The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) Unit-1 of the Mira-Bhayandar–Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Police in Maharashtra on Monday said that it has busted a mephedrone manufacturing unit in Rajasthan and has seized drugs and raw materials worth Rs 100 crore. The mephedrone also called as MD manufacturing factory was busted in Jhunjhunu area of Rajasthan. The cops also seized precursor chemicals and equipment worth an estimated Rs 100 crore, said an official. Initial seizure in Maharashtra The operation began on October 4, 2025, when officers of ANC Unit-1 were on patrol duty. Acting on suspicion, they searched six individuals and recovered 509.6 grams of MD drugs worth Rs 1,00,32,000, six mobile phones worth Rs 1,88,000 and four motorcycles worth Rs 4,10,000. A case was registered at Kashigaon Police Station under the NDPS Act Sections 8(c), 22(c) and 29. Further investigation was taken over by ANC Unit-1. More arrests and seizures during probe During the course of investigation, the police arrested four more accused connected to the drug racket. The following items were seized from them. It included two four-wheelers and one motorcycle worth Rs 20 lakh, and six mobile phones worth Rs 2.05 lakh, officials said. Factory traced to Rajasthan While searching for absconding accused, the police received specific information and dispatched a team to Rajasthan. On November 19, 2025, the team located a drug manufacturing factory in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, and arrested Anil Vijaypal Sihag. Massive Drug Haul Recovered From the factory premises, the police recovered and around 10 kilograms of MD drugs, precursor chemicals used to manufacture MD, drug-making equipment including flasks, mixers, dryer machines, weighing scales, gloves and filters and the total value of the seized material is estimated at Rs 100 crore. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Niket Kaushik, Police Commissioner, Dattatray Shinde, Additional Police Commissioner, Sandeep Doiphode, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Madan Ballal, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Detection). "The action was executed by officers and staff of Anti-Narcotics Cell Unit-1 and Unit-2, along with support from the Cyber Police Station. Police said further investigation into the interstate drug network is ongoing.
15 December,2025 05:45 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanKurar Police in Mumbai’ Malad East arrested a 45-year-old man within 12 hours of registering a case of rape and criminal intimidation, officers said. According to the police, the case was registered on December 13 at 9.14 am under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused has been identified as Mahesh Ramesh Pawar, a resident of Virar West in Palghar district. According to the complainant, the accused allegedly drugged her by mixing a sedative in a cold drink around 15 years ago and raping her. Pawar also allegedly recorded a video of the act. The police said that the complainant later discovered, through a WhatsApp group for persons with disabilities, that the accused had committed similar acts against five to six other women. After discussing the matter with her husband, she approached the police and lodged a formal complaint, following which her statement was recorded and the case was registered. During investigation, the police traced the accused using mobile phone location data, laid a trap and arrested him following a technical and physical search operation. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Senior Inspector Sanjeev Tawde of Kurar Police Station. The investigation team included Assistant Inspector Sanjay Gholve, Sub-inspector Somnath Jadhav, and police personnel Baban Rathod, Shrikant Gore, Bala Vairal, and Santosh Fadtare, and Head Constable Bhogle of Dindoshi Police Station. Further investigation is underway.
15 December,2025 03:32 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanIn a major breakthrough in the Rs 2-crore fake cop robbery case in Girgaon, the Mumbai Crime Branch, which was conducting a parallel investigation, has detained the key accused in the case, even as a search for his associate is underway, police said. The incident occurred on Friday around 6.10 pm near Laheri Building at the Fourth Khetwadi corner on SVP Road, when two men posing as crime branch officers allegedly robbed Rs 2 crore in cash from a 65-year-old construction firm manager. According to the police, the complainant – Iqbal Musa Machat, a Bandra (West) resident who works as manager and treasurer with YM Infra – had collected the cash from a courier office at Opera House along with his colleague Shahbaz Khan. They were travelling on a motorcycle towards the Panjarapole area of Girgaon when the accused intercepted them. The police said that the suspects – wearing khaki trousers, sunglasses, and clothes resembling police attire – introduced themselves as crime branch officers. They allegedly threatened the victims, pretended to record a video on a mobile phone, and convinced them that they were genuine policemen. Taking advantage of the situation, the accused allegedly snatched a black bag containing Rs 2 crore in cash. They also took three mobile phones from the victims as well as the motorcycle key before fleeing the spot and allegedly instructing the duo to report to the crime branch office. Following the robbery, a case was registered at VP Road Police Station against unknown persons for robbery, cheating and impersonation of police personnel. While the local police began the probe, the Crime Branch simultaneously launched a parallel investigation, analysing CCTV footage and technical data, which helped identify the suspects. Police said the key accused, a resident of the Konkan region, has been detained by the Crime Branch. During questioning, he allegedly revealed that the robbery was committed due to mounting financial liabilities, which he cited as the primary motive behind the crime. Investigators said he was acting on instructions from another man, identified as Pillai, who is believed to be the second key accused. “Based on technical analysis and CCTV footage, we have detained the key accused. The robbery was allegedly committed due to financial liabilities. The second accused, who played a crucial role in planning the offence, is currently absconding,” a police source said. Police teams have been deployed to trace the remaining accused and to recover the stolen cash. Further investigation is underway.
14 December,2025 10:28 PM IST | Mumbai | Anish PatilIn a tragic hit-and-run incident, two youth were killed after their scooter was allegedly hit by an unidentified speeding vehicle near the Dahisar Metro Station Bridge along the Western Express Highway in Mumbai early on Sunday. The victims have been identified as Zahir Amlani (28), a resident of Mira Road (East), Thane, and his friend Irshad Hussain (age unknown), both employed with a private company in Bangur Nagar in Malad (West). According to Dahisar Police sources, the complaint in the case is Amlani’s mother Nazmin (48). She told the police that her son had left for work at around 11 am on Saturday and was expected to return home by 9 pm. When he failed to return by 12.30 am, she contacted him, during which he assured her that he would leave shortly and informed her that Hussain was accompanying him. Around 3 am, Nazmin received a call from Dahisar Police, informing her that her son and his friend had met with a serious road accident near the metro station and were shifted to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali (West). Upon reaching the hospital along with her brother-in-law, the family was informed that both victims had been declared dead before admission. Police investigations revealed that around 1.40 am, Amlani and Hussain were travelling home on a scooter when an unknown vehicle, allegedly being driven at a high speed and in a rash and negligent manner, hit the two-wheeler on the northbound carriageway of Western Express Highway near the Dahisar Metro Bridge. A tourist vehicle driver, Rohit Sutar (28), who was passing through the area, reportedly noticed the scooter lying on the roadside and the victims grievously injured on the highway. Suspecting that an unknown vehicle had run them over, he alerted the police control room. "The victims were rushed to Shatabdi Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. We have registered a case under relevant sections of BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) against an unknown vehicle driver for causing death due to rash and negligent driving and for fleeing the spot without providing medical assistance. Further investigation is underway to identify and trace the absconding driver," said an officer from Dahisar Police Station.
14 December,2025 08:22 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe sessions court in Mumbai has acquitted four people arrested for a murder in Malwani, Malad, in 2013, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the alleged assault of a suspected thief who later died in police custody. The incident Twelve years ago on March 5, three to four alleged thieves reportedly broke into SA Engineering, a commercial workshop inside Malwani’s Jurassic Park premises, by breaking the tin roof to commit theft. Four people, including two owners, managed to nab one of the suspects, while the others fled. The accused immediately informed the Malwani Police about the incident, following which Sub-inspector VK More dispatched a team to the spot. The detained suspected thief, later identified as Javed Hajrat Ali, was handed over to constables Ankush Bane and Ajit Jadhav and taken to the police station. Later, on the complaint of SA Engineering’s owners, Amarjeet Ramkishore Singh (56) and Vijay Singh (54), the police registered a case under sections 380 and 457, along with Section 34 of Indian Penal Code 1860 against Ali. Around 10.30 am the next day, Ali reportedly complained of abdominal pain and was shifted to Bhagwati Hospital, where doctors declared him dead before admission. Initially, Malwani Police registered an accidental death case. Post-mortem and investigation findings However, Ali’s post-mortem revealed 83 injuries, including abrasions on elbows, chest, ribs, back, and thighs. Based on the inquest findings, Sub-inspector Bhagwan Khare concluded that the accused had assaulted Ali before handing him to the police. The police then booked four accused: Singh, Vijay, and two other employees under Sections 342, 302, and 34 of IPC. All the four were arrested on March 19, 2013. As the death occurred in police custody, the joint commissioner of police (crime branch), Mumbai, transferred the investigation to Detection Crime Branch (DCB), Crime Investigation Department (CID), Unit 11. Following this, Assistant Inspector Pradeep More re-recorded the statements of the police officers and other witnesses whom Inspector MP Pandharmise had earlier examined. He also recorded new statements from a couple of more witnesses and Pandharmise. Defence’s argument Advocate Kalam Shaikh highlighted serious contradictions in the prosecution’s case. He said More testified that Javed was brought to the police station around 6 am and had no injuries except a single abrasion on his left elbow. Javed remained in police custody from 6 am to 10.30 am, during which no complaint of assault was made. The post-mortem injuries did not align with the condition observed by police officers when he was produced before them. Shaikh argued that the injuries likely occurred after the police took custody and were not inflicted by the accused. Court verdict After examining 17 witnesses and reviewing all the material evidence, the sessions court held that the prosecution had failed to establish common intention or any direct assault by the four accused. The court noted significant inconsistencies between the medical findings and the police testimonies. In its judgment on November 28, the court ruled that the prosecution had not successfully proved the charges under the relevant sections of IPC, 1860. Consequently, the accused were entitled to an acquittal. Case timeline March 5, 2013: Alleged theft committed and FIR registered May 28, 2013: Charge sheet filed in the case August 30, 2015: Charges framed in the case March 6, 2015: Evidence presented October 15, 2025: Judgment reserved November 28, 2025: Judgment delivered Total witnesses examined: 17
14 December,2025 04:45 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanPolice have seized beef valued at Rs 2.52 lakh being transported illegally in a car and arrested two persons in this connection in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI. During night patrolling on Friday, the police noticed a car moving suspiciously at Kongaon in Bhiwandi. "Our patrolling team intercepted the vehicle for checking and found it to be transporting beef illegally," an official from Kongaon police station said, reported PTI. The two car occupants, hailing from Nashik and Ahilyanagar, failed to produce any valid documents or permission for the transportation of beef, he said, reported PTI. The police seized the beef and arrested the car occupants. They have been booked under section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, the official added. Thane meat shop owner held for selling beef illegally In another incident, Police have arrested a 38-year-old meat shopkeeper in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly selling beef in violation of the law, officials said, reported news agency PTI. Acting on a tip-off about illegal meat trade, the police conducted a raid on the man's shop at Nizampura in the Bhiwandi area on November 29. During the raid, they recovered 16 kg of beef, valued at Rs 5,500, from the shop, an official from Nizampura police station said, reported PTI. "Our team found the shop selling beef without any legal permission. After confirming the nature of the meat, we registered a case and arrested the accused," the official said, reported PTI. The accused has been booked under the provisions of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, the police added. Man held for killing garbage collector Meanwhile, Navi Mumbai Police cracked a month-old murder case by arresting a 27-year-old man for allegedly killing a garbage collector after he misbehaved with the former's wife, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI. The body of Qadir Karam Hussain Sheikh alias Lakha alias Lambu (25) was found in a drain near Juinagar railway station on November 20, police said, reported PTI. The investigation led police to Raju Jabbar Mandal. He was arrested on December 11 on the charge of murder under the BNS. (With inputs from PTI)
14 December,2025 01:52 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentMumbai Police have arrested members of a habitual inter-state gang for allegedly cheating a Malad resident of Rs 25 lakh by falsely claiming to have unearthed gold ornaments during excavation work and selling him counterfeit jewellery, an official said. The case has been registered at Malad Police Station under Crime Register No. 883/25, invoking Sections 316(2), 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to the police, the complainant, Dinesh Mehta (51), a resident of Ankur Building in Somwar Bazaar, Malad (West), was approached by the main accused, Baboolal Bhalaram Waghela (55), between November 26 and December 4, 2025. The accused allegedly initiated contact by conversing in Rajasthani and gradually gained the complainant’s confidence. Waghela claimed that gold ornaments weighing around 900 grams had been discovered during excavation work behind a temple in Nashik. He offered either to sell the ornaments on Mehta’s behalf or to sell them directly to him. To establish credibility, the accused reportedly showed the ornaments and provided a few yellow-metal beads as samples, which tested positive for gold. Trusting the claim, Mehta allegedly paid Rs 25 lakh in cash and took possession of the jewellery. However, when the ornaments were later examined by a goldsmith, they were found to be fake. The complainant then approached the police, following which an FIR was registered on December 5, 2025. The investigation: During the investigation, the Crime Detection Team of Malad Police collected CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas, including Kandivali East, and analysed technical data such as call detail records and mobile dump data. Although the CCTV visuals were unclear, police said the accused were traced based on body structure, gait analysis and technical inputs after examining footage from over 100 government and private cameras over three consecutive days. The probe led to the identification of five accused. Two were traced to Gandhinagar in Gujarat and two to Virar East in Palghar district. The prime accused, Waghela, was first arrested from his residence in Kalol, Gandhinagar district. A search of his house led to the seizure of Rs 15.45 lakh in cash, believed to be part of the cheated amount, and a mobile phone allegedly used in the crime. During interrogation, Waghela disclosed the involvement of his wife, Kokubai Baboolal Waghela (50). She has been served a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and directed to appear before the police. After securing transit remand from a court in Kalol, the accused was brought to Mumbai and produced before a holiday court in Borivali. Subsequently, the remaining three accused—Manglaram Manaram Wagri (34), Kesararam Bhagtaram Wagri (41) and Bhavarlal Baboolal Wagri (48)—were arrested from Virar East. Police said all three are engaged in photo-frame making, and their role in the offence was confirmed during interrogation. Investigators said all the accused are originally from Rajasthan’s Jalore district and are part of a gang that travels across states to commit similar offences. Police also revealed that Waghela has previous cheating cases registered against him at the Kalol Taluka Police Station and Sabarmati Police Station in Gujarat. Another accused, identified as Govind and aged around 30, is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him. While Rs 15.45 lakh has been recovered so far, police said recovery of the remaining amount and other property is in progress. The investigation is being conducted by Assistant Police Inspectors Abhijit Kale and Deepak Raivade under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Dushyant Chavan of Malad Police Station.
14 December,2025 01:26 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA long-simmering feud over a food stall and alleged property encroachment ended in a gruesome murder near the Global Pagoda-Essel World Jetty Road on Friday night. The victim, identified as Dashrath Chavan, 37, ran Sanskar Cafe, a vada pav stall near the Pagoda. Police said Chavan was brutally stabbed to death in full public view around 11.20 pm, allegedly by members of a rival family with whom he had been locked in a bitter dispute for nearly five years. According to the complaint filed by Chavan’s wife Sangeeta Chavan, rival stall operator Rosebird Miranda, along with her husband Roland Miranda, their daughter Robina Parera, son-in-law Joby Parera, and their driver Pawan Sharma, allegedly surrounded Chavan soon after he resumed work at his previously demolished stall. Police said Chavan was allegedly held down and stabbed in the chest, stomach, back, head and face with a sharp weapon, even as his wife and staff watched helplessly. Chavan was rushed to hospital but was declared dead at 12.18 am. Police sources said that the Miranda family had allegedly encroached upon government land by dumping mangroves and constructing a shop near the Global Pagoda area. Chavan had lodged complaints with the Forest Department as well as the BMC, following which the Miranda family’s structure was demolished. The Miranda family subsequently complained against Chavan’s stall to the BMC, leading to its demolition as well a few days ago. On Friday night, Chavan had reportedly returned to the spot to rebuild his demolished stall when the Miranda family attacked. A case has been registered against the Miranda family members, senior inspector Mahesh Nivatkar from Gorai Police station.
14 December,2025 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA Chembur gang that dug into the ground to steal fuel from a pipeline, ended up digging their own grave when the police caught on to their grift and arrested them. The RCF police busted the racket and arrested a total of 13 people. According to the police, the accused attempted to tap the underground 18-inch-diameter Mumbai–Manmad multiproduct pipeline and steal petrol and diesel around 3.30 am on November 14, near the Pepsi Company gate on Gadkari Road in Chembur. The pipeline runs about 2.5 metres underground, and the gang had planned to cut into it and siphon fuel. An officer said, “We first arrested Vinod Devchand Pandit, 48, a resident of Chembur Camp. Further investigation revealed the he was one of the main conspirators in the racket.” Cops seized gas cutters, iron clamps and other equipment used for tapping the pipeline from the accused. Investigations also revealed that the accused are habitual offenders with multiple cases registered against them for pipeline tapping and fuel theft across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. A case has been registered at the RCF Police Station under Sections 303 and 62 of BNS, along with Section 15 of the Petroleum and Mineral Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962. The complaint was lodged by BPCL manager Harshal Shivajirao Bhajipale.
14 December,2025 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaMumbai Police on Saturday said that it has busted a drug factory and seized raw materials and mephedrone worth Rs 195 crore. The police said that as many as three people have been so far arrested in the case and further investigations were underway. According to the police, Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch busted the large mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit and seized drugs and raw material worth an estimated Rs 195 crore. The operation was carried out by Crime Branch Unit-7 following a detailed investigation. Initial seizure in Mumbai's Mulund area The case began on October 9, 2025, when Crime Branch officials seized 136 grams of mephedrone from two persons in Mulund West, Mumbai. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Trail led to Thane and Pune During further investigation, police traced the source of the drug supply to accused persons living in the Ghodbunder Road area of Thane and in Pune. Acting on their statements, police formed two teams and arrested one accused from Ghodbunder Road and another from Pune. MD manufacturing unit destroyed Based on information provided by the arrested accused, police raided a mephedrone manufacturing factory. The unit was demolished and the following items were seized 7.5 kg of solid mephedrone (MD), 38 kg of liquid mephedrone and raw materials and equipment used for drug manufacturing. The total value of the seized contraband and materials is estimated at Rs 195 crore. Three accused arrested Police arrested a total of three accused from the manufacturing site. Further investigation is ongoing to identify other persons linked to the drug network. The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of senior Mumbai Police officials and the operation was led by Senior Police Inspector Abaji Sawant of Crime Branch Unit-7 along with his team, said an official. Congress alleges Maharashtra govt hiding details of Satara drug raid Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Congress leaders have accused the state government of keeping details of a recent mephedrone manufacturing unit raid in Satara district under wraps, reported the PTI. State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two drug traffickers on December 9, who revealed that they sourced mephedrone from a Pune-based man who was later arrested from Pimpri Chinchwad with two kilograms of the banned drug. According to Sapkal, the accused held from Pune admitted to producing mephedrone at Savari village in Jaoli taluka, Satara. Police subsequently raided a makeshift unit in a cattle shed. Sapkal claimed that the food for workers was supplied from a lodge owned by a Shiv Sena corporator from Thane, as per the PTI. The Congress demanded transparency from the home department. They also alleged that the scale of the operation is being downplayed, as around 43 people were reportedly employed at the unit, the news agency reported. (with PTI inputs)
13 December,2025 11:28 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA man has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly raping and brutally murdering a five-year-old girl in the district 18 years ago, Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police said on Saturday, reported the PTI. The crime had taken place in the Manikpur police station limits, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal, according to the PTI. Nandlal alias Nandu Ramdas Vishwakarma, then 22, was nabbed from his village Khardauri in Siddharth Nagar district of UP on December 10, he said. The crime took place in 2007 Vishwakarma was accused of luring away the girl by promising her a chocolate sometime between 11 pm on March 31, 2007, and 8 am the next day, raping and beating her, and subsequently strangling her. "He escaped to Nepal after the incident and stayed there for a long time. He returned to UP recently and was working as a laborer at a brick kiln," said senior inspector Aviraj Kurhade. Tip-off was received a few days ago The Crime Detection Cell-2, Vasai, which was carrying out a parallel probe along with the local police station, received a tip-off a few days ago that he was hiding in his native village. A team was sent to Khardauri and Vishwakarma was arrested, the inspector added, the news agency reported. Man on the run for 19 years in fraud case arrested in Latur In an another incident, last month, a 53-year-old man, who had been on the run for around 19 years in a fraud case, was arrested in the Latur district of Maharashtra, police had earlier said. The accused, who was identified as Abhang Prabhu, alias Prabhakar Suryawanshi, is accused of cheating people by posing as the sarpanch of a village and preparing fake birth certificates for children, reported the PTI. However, a case was registered against him on June 14, 2006, at Gandhi Chowk police station under various sections of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating and other charges, a police official said. The suspect kept changing his locations Police officials further asserted that “Suryawanshi changed his locations frequently, making it difficult for investigators to trace him. He travelled from village to village, falsely identifying himself as the sarpanch of a gram panchayat, as per PTI. "He allegedly prepared fake birth certificates and cheated several citizens. He collected blank birth certificate forms of children, forged signatures and stamps, and issued fake documents," they added. A special team received confidential information that the accused was staying in the Bobli area in Latur district, following which a raid was conducted and he was held, the news agency reported. (with PTI inputs)
13 December,2025 05:38 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
