The 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 KhanA young woman battling depression was allegedly brainwashed by a brother-sister duo from Delhi, leading her to steal around 4 kg of gold, silver, diamonds, and other jewellery from her family. The incident came to light last month when the woman’s family in Mumbai discovered their locker emptied of valuables. Reviewing CCTV footage, they were stunned to find out it was their daughter. According to the police sources, the complainant, a 58-year-old in the hotel business running a chain of veg restaurants in the city residing at Malad East with his wife and 26-year-old son, had a daughter who married and was residing with her husband in Surat. The complainant filed a case of theft at the Dindoshi police station against his daughter alleging that she had stolen 4 kg of gold and other ornaments. The accused were arrested from Delhi. Representation pic The police summoned the daughter for interrogation, and she disclosed the entire story during the investigation. She revealed how the accused manipulated her and took advantage of her vulnerable mental state. Her confession led the police to Delhi, where the brother-sister duo was arrested. The accused admitted their crime and identified the jeweller who purchased the stolen items and later arrested too. The arrested accused were identified as Ritu Ashok Prasad Singh, 30, Mayankumar Ashok Prasad Singh, 19, and the jeweller Aman Subhash Chauhan, 34.As per the statement given to the police, the woman came with her daughter to Mumbai alone on October 12 as it was her birthday. She stayed with her parents till October 23. On October 24, the woman’s father (complainant) and brother went to Surat for some work. After the father received a call from his brother that his wife wasn’t feeling well, he returned with his son the next day. The complainant’s wife was admitted to a private hospital in Malad on October 25 and discharged on October 27. After she was discharged from the hospital and things had settled at home, the family noticed that their jewellery was missing. Upon checking the CCTV footage, the complainant discovered that his daughter, who had come from Surat with just one bag, was carrying three bags when she left. When he called to inquire about the missing jewellery, she responded rudely. He even called her and the husband to Mumbai for further inquiries, but she refused to cooperate. Realising that no one but his daughter could have committed the theft, he filed a complaint at the police station. Under the guidance of DCP Smita Patil and Senior Inspector Ajay Aafale, API Chandrakant Gharge and PSI Ajit Desai, along with their team, began the investigation. The daughter was summoned and questioned. During interrogation, she confessed to the theft. She admitted to struggling with depression for the past few years and, in an effort to seek help, began searching for a psychiatrist or counsellor online. During this search, she came into contact with the brother-sister duo on social media. Over the past year, they manipulated her with false promises of counselling. Under their influence, she stole jewellery from her father’s house and handed it over to them. “Currently, all three accused are in police custody, and further investigation is ongoing. The complainant's daughter has not been arrested but has been treated respectfully. She has been instructed to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation,” an officer from Dindoshi police station said. 19 and 30Age of the accused duo 26Age of the victim
16 November,2024 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanMumbai Police have launched an investigation after a newborn was found abandoned in the Rawalpada area of Dahisar (East) early on Thursday morning. The infant was reportedly wrapped in a cloth and left outside a clinic near Moreshwar School in Shivaji Chowk by an unidentified person. A passerby heard the child's cries and, upon investigating, spotted the baby. The police control room was immediately informed about the child, prompting swift action by Mumbai Police officers, who reached the location and rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital for medical attention. Senior Police Inspector Ashok Homme said the baby's condition is stable and he is receiving the necessary care in Dr Baba Sahab Shatabdi Hospital, Kandivali. A case has been registered against an unknown person for abandoning the child, and further investigation is underway.
15 November,2024 10:14 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanPolice in Palghar district of Maharashtra have seized illegal tobacco products worth more than Rs 15 lakh and have arrested one individual, an official said on Friday, PTI reported. The seizure was made in the Talasari area on Wednesday, he said, PTI cited. A patrolling team on suspicion of transportation of illegal substances checked a tempo parked on a service road along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway and found banned tobacco products, said Palghar Rural Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil. The tobacco products are worth Rs 15.66 lakh, he said, adding that police seized the tempo and took the tempo driver into custody. Last month, police arrested a 22-year-old tempo driver after seizing the banned gutka and tobacco products valued at Rs 5.32 lakh from his vehicle in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI. A police team spotted the tempo on K B Road in the Ambernath area on October 6 and intercepted it based on suspicion. During a search, the police found the banned gutka, tobacco products in the vehicle, the official said. The police enquired with the tempo driver, who could not give a satisfactory reply about the banned goods following which he was arrested. A case was registered against the driver under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the FDA regulations, the official said, reported PTI. The police were trying to find out the source of the goods and to whom the accused planned to sell them, he added. Two held in Thane with banned gutka, tobacco products of Rs 9 lakh In September, police arrested two individuals after seizing banned gutka and tobacco products valued at Rs 9.04 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district, PTI reported. Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Kalyan Crime Branch unit conducted a raid at a shop in the Shil-Phata area on the night of September 20. The team seized the contraband stock, which included various brands of gutka and tobacco products intended for sale and distribution, a police spokesperson said, reported PTI. Two persons, both aged 29 and residents of Mumbra and Shil-Phata area, were arrested after the raid, reported PTI. They were booked under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc, with intent to commit an offence), 275 (sale of noxious food or drink) and 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), and relevant FDA regulations, the police said while sharing an update on the Thane crime. Authorities are still investigating where the accused procured the banned goods. (With inputs from PTI)
15 November,2024 03:03 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentShivkumar Gautam, the alleged key shooter in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, stayed at the crime scene for nearly 20 minutes after the fatal shooting on October 12, a police official revealed on Thursday. According to the official, Gautam changed his clothes and returned to the spot shortly after committing the crime. He disposed of a bag containing his shirt, pistol, and Aadhaar card at the location. "After the shooting, he observed that people were panicked, and a significant police presence had gathered. Officers were questioning bystanders for leads about the culprits," the official stated. Gautam noticed two of his associates being apprehended at the scene. To avoid suspicion, he took an autorickshaw to Lilavati Hospital, where Siddique had been admitted, to confirm whether the NCP leader had succumbed to his injuries. At 10:47 PM, Gautam left for Kurla railway station. While travelling by train, he discarded his mobile phone. Authorities are actively working to trace the device. Meanwhile, a suspect detained from a border village in Punjab was released after investigators found no evidence of his involvement in the case. Interrogations of the accused revealed critical links to Shubham Lonkar, a wanted suspect who maintained direct contact with Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. According to the Crime Branch, Lonkar underwent weapons training in dense forests near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, approximately 50 kilometres away, in July. "Lonkar trained with an AK-47 rifle over four days. He was accompanied by arrested suspects Vilas Apune and Rupesh Mohol. The group had travelled to Mahakal before the training, which lasted five days in total," the official added. Investigators are probing whether Lonkar received training from Naxalite groups. He had reportedly warned Apune and Mohol not to disclose details of their activities. The investigation also uncovered information that a Pune corporator was targeted by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. In the broader conspiracy behind Siddique’s assassination, police found that accused Anurag Kashyap and Gyan Prakash Tripathi had transferred funds to scrap dealer Harish Kumar. "Harish funnelled the money into various accounts and provided his ATM card to the shooters for withdrawals," the official noted. Baba Siddique (66) was fatally shot by three gunmen near the Bandra office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, on October 12. The case continues to unfold as authorities investigate the network behind the murder. (With inputs from PTI)
15 November,2024 01:13 PM IST | MumbaiThe MHB Colony police have arrested a 64-year-old woman from Bhayandar who would steal jewellery from senior citizens whom she would befriend on the streets. On Wednesday, the accused, Geeta Patel, was busted by a Borivli resident while allegedly attempting to snatch a gold chain worth R1.5 lakh from an 80-year-old. Ten cases have been registered against Patel by victims aged 65 to 80 years and the accused has spent several months behind bars. In fact, the MHB Colony police, as reported by mid-day in 2015, had caught her for a similar offence. Geeta Patel, the accused According to the police, her modus operandi included approaching seniors wearing gold chains or bracelets and theb fabricating stories to elicit their sympathy. If the target offered help, she would take advantage of the proximity by hugging them and then snatching their jewellery. In the cases where the target declined assistance, she would accuse them of inappropriate behaviour, threatening to defame them or report them to the police. The incident The complainant appeared at the police station and reported that between 11.30 am and 12 pm, the accused met him near Vitthal Mandir, Eksar Talav Road. She told him that her husband was an alcoholic and often troubled her. After gaining the complainant’s sympathy, she led the octogenarian to the second floor of a nearby building where she claimed she lived to show him her living conditions. “The accused tried to remove a gold chain from the complainant’s neck while hugging him. However, the latter saw through her ruse and pushed her away. She then tried to strangle him,” said an officer. “During the melee, a resident of the building happened to pass by. The victim called out for help, and the resident intervened, apprehending Patel,” the office added. “This woman is a repeat offender. We arrested her in 2015 after she snatched a gold chain weighing around 100 gms from a senior citizen. The victim alerted a vegetable vendor and auto driver to keep a watch on the accused. She was eventually seen and the police were alerted,” the officer said. On Wednesday, the police had received a tip-off about Patel’s location. “She was already on our radar. Following the complaint, a case was registered against her for the attempted theft of the gold chain,” the officer added. An investigation is being carried out under the guidance of Anand Bhoite, DCP, Zone XI; senior inspector Mahesh Balwantrao, PSI Nilesh Patil, PSI Bharat Pol; and a detection team comprising Anil Shinde, Shridhar Khot, Ravindra Patil and Mahantesh Salvi. Case history Sources said Patel has a daughter and three sons all of whom are married. She was first booked by the MIDC in 2006. Cases against her were also registered in Dahisar (2015, 2018), MHB Colony (2015), Borivli (2015), Andheri (2018), Kasturba (2020) and Malad (2022).
15 November,2024 11:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanShivkumar Gautam, the alleged main shooter in the Baba Siddique murder case, remained at the spot for 20 minutes after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was gunned down on October 12, news agency PTI stated, quoting a Mumbai Police officer, on Thursday. He had changed his clothes and returned to the spot, the officer quoted by PTI added. "Gautam had thrown a bag carrying his shirt, pistol and his Aadhar card at the spot. After the shootout, he found people were in panic and a large number of police had arrived. He also observed if police were asking bystanders for leads on the perpetrators," the officer said. The accused saw that two of his associates had been nabbed from the spot itself, the officer added. "Gautam took an autorickshaw and went near Lilavati Hospital, where Siddique was admitted, to get confirmation on whether he had died. At 10.47 pm, he left for Kurla railway station. Inside the train, he threw his mobile phone somewhere. The efforts to trace it are on," the officer said, adding, that a suspect brought from a border village in Punjab was allowed to go after no role of his surfaced. During the interrogation of the accused, Crime Branch officers found that Shubham Lonkar, who is in the run, was in direct contact with Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of the jailed gangster Lawrence. The Mumbai crime branch also found that Lonkar had trained with an AK-47 rifle in the dense forests some 50 kilometres from Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur in July, he said. "Shubham Lonkar was with arrested accused Vilas Apune and Rupesh Mohol when trio had gone to Mahakal. Shubham Lonkar was given training by some people. The training session was going on for four days, and their stay was for five days," the officer said. "We are probing if Shubham Lonkar got weapons training from Naxalites. Lonkar had warned Apune and Mohol that they should not discuss about the training with anybody. We also got information that a corporator from Pune was on the hit list of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang," he said. According to the officer, in Baba Siddique murder conspiracy, two of the arrested accused: Anurag Kashyap and Gyan Prakash Tripathi had sent money to scrap dealer Harish Kumar. "Harish had transferred money into various other accounts and had given his ATM card to shooters to withdraw money," he said. (With PTI inputs)
14 November,2024 10:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Mumbai Police has arrested eight people in connection with a fake investment stock market fraud who are suspected of supplying over 30,000 sim cards to foreigners and Indian nationals who are believed to be involved in the stock market fraud, an official said on Thursday. The accused are dealers for major SIM card providers, he said. According to the police, the racket which was busted by Mumbai Central Cyber Cell of the city police involves the cyber fraud that took place between May and June 2024, where the accused allegedly lured victims into a WhatsApp group called 'MSFL Stock Chart 33' and once added to the group, the victims were convinced to invest money in stock trading by setting up accounts with a fake brokerage company. They were also allegedly shown fabricated virtual profits in their accounts to encourage further investment, the police said. It said that the accused created a fake narrative of high profits from trading, leading the victims to transfer a total of Rs 51,36,000 into various bank accounts. This was done by using fake information and manipulating stock market data to deceive the victims into believing they were making substantial profits. "The investigation has also revealed the involvement of telecom company employees in facilitating the fraud," an official said. The accused allegedly used illegal methods to port mobile numbers from different networks using a UPC (Universal Porting Code). These numbers were then used to create multiple WhatsApp groups for fraudulent activities. Employees from the telecom companies were found to be working in collusion to illegally port numbers without proper KYC (Know Your Customer) checks. These numbers were then used by the fraudsters to promote the fraudulent stock trading schemes, the official added. The police said that six people, arrested in the matter, were employed with different telecom companies and were identified as-- Mahesh Mahadev Kadam, Rohit Kanhaiyalal Yadav, Sagar Pandurang Thakur, Raj Ravinath Arde, Gulabchand Kanhaiya Jaiswar and Mahesh Chandrakant Pawar. Two others---Usman Ali Mohejabur Rahman Sheikh and Abubakar Siddiqi Yusuf are shop owners who were also arrested in the matter. The suspects were involved in illegally activating SIM cards without proper KYC documentation and selling them for commission to shop owners who then used them in fraudulent schemes, said an official. The police said that in the past year alone, the arrested suspects are believed to have sold over 30,000 SIM cards without performing KYC checks. These SIM cards were allegedly used for illegal activities, including fraud, cyber crimes, and other deceptive practices targeting innocent victims. The Mumbai Police's Cyber Crime took action under the guidance of senior officers, including Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, Special Commissioner Deven Bharti, and Additional Commissioner Shashikumar Meena. The operation was led by Police Inspector Mausami Patil from the Cyber Police Station, Worli, Mumbai, along with her team, the police said.
14 November,2024 08:07 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanADVERTISEMENT
