The Santacruz Police on Sunday arrested a 31-year-old man from Bihar for allegedly abducting a child from his locality and murdering him in Mumbai 10 days ago. According to the police, the nine-year-old victim went missing on November 7 from Santacruz after coming back from the Chhath Puja festivities. While his parents went home, the boy decided to play in his locality. When he did not return home after a while, his parents got worried and began searching for him. The next day, they approached the Santacruz Police and filed a missing complaint, following which the cops began probing the case. Three days later, some locals complained of foul odour from the roof of a factory roof in Santacruz (West). They informed the police who opened the factory and found the boy's decomposed body from there. His parents identified him from the shirt he was wearing. After conducting a panchnama, the cops sent the body for the post-mortem and registered a murder case against an unidentified person, an officer from Santacruz Police Station said. Under the guidance of Circle Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dixit Gedam, a team led by Senior Inspector Vaibhav Shingare, comprising Inspectors Jyoti Hibare and Ranjit Andhale began their investigation into the case. The CCTV footage from the area gave them crucial evidence. In the footage, the police discovered that the accused, who is a helper in a local garment shop, was leaving the premises in a suspicious manner, with a sack on his shoulder. Further inquiries revealed that he had fled to his hometown in Madhubani, Bihar. One team of the Santacruz Police traveled to Bihar, where they carried out reconnaissance in Madhubani. After several hours of surveillance, they apprehended the accused. He was brought back to Mumbai and produced in a local court, which remanded him in police custody for further investigation. According to the police, the accused took the boy to a garment factory and intended to sexually assault him, sources in Mumbai Police said. However, when the child began crying in fear, the accused panicked and strangled the boy. After realising that he was dead, the accused put the body in a sack and left it on the factory roof and fled. He first went to another factory and then fled to Bihar, the officer added.
17 November,2024 08:06 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Mumbai Crime Branch on Sunday arrested a Gujarat resident from Akola in Maharashtra in the Baba Siddique murder case, taking the number of people held in the sensational incident to 25, an officer said. Salmanbhai Iqbalbhai Vohra, a resident of Petlad in Gujarat's Anand district, was held from Balapur in Akola, some 565 kilometres from the metropolis, with the help of the police there, the Crime Branch officer added. The 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was gunned down on October 12 near his legislator son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra East's Nirmal Nagar area. "Vohra had opened a bank account in May this year and had provided financial support to Nareshkumar Singh, brother of arrested accused Gurmail Singh, Rupesh Mohol and Harishkumar. He has also helped others connected to the crime," the officer said. Gurmail Singh from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh resident Dharmaraj Kashyap were held from the spot immediately after the murder. The police recently got a major breakthrough in the case when it arrested alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Gautam, who was on the run since October 12, was held while trying to flee to Nepal, as per police. 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 November,2024 04:16 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIThe central cyber police of Mumbai Crime Branch have arrested eight people in connection with an investment trading fraud. Officials said that the accused are SIM card dealers who supplied over 30,000 SIM cards under fake names and used the information to defraud people. Police have identified the accused as Mahesh Kadam, a resident of Diva; Rohit Yadav, a resident of Bhandup; Sagar Thakur from Wadala; and Raj Arde from Kalyan. Police said that all are associated with Vodafone India’s DSE Handloom Emporium as employees. Another accused, Gulabchand Jaiswar from Kandivali, was employed with Airtel’s DSE, while Mahesh Pawar, a resident of Ghatkopar, worked for Vi. Two other accused, identified as Usmanali Shaikh and Abubakar Yusuf, are shop owners in Colaba. Officials said that the accused procured SIM cards using forged documents, which were later used to defraud people. “The investigation has revealed that the accused sold around 30,000 SIM cards in the past year without any KYC, many of which were provided to foreigners and are suspected to have been used in cyber crimes,” said Datta Nalawade, DCP Cyber. The gang was busted following an investigation into the matter after a complaint by a businessman from Prabhadevi who approached the Cyber Cell after allegedly losing over ₹51 lakh in a trading investment scam. The victim, identified as Amembal, encountered an Instagram advertisement promising high returns on stock market investments, which led him to join a WhatsApp group named—MSFL Stock Chart 33. The group admin identified as Juhi V Patel along with Dhruv S Marwari, both supposed representatives of a brokerage firm, allegedly enticed the businessman into investing in share trading through multiple bank transactions. According to Amembal, he was persuaded to create a virtual trading account, and initially, small returns were credited to his bank account, which built his trust. He then made larger investments totaling ₹51.36 lakh, with funds transferred to various bank accounts provided by Patel and Marwari. However, when Amembal tried to withdraw his returns, he was repeatedly stalled, with demands for additional payments supposedly for IPO requirements and commission fees. The Cyber Cell’s investigation revealed that the WhatsApp accounts used by the suspects were tied to phone numbers registered under fake identities, complicating the trace. “Investment frauds are on the rise, and people should exercise caution before participating in any groups claiming to provide investment tips without SEBI registration. Their details can be checked on the SEBI website,” said DCP Nalawade.
17 November,2024 02:07 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanThe Navi Mumbai police have invoked provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against four members of an inter-state gang of dacoits and chain snatchers, an official said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI. A number of chain-snatching incidents were reported between October 23 and 26 in several areas of Navi Mumbai, he said. The police formed a couple of teams and conducted a probe into the cases using technical inputs. They also carried out searches in 40 to 45 housing societies as well as guest houses, the official said while sharing an update on the Navi Mumbai crime, reported PTI. The police subsequently nabbed four persons, in the age group of 19 to 27 and hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Navi Mumbai, and registered an FIR against them under section 309 (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said. During their interrogation, 10 cases of various thefts -- nine in Navi Mumbai and one in Delhi -- were detected, the official said while sharing an update on the Navi Mumbai crime, reported PTI. The police also recovered a 'mangalsutra' (sacred necklace worn by married women), several gold chains and two motorcycles collectively valued at Rs 7.7 lakh from the accused, the official said while sharing an update on the Navi Mumbai crime, reported PTI. Following detection of the various crimes, provisions of the MCOCA were invoked against the accused on Saturday, the official said. Man held with country-made pistol, cartridges in Mumbai The Mumbai police have arrested a 38-year-old man for alleged possession of a country-made pistol and cartridges, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI. Based on a tip-off, the crime branch's unit-6 apprehended the accused, Suresh Bhojraj Dolare, a resident of Nagpur, in the Shivaji Nagar locality on Friday, the official said, reported PTI. He said the police had received information that a man was carrying a weapon to sell in Mumbai, and they recovered a country-made pistol and two cartridges from the accused, reported PTI. The man has been booked under relevant provisions of the Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act, and a probe is underway to find out from where he had procured the weapon and to whom he was planning to sell it, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
17 November,2024 12:52 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA threatening call was received on the Reserve Bank of India's customer care helpline at approximately 10 am on Saturday. The caller identified themselves as the “CEO of Lashkar-e-Taiba” and abruptly ended the call after cryptically stating, “Close the back door; the electric car has broken down.” Taking the incident seriously, the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Marg police station registered a case following a complaint lodged by the Reserve Bank's security guard. However, the police suspect the call to be a prank and are actively working to identify the individual responsible.
17 November,2024 12:04 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanA celebrity’s wife was cheated out of Rs 65,000 by unknown fraudsters who hacked her mother’s mobile phone and impersonated her to request money. The woman who works at a film production house, received a WhatsApp message from her mother’s number on November 15, requesting Rs 65,000. The message also included a UPI ID to transfer the money. Trusting the message, she transferred the amount. However, minutes later, she received another message asking for an additional Rs 3,500. The language of the second message—a mix of Marathi and Hindi—made her suspicious. She immediately called her mother, who informed her that her phone had been hacked and similar fraudulent messages had been sent to all her contacts. The woman approached Khar police, who registered an FIR and launched an investigation. According to police officials, her mother, who resides in Bhopal, works in the art space and financial transactions between the woman and her mother are quite frequent. A police officer said, “The victim trusted the initial message as it appeared to be from her mother. However, after realising the fraud, she promptly reported the matter to us. We are investigating the UPI ID and the cyber trail of the hackers.”
17 November,2024 07:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaTwo months after chartered accountant Sandeep Paswan died by suicide in Deonar after taking to Facebook Live to blame his fiancée and her family, the police registered an FIR against them. Paswan, 33, had accused them of mentally torturing him and making false accusations of molestation against him. The victim was a resident of Govandi. On September 17, he went live on Facebook and spoke about how he was allegedly cheated by his fiancée on the pretext of marriage and later framed in a false sexual harassment case. His family members saw the video and informed the police, but before the cops could get there, Paswan had died. His brother, Deepak Paswan, said, “In 2018, my brother was in Kolkata for his studies and a relative sent him a marriage proposal from Mumbai. My brother met the girl, they exchanged phone numbers and decided to get married. In 2021-22, Sandeep called me and said he is shifting to Mumbai as his fiancée had found him a job there at a pharma company.” “Sandeep gave her Rs 12.5 lakh to purchase a flat where they would live after their wedding. But after he gave the money, his fiancée’s behaviour changed. They [her family] cancelled the marriage. She [his ex-fiancée returned R7 lakh but refused to return the rest,” added Deepak. In June, when Paswan asked them for his money, they allegedly registered a false case of molestation against him at Nehru Nagar police station. Deepak added, “I need justice for my brother. The police should arrest the woman and her family members. This is a gang that is targeting innocent people and looting them on the pretext of marriage.”
17 November,2024 07:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaThe Mumbai Police Crime Branch, in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab, arrested another person in connection with the Baba Siddique murder case, on Saturday. The accused, Akashdeep Karajsingh Gill, was apprehended in a joint operation carried out in the Fazilka district of Punjab. The 22-year-old is a resident of Pacca Chisti village in Fazilka tehsil. He is booked for several charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Arms Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act (MPA). Gill is being brought to Mumbai on transit remand for further legal proceedings in connection with the Baba Siddique murder case. "He provided logistic support in the shooting. He was held from Fazilka tehsil there. Gill is being brought to Mumbai on transit remand for further legal action," an officer informed. Further details are awaited. This is the 24th arrest made by the Mumbai Polcie in the Baba Siddique murder case, the officer said. Siddique, a former state minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, was gunned down on October 12 in the Nirmal Nagar area of Bandra (East), near the office of his legislator son Zeeshan. Mumbai Police recently got a major breakthrough in the case when it arrested the purported main shooter Shivkumar Gautam from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Gautam, who was on the run since October 12, was held while trying to flee to Nepal, the police alleged. Main shooter panicked, I took lead: Baba Siddique shooter The investigation into the Baba Siddique murder case by the Mumbai Crime Branch has revealed that Gurmail Singh, who was arrested along with Dharmraj Kashyap near the crime scene, was the main shooter and was initially supposed to lead Kashyap and Shivakumar Gautam. Gautam was arrested 27 days after the murder from his hometown in Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh). According to officials, this revelation surfaced after Gautam’s arrest earlier this week. Gautam stated that, under instructions from the key conspirator Shubham Lonkar, Singh was intended to lead him and Kashyap. However, on the day of the incident, when Siddique was gunned down, the plan changed as Singh and Kashyap panicked. Gautam took the lead, shooting Siddique while a suspended police constable assigned to Siddique’s protection stood seven to eight feet away. (With PTI inputs)
16 November,2024 07:15 PM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheA Belgian national, William Jumet, successfully recovered his lost passport with the help of Mumbai police who carried out a meticulous investigation. Jumet, 45, had misplaced the jacket containing his passport, cell phone and cash while travelling from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Jumet was unsure whether he had lost the jacket in the airport restroom or in the taxis he had boarded from the airport to south Mumbai. However, he had taken photographs of the two taxis he used during his journey, which proved to be crucial in tracking down the missing items. The letter of thanks William Jumet wrote to the Mumbai police Initially, the police interrogated the taxi drivers over the phone, but this approach yielded no results. Undeterred, they called the two taxi drivers to the police station for questioning. Simultaneously, Jumet was accompanied by the police’s detection team to the airport. The police also thoroughly searched the taxis which led to the discovery of the lost jacket containing Jumet’s passport, Apple iPhone worth Rs 1.2 lakh, and Rs 50,000 in cash. The successful operation was led by woman Sub-Inspector Sanjivani Ingale, with support from Detection Officer API Mulani, under the supervision of night Police Inspector Kumbhar and Senior Police Inspector Jagdish Shelkar. Jumet expressed his sincere gratitude to the police for their quick and effective response in recovering his lost belongings. He also wrote a letter of thanks to the Mumbai police, saying, “Respected sir, I am William Jumet, 45, Belgian. I would like to say thank you to Mumbai police and special thanks to W-PSI Sanjeevani Ingale of Kalachowki police station for quickly finding my jacket, passport, mobile phone, and money. And I’d like to say congratulations to them for the excellent work.” Speaking with mid-day, W-PSI Ingale said, “We traced both taxis with the photographs which were taken by the Belgian citizen. We took help from the traffic police to get taxi drivers’ contact details and traced them. We found the jacket under the back seat and handed it over to Jumet.”
16 November,2024 08:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaTwo minor girls aged 12 and 15 years were allegedly sexually harassed by their 38-year-old neighbour while they were home alone after school in Bandra West on Wednesday. The girls had gone to school for a Children’s Day function and had returned home on Wednesday morning when one of the two girls first encountered the accused standing outside their house, said a relative of the girls. The man was later caught by one of the relatives of the girls who later called the police which booked him under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sahita (BNS). According to the FIR filed by the father of the minor girls, on November 14 at around 11 am, both of his daughters had returned home from their school and were alone at their residence in Bandra. The father of the girls was at work while the mother had been ill and was hospitalised for the past three days. He told the police that his 12-year-old daughter had stepped outside the house for some work and spotted the man, their neighbour, standing outside. The man began to make inappropriate gestures towards her. The act made the girl frightened, and she immediately ran back inside her house. Seeing the girl traumatised, her 15-year-old sister asked her the reason and she pointed outside the house, the FIR stated. The sister then stepped outside the house to check and found that their neighbour was still there with his pants half down. When she confronted him about his gesture towards her sister, the man allegedly flashed his private parts at her too, leaving her traumatised, the FIR stated. She ran inside the house and called up her aunt who resides close by. She narrated the incident to her, who then made a call to the girl’s uncle. Meanwhile, a neighbour of the girls suspected something amiss following the brief commotion between one of the girls and the man. The neighbour called their father and suggested checking with the girls if everything was all right with them. The father of the girls told the police that he later rushed to his residence after which he learnt about the incident and then reached out to the police along with one of the relatives who also lives in the same building. A police officer said, “Following the complaint, the man was immediately detained and was later placed under arrest. He was produced before a court on Thursday and remanded in police custody.” The relatives of the girls said the incident has left them traumatised. He said that one of the girls who is a Std X student was shivering and was still scared.Sources said that the man is currently unemployed and had some years ago returned to India from abroad.
16 November,2024 08:39 AM IST | Mumbai | Asif RizviThe investigation into the Baba Siddique murder case has unearthed new details about the sinister plans of the Bishnoi gang. During interrogation of Siddique’s shooter, Shivakumar Gautam, the Mumbai Crime Branch discovered that the gang had also planned to kill Aftab Poonawala, who is currently in Tihar Jail. Poonawala is accused of murdering Shraddha Walkar in a case that shocked the nation. According to Mumbai Crime Branch sources, Gautam revealed that the Bishnoi gang intended to assassinate Poonawala during one of his court appearances. However, the plan was thwarted due to Poonawala’s tight security arrangements. “We have shared this information with the Delhi police about the possible plot to kill the accused,” an officer from the Mumbai Crime Branch said. Shivkumar Gautam being produced in court. File pic/Ashish Raje The investigation further revealed that the plot to kill Poonawala was orchestrated by Shubham Lonkar, a key conspirator and fugitive in the Siddique murder case. Lonkar is reportedly a critical contact for Anmol Bishnoi, handling assignments and contract killings for the gang in Maharashtra. In May 2022, Poonawala allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Shraddha Walkar, dismembered her body and stored the parts in a fridge before disposing of them in a Delhi forest. The case sparked political outrage, with the BJP labelling it a case of “love jihad.” A crime branch officer speculated, “The Bishnoi gang may have planned to kill Poonawala to establish dominance within a particular community.” Aftab Poonawala in Delhi police’s custody in 2022. File pic/PTI This is not the first high-profile killing the Bishnoi gang has plotted. They had previously targeted comedian Munawar Faruqui for alleged remarks about Hindu deities. Faruqui, who was arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police in 2021, came under the gang’s radar, and earlier this year, the Delhi police received intelligence about a plan to kill him at an event. Faruqui was rescued and brought to Mumbai, where he was placed under security. Additionally, during the Siddique murder case interrogation, Gautam disclosed that the gang had a political leader from Pune on their hit list. While Gautam could not identify the leader, he provided details that have been shared with Pune police for further investigation. The ongoing investigation continues to expose the Bishnoi gang’s extensive network and its involvement in high-profile crimes across the country. May 2022Month Poonawala allegedly murdered Shraddha Walkar SundayDay Gautam was arrested
16 November,2024 07:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanADVERTISEMENT
