponed the plan. During recent investigations, the cops found that their bike was parked near Salman's residence for two days. The shooters were seen roaming near his residence," a police officer said. The accused captured in CCTV; Cops along with divers looking for the gun A police source, speaking anonymously, said, "Salman’s brother, Arbaaz Khan, married makeup artist Sshura Khan on December 24 last year. This was the first Eid for the couple, and their celebration was arranged at other brother Sohail's residence, where many celebrities were invited. Due to this reason, the farmhouse plan for celebrating Eid was cancelled." The accused being taken to court. File pic/PTI "We also suspect that the shooters were receiving all such information from the Bishnoi gang members and they were in regular touch with them. The Crime Branch is tracing the locations of the callers," a Crime Branch officer revealed. The shooters tried to get rid of the gun by throwing it into the Tapi River in Gujarat near Surat. The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 sought help from divers, fishermen, and locals to find the gun. However, they haven’t found anything yet. An officer said, "The gun used in the firing at Salman Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandstand, Bandra, was of good quality. The bullet used was a 7.62 mm bullet." The shooters informed the officers that they arrived in Surat and then proceeded to the railway station. They walked along the railway track to reach the Ashwini Kumar railway bridge. Approximately 50-100 metres from this bridge, they threw the gun into the Tapi River. From there they escaped to Kutch Bhuj in Gujarat on a government bus.
23 April,2024 05:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaThe Dindoshi police have apprehended a 60-year-old woman, Nilofar Khan, over her alleged involvement in daytime burglaries. Khan would allegedly pose as a vegetable vendor to access locked residences. Investigations have linked her to the recent burglaries of locked homes in Santosh Nagar and Upper Govind Nagar, within the Dindoshi police’s jurisdiction, on March 26 and April 8 respectively. Khan stole valuables totalling nearly Rs 3 lakh, including jewellery and cash. “Khan has a criminal record and had been apprehended by the Kurar police in a burglary case nearly one and a half years ago. Following her arrest, she vacated her flat in Pathan Wadi, rented it out, and relocated to a rented house nearby. Her husband works as a security guard and her son is a driver. She would sell stolen gold ornaments to purchase luxurious items such as televisions, fridges and washing machines,” a police officer said. In Santosh Nagar, the accused allegedly pilfered cash and jewellery worth about R1,12,000, while in Upper Govind Nagar, she made off with valuables worth Rs 1,78,000. Upon receiving the complaints, API Dr Chandrakant Gharge and his team initiated an investigation under the guidance of Smita Patil, DCP, Zone XII, and Senior Police Inspector Irfan Pathan, Dindoshi. CCTV footage analysis revealed that Khan had been behaving suspiciously in the vicinity. It was further discovered that she was adept at breaking into locked homes. Khan was subsequently taken into custody for questioning last week, during which she confessed to the crimes, the officer added. Rs 3 lakhValue of items stolen by accused since late March
23 April,2024 05:39 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Kolkata Police Special Task Force and the detective department arrested a person from Mumbai for purportedly conducting recce around the residence and offices of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, an official said on Monday. The person, Rajaram Rege, tried to call the TMC Diamond Harbour MP and his PA after getting their numbers, the officer added. The IPS officer claimed that Rege had met terror prime accused David Coleman Headley earlier, apart from others. “Today our officers arrested Rajaram Rege from Mumbai. He had visited Kolkata, stayed here, and conducted a recce of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's offices and residence. He obtained the mobile phone numbers of Banerjee and his PA and tried to contact them,” the officer said. Rege stayed at a hotel in Kolkata's Shakespeare Sarani area before returning to Mumbai. He faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation, the officer added. Terrorist’s reference Headley had revealed in his deposition during the 26/11 attack trial in a Chicago court in 2016 that he had visited Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar during 2006-2007, where he met Rege, whom he identified as the party’s public relations officer. Headley, a co-accused in the terror attack alongside his old friend Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, disclosed that he had conducted surveillance of India’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre near Mumbai and had also visited the Shiv Sena offices at Dadar. Currently incarcerated and having confessed to his involvement in planning the attack, Headley caused a stir by implicating Rege before Judge Harry D Leinenweber overseeing the trial in the Chicago court. In contrast, Rege, testifying in the special court, stated that he briefly encountered the Pakistani-American terrorist outside Sena Bhavan for only two minutes and firmly rejected his request for access to the building. According to reports, Headley informed the court of his interest in cultivating a relationship with a Shiv Sena member because he believed that Lashkar-e-Taiba might be inclined to target either the Sena Bhavan or “assassinate its head”, a reference to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. Sena reacts Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut did not respond to mid-day’s calls. However, a Sena leader, on the condition of anonymity, stated that Rege was never associated in any way with the party. “Rege claimed to be a public relations officer to gain access to the Shiv Sena headquarters, but the party has no such designation or post. Neither had any reporter or the Sena rank and file heard of this man before Headley’s statement as he was never part of the party.” 2006-2007Period during which Headley met Rege With agency inputs
23 April,2024 05:35 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIt has been a month since the mysterious death of a 28-year-old financial investment executive on the Andheri flyover of Western Express Highway (WEH). But there has been zero headway in the investigation, said the deceased’s father, who asked, “Who killed my only son?” The deceased, Bhupendra Sawant, was returning home from his Lower Parel office on March 24 evening. He spoke to his wife Vaishnavi minutes before he received mysterious injuries on the WEH. He succumbed to them within 48 hours at a private hospital in Andheri. Sawant, who was his family’s sole breadwinner, was due to be promoted in April, and he was very happy about this achievement, his family said. Sawant got married in December 2021. His six-month-old girl is too young to understand that her father is no more. His wife Vaishnavi said that the investigating officer does not seem to be serious about solving the case. The Andheri police registered a first information report (FIR) 13 days after the incident against an unknown person. The bereaved family members accused the investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Samadhan Supe, of delaying the procedure to retrieve crucial CCTV footage despite their earnest requests. ‘Complete failure’ “It is a complete failure on the part of the Mumbai police. The intentions of PSI Supe are questionable because there has been no headway in the case, which he registered 13 days after my son received brutal injuries on the road,” said Sawant’s grieving father Rajan, 52. “PSI Supe had told us that it was a hit-and-run case but failed to provide me any proof as such because the injuries he received to his skull, neck and back do not correspond to the damage seen on his scooter,” Rajan said. The police claim that the entire city is under the surveillance of CCTV cameras but when solving such complex cases, investigators unfailingly say the footage is unclear, CCTVs were not working or the incident was not captured. In this case, too, PSI Supe told the family that the hard disk of a CCTV camera got corrupted. “How it is possible? There are multiple CCTV cameras on the stretch where my son was found in blood-stained clothes and red footwear of his was missing. The IO was quick to tell us that the CCTV footage got corrupt and hence, nothing could be retrieved…,” said Rajan. Sawant’s maternal uncle Shyam Malankar at the spot where the youth was found. Pic/Anurag Ahire “If my son was hit by some vehicle, why did the scooter not receive any such dent? There were multiple cracks on my son’s skull and his helmet is missing. Was it really a hit-and-run or road rage or did my son lose control over his scooter and skid due to bad road conditions? Everything will be clear if the Mumbai police show us the CCTV footage… if Supe is not able to solve the case or does not intend to do so, I request the Mumbai police to give the case to some competent officer to bring relief to this restless mind,” Rajan said. “I only need to know who killed my son. Why the Mumbai police is unable to solve my case? Will the commissioner reply as to why there was a delay in registering the FIR? Where should I go to get the answers to these questions?” the teary father told mid-day while his wife Rekha looked on silently at their residence in Jogeshwari East. Wife’s recollections Vaishnavi said her husband would always commute via train to his Lower Parel office but March 24 was Sunday and Holika Dahan, so he preferred to take the scooter so he could return soon. “It was the first Holi for our daughter. My husband was supposed to join us in a puja after returning home. After completing his work, he left at 7.30 pm and made a stop at Bandra at 9 pm. Over there, he told me that he would reach home in the next 15-20 minutes as there was almost zero traffic,” she recalled.“I waited for him till 9.30 pm and called him at 9.35 pm, but I was shocked when someone else received the call and told me to go to the trauma care centre in Jogeshwari. I informed my in-laws and rushed there immediately. His clothes were blood-stained and he was unconscious,” she added. The family learnt that Sawant had been brought to the emergency ward in a tempo. “A few motorcyclists had noticed my husband lying injured on the road, they stopped a tempo, loaded him and the driver brought him to the centre at 9.19 pm,” she said. “Something happened between 9 pm and 9.15 pm on the Andheri flyover beneath the Mumbai Metro track. The cops need to investigate what happened in these 15 minutes,” she added. mid-day has learnt that the Andheri police has recorded the statement of tempo driver, but still there is no headway in the case. ‘Who called control room?’ Rajan said, “I have been told that before my injured son was transported to the hospital, someone had also informed the Mumbai police control room. Who was that person? Why is the Andheri police not approaching the caller to know what he had noticed?” Bhupendra’s maternal uncle Shyam Malankar had been continuously following up with the police to register the FIR, but Supe told him to wait as he was in Delhi and would register the case once he was back, according to Rajan. CopSpeak When contacted, Supe said, “There is no eyewitness or CCTV footage. The accident occurred on the WEH where nearly 200 vehicles pass in a minute. So, it will be really tough to find out which vehicle hit him. Also, the deceased was riding the scooter without a helmet. If he was, he would not have succumbed to his head injuries. Our investigations are underway.”
23 April,2024 05:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar SharmaThe Mulund police station arrested the owner of Chandni Bar and three others for allegedly robbing a man of R6,500 and keeping him in confinement in a fit of rage. The matter came to light on April 18 when the victim approached the Mulund police station to register a complaint against unknown people. “On March 6, the police had conducted a raid at the bar and the victim was present at the bar. On April 3, the victim, 32, went to the bar again. The owner of the bar Balindra Chowdhury allegedly called him to a room, snatched his phone, and kept him in confinement in the staff room of the bar. He then took R6,500 from him,” said a police officer. “Someone had told the owner that the victim was a police informant and had tipped them off about alleged illegal activities at the bar, which is why the police had carried out a raid at the bar. Hence, in a fit of rage, the owner decided to take revenge. The group of men physically assaulted the victim,” the police added. “ I went into the bar and the waiters and the owner of the bar confined me in the staff room and then assaulted me. I got scared as they left me on the Aroli Bridge and then I had to go to the hospital by myself. I was in immense mental trauma and decided to come forward to register an FIR,” said the victim. The police arrested the owner of the bar Balindra Chowdhary, 45, Nilesh Shukla, 33, Praskash Rai, 56, and Abhay Gautam on April 19. They have booked under Sections 392 (whoever commits robbery), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Rs 6,500Amount stolen from the victim
23 April,2024 05:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheThe residents of Mahatma Phule Nagar, Mankhurd mourned the loss of two individuals, a six-year-old boy who drowned in a 9 ft pit, and his cousin’s brother, who allegedly took his own life due to the unbearable grief. The Vashi police filed an FIR against the supervisor responsible for the pit’s maintenance and apprehended two suspects involved. Both the victim’s grandmother and residents accused the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) of negligence, holding it accountable for the tragic incident. “The pothole was dug by the MRVC and they had not placed any signboards, nor was a watchman appointed in the area. Today it was my grandchild, tomorrow it could be someone else. We demand strict action against all the alleged accused,” said Sulochana Shegavkar, the grandmother of the victim. Six-year-old boy Ayush Shegavkar who fell in the pit “The MRVC had dug a pit as it was a part of the railway redevelopment project, we are investigating the matter,” Said MRVC PRO Sunil Udasi. The matter had come to light on April 21, when Ayush Shegavkar, 6, and his friends went to play and they fell into a 9ft pothole which was dug by MRVC for the construction of the metro. The boys got trapped in the pothole and a passerby at the railway station pulled them out. However, Ayush Shegavkar drowned and the doctors at Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi declared him dead on arrival. Shailesh Shegavkar, the deceased Shailesh Shegavkar, 25, the cousin brother of the victim, couldn’t bear the loss and hence took his life suicide by standing on the railway tracks between Mankhurd and Chembur. “We had received information that someone died by suicide. During the investigation, it was revealed that Ayush had asked Shailesh for a mobile phone. However, because he was unemployed afford a phone. He thought this was the reason he decided to take the extreme step,” said an officer from Vashi railway station. Sulochana Shegavkar, The victim’s grandmother “The pit is full of water and there are no safety measures in place. Small children have no place to play in the area and hence they might have gone there to play. It is extremely dangerous. We request the railway authorities to install appropriate safety measures,” said a resident of Mahatma Phule Nagar. “The Vashi police have registered a case against three people and arrested the accused supervisor, an engineer in charge of the maintenance and another individual,” said senior police inspector Sambhaji Katare. 9 ftDepth of the pit
23 April,2024 05:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheNationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constant attack on the Congress was not a “wise decision” as that party is not in power. Speaking to Marathi news channel Zee 24 Taas in Amravati, he further said the PM keeps criticising opposition parties but does not discuss plans of his government or the BJP for the future. “The Congress party has not been in power for some time. But Modi keeps attacking it and calling it a wall obstructing the development of the country. It is not a wise decision. Just because some parties are in the opposition it does not mean they should not be taken into confidence on key issues,” Pawar said. Asked about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ recent statement that he returned to power after splitting two parties, a reference to the splits in the Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena, Pawar said he was thankful that the senior BJP leader had himself revealed the truth. “It is not a decent strategy to lure people, create a situation that would split a party, then describe it as revenge, or influence some people to make certain decisions. These cannot be called civil political moves. We had an image of Fadnavis as a decent politician, but now his true face has emerged,” Pawar asserted. The opposition stalwart was speaking after addressing a rally in Amravati in favour of MVA ally Congress’ Balwant Wankhede, who is pitted against sitting MP Navneet Rana. Rana, who won in 2019 as an Independent candidate backed by opposition parties, is contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. ‘Narendra Modi realises he is losing after first phase’ NAGPUR: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark on the redistribution of wealth to minorities shows that he has realised he is losing the Lok Sabha elections immediately after the first phase of the polls. Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Singh accused the BJP of “murdering” democracy and claimed that the party plans to change the Constitution if voted to power. During an election rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh’s remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country’s resources. “They (BJP) have looted all of the country’s resources and given it to one of his (Modi’s) friends. How can you (PM) say this? Hence, I feel that immediately after the first phase, Prime Minister Modi has realised that he is losing very badly this time,” Singh said. He said that the party, if voted to power, will put a stop to reservations and end elections. Asked about the BJP’s allegations against jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP leader said the party should first ask for the resignation of the chief minister of Manipur, where there has been bloodshed since last year. 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
23 April,2024 05:20 AM IST | Amravati | AgenciesNCP chief Ajit Pawar, on Monday, released his party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, highlighting that the party will support the demand for a caste-based census, an issue its ally BJP has been side-stepping.
23 April,2024 05:17 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentAccused of dropping the Hindutva agenda that his father--the late Balasaheb--propagated, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray has landed an unexpected advantage, thanks to the Election Commission of India’s instruction to remove the words ‘Hindu’ and ‘Bhavani’ from his party’s campaign song. Thackeray has countered the ECI asking it to take action against the PM and Amit Shah before issuing him a notice. “If the poll body takes action against us, they will have to tell us what they did when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who while campaigning during the Karnataka assembly elections, had asked people to say Jai Bajrang Bali and press the button on EVMs. Amit Shah had told people to vote for the BJP to get Ram Lalla darshan for free in Ayodhya,” he said, while addressing a press conference on Sunday. A day later in Amravati and elsewhere, Thackeray told MVA supporters about the development, and prompted them to chant the slogans “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji,” that is synonymous with Shiv Sena (both factions). He reiterated that he won’t budge, he won’t remove the words that are so sacred to ‘us’. Referring to the EC’s notice, he recalled the incident in which his father was disenfranchised (barred from casting his vote and contesting polls) for six years on the charges of using religion in a poll campaign (the verdict came 12 years after the controversy). He said BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM when the order had been issued. On Sunday and Monday, he reiterated the allegations that the yardsticks were different for PM Modi and for his father. Thackeray had raised a similar question last year, too, in regard with the PM’s sloganeering in Karnataka elections. He said he had written a letter to the ECI, which hadn’t received a response. Thackeray has dared the ECI in the name of the same Hindutva that, according to his opponents in the BJP and Shinde Sena, has been softened following an alliance with the Congress and NCP. Thackeray shared the dais with top leadership of NCP and Congress on Monday while exhorting the sainiks and fellow Hindu supporters of the MVA to oppose anyone who insults ‘Aai Bhavani (mother Bhavani)’ who is Maharashtra’s family deity. He said there was a possibility of the commission banning the word ‘Shivaji’. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the future. Thackeray has realised the gains in defying the ECI instructions. Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
23 April,2024 05:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra JoreSeveral MNS leaders have started campaigning for Mahayuti and NDA candidates in Maharashtra. Most recently, MNS leader Avinash Abhyankar and MNS Leader from western suburbs Nayan Kadam met with Mahayuti and BJP candidate Piyush Goyal, from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency. Also, a video surfaced on social media showing MNS Leader Avinash Jadhav campaigning for BJP’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha candidate and Mahayuti , Narayan Rane. Incidentally, the MNS ran campaigns against PM Narendra Modi and the BJP in 2019. However, party chief Raj Thackeray recently said that PM Modi has his full backing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The MNS decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections this time as well, and Thackeray, during his annual Gudi Padwa rally, appealed to party workers to start preparations for the state assembly elections which are expected this year. Meanwhile, there have been discussions in political circles about there being unrest among MNS party workers after Thackeray extended support to Mahayuti and NDA. An MNS office bearer from the western suburbs said, “We will follow the orders of our leader and even take part in campaigning of Mahayuti And NDA candidates, provided we are involved in the planning of strategies for the several Lok Sabha seats.” MNS leader Manish Dhuri from Andheri West said, “As per the instructions of our leader Raj-saheb, we will support and take part in the campaigning of the official candidate of BJP-Mahayuti . In Mumbai North West, we are awaiting the official candidate but if former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam is given a ticket by Mahayuti, then we will not work as we are opposed to his candidature.” Another MNS office bearer from Goregaon East told mid-day that the BJP-Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction does not want to involve MNS in ward campaigning where north Indian votes can play a crucial role. “I was told by my friends in BJP that they want our support to get Marathi votes which are hardcore voters of Raj-saheb and those Marathi voters who don’t want to vote for Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP is not eager to involve us in campaigning at the ward level where there are north Indian voters because they fear our involvement might boomerang, as many north Indian voters in Mumbai have not forgotten the MNS agitation against north Indians. If you see, BJP uses Raj-sahebs picture on their banner but the Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction does not use his pictures,” said an MNS party worker.
23 April,2024 05:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavADVERTISEMENT
