Officers of the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone–3, have seized hydroponic weed and gold worth over Rs 11 crore in multiple cases this week, an official press note stated. During the three-day operation, customs officers seized 8.467 kg of hydroponic weed from a passenger arriving from Bangkok. They also recovered 2.270 kg of 24-carat gold dust, along with 230 grams of 24-carat gold jewellery, from different passengers at Mumbai Airport. Gold smuggling cases detected In one case, based on spot checks and the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) profiling, a Bangladesh national travelling from Male to Dubai via Mumbai was apprehended while allegedly handing over four oval-shaped packets of 24-carat gold dust concealed in wax, weighing 1,460 grams and valued at Rs 1.86 crore, to a staff member of a ground handling agency (BWFS). The passenger was travelling on IndiGo flights 6E-1132 (Tuesday) and 6E-1451 (Wednesday). Both the passenger and the BWFS staff member were arrested under Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962, customs officers said. In another similar incident, an Indian national — a transit passenger travelling from Dubai to Bangkok via Mumbai — was caught while handing over two oval-shaped packets of 24-carat gold dust in wax, weighing 810 grams and valued at Rs 1.03 crore, to another BWFS staff member. The passenger was travelling on IndiGo flights 6E-1454 (Tuesday) and 6E-1051 (Wednesday). Both individuals were arrested under the same provisions of the Customs Act. Additionally, customs officers seized 230 grams of 24-carat gold, in the form of a kada and chain, valued at Rs 29.35 lakh, from an Indian passenger who arrived from Muscat on IndiGo flight 6E-1268 on Tuesday. The gold was found concealed inside the passenger’s wallet and on his body. Hydroponic weed seizure In a separate case, based on specific intelligence, customs officers recovered 8.467 kg of suspected hydroponic weed from a passenger arriving from Bangkok. The contraband is estimated to be worth Rs 8.467 crore in the illicit market. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, officers said. Further investigation in all the cases is underway.
17 December,2025 08:12 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDays after a video of Lamborghini Urus speeding at 252 km/h on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link went viral, Mumbai Police have began action against the car's driver. An official said that an FIR was registered at the Worli Police Station in central Mumbai against the driver of the vehicle after a complaint was received on X. The police on Wednesday reportedly seized the vehicle as part of its ongoing investigation into the matter. According to the FIR registered by the police, on December 12, 2025, it was reported to the police that regarding a social media post on X. The post showed a Lamborghini 2021 model (HR 70 F 1945), allegedly driven by car dealer Faiz Adenwala at an extremely high speed of 252 km/h on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The police said that the video, posted on the X account showed the vehicle overtaking other cars at very high speed. A yellow Lamborghini was allegedly driven at 251 kmph on Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link, with the incident captured on video and widely shared across social media platforms.Following the viral clip, Worli Police seized the luxury car and registered a case of dangerous driving… pic.twitter.com/Ht1HeU4YvP — Mid Day (@mid_day) December 17, 2025 Two previous e-challans issued "Investigating the car registration, it was found that the same vehicle had already received two e-challans from the Mumbai Traffic Police for over-speeding on August 16 2025 (123 km/h) and August 17, 2025 (127 km/h), exceeding the speed limit of 80 km/h on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The police stated that the vehicle had been repeatedly driven at dangerous speeds, putting both the driver and other road users at risk. "The police have retrieved previous e-challans against the vehicle as evidence," said an official. Action against vehicle Meanwhile, according to the reports, Mumbai Police have seized a multi-crore yellow Lamborghini Urus on Wednesday after registering a case against its driver for allegedly driving at a very high speed. The driver has been identified as Faiz Adanwala, a resident of Khar in Mumbai. A case has been registered at Worli Police Station against Adanwala under relevant provisions for negligent and dangerous driving. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway. Video goes viral The Lamborghini was allegedly driven at 251 kmph, with the incident captured on video. The video went viral after it was shared on multiple social media platforms. The video later caught the eye of some netizens who complained to the Mumbai Police demanding action against the car driver for speed-limit violations and endangering the lives of himself and other motorists.
17 December,2025 07:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA security guard was injured after unidentified assailants allegedly opened fire at the office of a BJP candidate contesting the upcoming Maharashtra local body elections in Maharashtra's Thane district around midnight on Wednesday, police said, reported news agency PTI. The incident took place in the Ambernath area and was captured on CCTV cameras installed outside the office of Pawan Walekar, who is the BJP candidate for the Ambernath Municipal Council polls scheduled on December 20, reported PTI. Security has been stepped up in the area, especially in view of a public meeting scheduled to be addressed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Ambernath on Wednesday evening, the police said. At around midnight, two unidentified persons arrived on a motorcycle and allegedly fired three to four rounds at Walekar's public relations office, located in a densely populated area of Ambernath, an official said, reported PTI. Hearing the gunshots, the office security guards rushed out, following which the attackers allegedly fired in their direction as well. "A security guard deployed at the office sustained injuries during the firing and is undergoing treatment," an official from Ambernath police station said, reported PTI. "Based on CCTV footage and other technical inputs, teams have been formed to trace and apprehend the accused. A case has been registered against the unidentified persons under relevant sections of the law," the official added, reported PTI. Soon after the incident, several BJP workers gathered at the Ambernath police station, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits and strict action. Former BJP MLA Narendra Pawar alleged that despite informing the police about the suspected individuals involved, appropriate action was delayed. BJP workers staged a sit-in protest outside the police station over the issue. "The investigation is underway and no one involved will be spared. We are verifying all leads and allegations," the police official said, reported PTI. Thane textile businessman duped of Rs 35 lakh; 4 booked In another case, the police have registered a case against four Mumbai-based traders for allegedly cheating a textile businessman from Maharashtra's Thane district of Rs 35 lakh, officials said on Tuesday, reported PTI. The accused purchased consignments of grey (unprocessed) cloth from the 42-year-old victim, a resident of Gayatri Nagar in Bhiwandi town, between June and November this year, reported PTI. However, instead of clearing the dues, they allegedly sold the material to third parties and continued to evade payment, an official from Bhiwandi Town police station said. When the victim demanded payment, the accused stopped responding to his calls and later shut down their office and absconded, he said. (With inputs from PTI)
17 December,2025 12:43 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentMumbai Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against an unknown fraudster after guests of a five-star hotel in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) received fake booking payment links, allegedly aimed at duping them. According to the police, the accused sent messages containing a fraudulent payment link using the hotel’s name, asking guests to make payments to confirm their room reservations. Around 20 guests alerted the hotel management after receiving the suspicious link, following which the hotel’s chief security officer, Akshay Daine (47), approached the police and lodged a complaint. During the investigation, the BKC Police found that not only confirmed guests but also individuals who searched for the hotel on Google were being targeted with the fake payment link. A police officer said, “On November 30, a hotel guest contacted the management and informed them that he had received a message regarding room reservations along with a link — https://reservationvalidate.com/8SSNQ2CK.” “After clicking on the link, a booking page opened asking for payment details. The guest then checked with the hotel to verify whether the link had been sent by them. The management clarified that the link was not issued by the hotel and advised the guest not to enter any personal or financial information,” the officer added. Subsequently, around 20 guests who had reserved rooms at the hotel contacted the management, stating that they too had received similar fake booking payment links demanding money. Based on the complaint, the BKC Police on Monday registered a case against unknown persons under Section 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. Sub-inspector Umesh Nerlekar of BKC Police, who is investigating the case, told mid-day.com, “An FIR has been registered against an unknown fraudster for sending fake booking payment links to guests of a five-star hotel in BKC.” “We are tracing the accused and are taking the help of the cyber team,” he added. Police said the fraudster used WhatsApp accounts with profile names ‘Kokonuts’ and ‘hotel manager’ to circulate the fake payment links.
16 December,2025 07:26 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaOfficers of the airport commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone–3, have seized 33.422 kg of hydroponic weed from 11 passengers arriving from Bangkok over a five-day period. According to a press note issued on Monday, the seizures were made between December 11 and December 15, during which customs officers registered eight separate cases at Mumbai’s international airport. Officers said that 16.482 kg of suspected drugs, valued at approximately Rs 16.48 crore in the illicit market, were recovered in four cases from five passengers based on passenger profiling. The accused had arrived from Bangkok on different flights and were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Further investigation underway, say Mumbai Customs officers In other cases, customs officers, acting on specific intelligence inputs, recovered 16.940 kg of suspected hydroponic weed, valued at around Rs 16.94 crore, from six passengers across four cases. These passengers had also arrived from Bangkok via various flights and were subsequently arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation in all the cases is underway, officers said.
16 December,2025 02:53 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA Palghar court has convicted two persons for criminal intimidation of a woman panchayat official in a 2018 case, while acquitting them of more serious charges related to assault and insult of a public servant, reported news agency PTI. Additional Sessions Court Judge A R Rahane, in the order on December 1, deemed sending the accused to jail unnecessary and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on them. A copy of the order was made available on Monday. The incident The incident occurred on September 25, 2018, when a gram sevika (panchayat official- who is the informant in the case) was conducting a survey for a housing scheme at Kharshet in Maharashtra's Palghar district, reported PTI. The accused, Jayshree Jagan Dhanva and Shivdas Gangaram Tambadi, allegedly confronted her about their names missing from the list and abused her. Tambadi also allegedly snatched and damaged her mobile phone, as per the prosecution. A case was registered against them under Indian Penal Code sections 353 (assault to deter public servant from duty), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 427 (mischief causing damage above Rs 50) and 34 (common intention). Prosecution has failed: Palghar Court The court said, "The prosecution has failed to prove that the informant was lawfully discharging her duty at the time of the incident. The most essential ingredient of Section 353 is not proved," reported PTI. It also noted that the informant did not disclose the exact abuses. "So, it is difficult to infer that alleged abuses are covered under Section 504 of IPC," the Palghar court said, reported PTI. Based on the actions of the accused, including damaging the informant's mobile phone, the court convicted them under IPC sections 506 and 427. "It is not necessary for an offence punishable under Section 427 that property should be owned by the aggrieved person. It is sufficient that the said property was in possession of the aggrieved person at the time of the incident," it said, reported PTI. The Palghar court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the accused and ordered that Rs 7,000 from it be paid as compensation to the informant. (With inputs from PTI)
16 December,2025 01:57 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentPolice have arrested an absconding accused in a five-year-old case of attempt to murder in Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. The incident occurred in the Waliv area here on May 22, 2020, following a dispute, they said. The accused, Akash Harilal Yadav (31), and some other persons allegedly assaulted two men with sticks, leaving them with serious head injuries. The accused and his mother also allegedly threatened a local businessman with dire consequences, a police release said, reported PTI. Based on the businessman's complaint, the Waliv police then registered a case under various Indian Penal Code sections, including attempt to murder and criminal intimidation, reported PTI. However, Yadav had been absconding since the incident. After an extensive probe, the police on Sunday traced Yadav to the Vasai area and arrested him, the release said. Police crack murder case in 12 hours; three held In another case, the police arrested three individuals, including a woman, within 12 hours of the brutal murder of a 37-year-old man in Thane district of Maharashtra, officials said on Monday, reported PTI. The victim, Narendra alias Kalia Jadhav, was stabbed with sickles and knives, inflicting 40 injuries on him, on Saturday night in Dombivli area, police said. "We have arrested two men and a woman, identified as Akash Birajdar (29), Diwakar Gupta (18), and Taruni Alifa Sheikh (18), within twelve hours in connection with the murder in the Diva area," said Ramnagar police station senior inspector Ganesh Javadwad, reported PTI. He said the previous enmity between Jadhav and Birajdar triggered the fatal attack. The victim's friend, Shubham Pandey, was injured when he tried to intervene. Police registered an FIR under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita for murder and attempt to murder, and under the provisions of the Arms Act. The arrested accused were remanded to police custody till December 18. Man held for beating wife to death in Palghar Meanwhile, police have arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly beating his wife to death following a domestic quarrel in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Sunday, reported PTI. The couple, who lived at Gomghar village in Mokhada taluka, had frequent fights over domestic issues. They again had a quarrel in the wee hours of Saturday, following which the accused, Balwant Gare, allegedly beat his wife Lata Balwant Gare to death with a wooden log, an official from Mokhada police station said, quoting a complaint by the victim's father, reported PTI. Based on the complaint, the accused was arrested and booked under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
16 December,2025 12:12 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentPolice have registered a case against four Mumbai-based traders for allegedly cheating a textile businessman from Maharashtra's Thane district of Rs 35 lakh, officials said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. The accused purchased consignments of grey (unprocessed) cloth from the 42-year-old victim, a resident of Gayatri Nagar in Bhiwandi town, between June and November this year, reported PTI. However, instead of clearing the dues, they allegedly sold the material to third parties and continued to evade payment, an official from Bhiwandi Town police station said. When the victim demanded payment, the accused stopped responding to his calls and later shut down their office and absconded, he said, reported PTI. Based on the victim's complaint, the police registered a case on Sunday against the four accused under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. Man held in Mumbai for duping people by promising them cheaper MHADA flats In another incident, the police have arrested a 53-year-old man in Mumbai for cheating people by promising them flats of the state-run housing agency MHADA at rates cheaper than market prices, officials said on Thursday. The accused was identified as Jitendra Sukhlal Rathod, who was nabbed by a team of the police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Wednesday from the Chembur area, an official said. During the probe, it was revealed that at least eight cases of cheating and forgery were registered against Rathod in various police stations since 2022. Earlier, the EOW had arrested a 48-year-old woman, Bela D'Souza, in connection with the cheating case. A 58-year-old woman, who stays in the Mazgaon area, had filed a complaint against D'Souza and others for duping her of Rs 70 lakh by promising a MHADA flat at a cheaper price. During the probe, it came to light that the accused persons, including Rathod, had duped many others by promising cheaper flats, he said. Meanwhile, a man was booked for allegedly posing as a personal assistant of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and husband of a DCP and duping a man of Rs 74 lakh, a police official said on Monday, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
16 December,2025 12:01 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly posing as a “doctor uncle” and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in Chembur. The incident occurred on Sunday (December 14) near a local medical shop, where the child was playing near her residence. The accused, Karan Adsule, 30, approached the victim, claiming he needed to conduct a routine check-up. Trusting him, the girl complied, after which the offence took place. After the girl told her family, a complaint was filed, and the Nehru Nagar police registered a case under laws protecting minors. Adsule, a Kurla resident, was arrested from the spot around 9.30 am the same day. Verification proved he had no medical licence and falsely posed as a doctor to gain the child’s confidence. “There is no CCTV coverage in the immediate area, which limits visual evidence. However, statements of the victim, family members, and residents are being recorded to establish the exact sequence of events,” a police officer said. The victim has been provided with medical care and counselling support in line with child protection protocols. Police said the child’s identity is being protected as per legal guidelines. Investigators are checking whether the accused has a prior criminal record or was involved in similar incidents earlier. The police urge parents to caution children against strangers. The probe is ongoing.
16 December,2025 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentTwo 19-year-old students returning back home from their college were on Monday killed after their bike lost balance allegedly due to overspeeding in Borivali area of Mumbai, police said. The accident took place on Monday afternoon at the Sudhir Phadke Bridge in Borivali, officials said. Both were college students According to the primary information, the deceased have been identified as Jenil Thumar (19) and Mehak Nirman (19). Both were college students and were returning to their homes in Mira Road from college, police officials said. They said that while travelling towards the Western Express Highway on the Sudhir Phadke Bridge, the motorcycle they were riding lost balance at a curve due to overspeeding. Bike rammed into bridge’s boundary wall The bike rammed into the bridge’s boundary wall, causing both riders to be thrown onto the other side of the road. They then came under a private bus passing by, leading to their death on the spot, an official said. The Kasturba Marg police are investigating the matter. Senior Inspector Jairaj Ranaware confirmed the incident and said further investigation is underway.
15 December,2025 09:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA mobile phone theft in Mumbai's Kandivali area escalated into a violent altercation on Sunday night. When the police attempted to take the accused into custody, his family members intervened, leading to a scuffle with cops. Five people have been arrested following the incident. According to police sources, the incident occurred near Ektanagar. Upon receiving information about a quarrel and physical assault triggered by a mobile phone theft, the Kandivali Police team rushed to the spot. While the police were separating the fighting parties and attempting to take the accused into custody by placing them in a police van, the family members of the accused allegedly got into an argument with the cops and resorted to scuffling and obstruction of duty. Based on the incident, the police have registered cases under serious offences against more than five persons and have arrested five others. Case details The police said that two people, identified as Nitesh and Eliya, allegedly attempted to snatch the mobile phone of Anil Yadav. Yadav informed his relative Shivam, who then went to confront Nitesh along with his friends, Dashrath Kanojia and Bhim Kanojia. During the confrontation, a fight broke out involving Pappu Jha, Vicky Singh, and Nitesh. When the police intervened and asked those involved to accompany them to the police station, Jha, along with his father Chandrakant, mother Suman, brother Guddu, and Singh, allegedly created a ruckus, obstructed police personnel, and resisted official action. The police have registered cases in connection with the incident and arrested five accused in the case. Efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest Jha’s parents and brother, the police said. The arrested accused were produced before the Borivali Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday, and all of them were remanded in police custody.
15 December,2025 07:30 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanADVERTISEMENT
