The customs officers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai have filed a case against a passenger travelling from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TD317 on Saturday for smuggling 52 reptiles into the country. The reptiles were discovered upon inspecting the passenger – who according to customs officials, was showing nervousness. The officers found three Spider-Tailed Horned Vipers (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), five Asian Leaf Turtles (Cyclemys dentata), and as many as 44 Indonesian Pit Vipers (Trimeresurus insularis) with the passenger. The Spider-Tailed Horned Viper and Asian Leaf Turtle are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Schedule IV of the newly amended Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Of the 44 Indonesian Pit Vipers, one was found dead, the authorities stated. The officers intercepted the passenger and arrested him under the Customs Act, 1962. The listed animals have been recovered following a panchnama. All three species of the reptiles are known to be highly sought after in the global exotic pet trade. What do experts have to say? Honorary Wildlife Warden of Thane and President of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), Pawan Sharma, said, "This pattern and nature of illegal wildlife trafficking in exotic species is unusual and quite alarming because of the kind of species involved. Usually, non-venomous species of snakes are commonly used in illegal trade but the involvement of highly venomous species of vipers is quite shocking. This is also a matter of public safety at large as snakebite cases involving such non-native venomous species raise concerns about the effectiveness of anti-snake venom as we have polyvalent serums available primarily made from the ‘big four’ species – Cobra, Krait, Russell's Viper and Saw-Scaled Viper. We ensured that all the snakes were carefully handled while removing them from individual bags to identify and stabilise them before preparing them for the deportation exercise."
01 June,2025 10:12 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIn a Bollywood-script-like scenario on Sunday, Panvel police have rescued a three-month-old girl within 24 hours of her abduction. The girl, as reported by PTI, has been abducted from outside of the Panvel railway station in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township. Police acting swiftly in the matter investigated with sheer brilliance and arrested a woman in this connection, an official said on Sunday. Addressing the situation, Panvel City police station's senior inspector Nitin Thackeray said, "The child was with her mother when an unidentified person abducted her from outside the railway station between 3 pm and 3.30 pm on Friday." The police official adding to the situation also said that "after getting information about the incident, five police teams were formed to trace the infant and apprehend the culprit. Moreover, the police also very deeply analysed CCTV footage of the area near Panvel station and got to know that a woman carrying the baby boarded a Pune-bound train." Countering the serious situation of child abduction, search teams were promptly sent to Karjat, Lonavla, Daund and other places in Pune. Later, the police found the woman had returned to Panvel from Lonavla. As soon as police officials realised the situation, they spotted the woman near Kalamboli fire station and apprehended her on Saturday. The baby was rescued and reunited with her mother, the official said. The accused woman, identified as Roshni Vinod Vageshree (35), is said to be a resident of a slum opposite the Panvel railway station. She was arrested and booked under relevant legal provisions, the official added while concluding about the situation.
01 June,2025 02:50 PM IST | Navi Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn a tragic incident, a 54-year-old woman lost her life after a residential slab allegedly collapsed inside her home in Virar West in Palghar district of Maharashtra, officials said on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Alfiya Abbas Manaswala, an official said. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Merchant Apartment, located in the MB Estate area of Virar West, he said. The official said, "Alfiya Abbas Manaswala (54) died after the slab in her flat collapsed at Merchant Apartment." According to police sources, Alfiya lived with her family in Flat No. 11 on the second floor of C-Wing. At the time of the incident, her son Hussain Manaswala, along with his wife and children, was in their bedroom, while Alfiya and her husband were sleeping in the hall. Suddenly, the slab above the hall collapsed, injuring Alfiya. “She was immediately rushed to Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar, but succumbed to her injuries. We have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR),” said Police Sub-Inspector Raam Kundgir, Bolinj Police Station. According to the sources, this is the third slab collapse in the Vasai-Virar city area within the last 11 days, raising serious concerns about the structural safety of ageing buildings in the region. Previous Incidents: May 21, 2025 – Nalasopara:A slab collapsed in Room No. 404 of the four-storey Simran Sai building in Achole. The fire brigade rescued a 14-year-old boy and a woman. May 26, 2025 – Virar (Gopcharpada):A slab collapsed in Flat No. 335 of Pooja Apartment, leading to the death of a 27-year-old woman. May 30, 2025 – Virar (MB Estate)
31 May,2025 09:12 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanPolice in Kalyan-Dombivali region of Thane district of Maharashtra have set a benchmark for investigation into crimes against women by filing chargesheets in three cases in a span of 48 hours, a senior official said on Saturday, reported the PTI. The cases were filed in Manpada, Kolsewadi and Bazarpet police stations and were related to molestation, sexual assault, indecent exposure, and obscene gestures targeting women and minor girls, Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Zende told reporters, according to the PTI. The cases were registered under Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on May 25 and 28 and the chargesheets were filed on May 27 and 30 respectively after special teams were formed to complete the probe in a speedy manner, he added. "This is the first time in recent years that chargesheets have been filed in grave crimes against women within 48 hours. The aim is to ensure women get justice as quickly as possible and the accused get the strictest punishment speedily," the DCP asserted, as per the PTI. Three persons were arrested in the three cases by teams led by sub inspector Amol Andhale of Bazarpet police station, assistant inspector Eknath Paulbudhe of Manpada police station and sub inspector Suresh Nalawade of Kolsewadi police station, he added. "They recorded statements of key witnesses, compiled necessary evidence and then submitted three comprehensive chargsheets in the Kalyan District and Sessions Court," Zende said, the news agency reported. Woman sentenced to 14 years in jail for pushing two minor girls into prostitution Meanwhile, in an another incident, a special court in Maharashtra's Thane city has sentenced a 40-year-old housewife to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for pushing two minor girls into prostitution, reported the PTI. In his order of May 30, Special POCSO Act Judge D S A Deshmukh also imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 on the convict, a resident of Mumbai's Goregaon area, according to the PTI. According to Special Public Prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale, a total of seven witnesses were examined during the trial. The woman, a resident of Mumbai, was apprehended with two minor girls at a hotel near the Passport Office, in Thane's Wagle Estate area on April 5, 2021. The court was told that 'Minor Girl-A' and the woman's daughter were friends. The convict told Minor Girl-A, who came from a poor family, that she would get good money through prostitution. Subsequently, the woman used to send her to customers, the court was told. The second victim, identified in court documents as 'Minor Girl-M', corroborated this account. Considering the gravity of the offence, the judge said, this is not the case to show leniency to the accused. He then sentenced the woman to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, the news agency reported. (with PTI inputs)
31 May,2025 06:23 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Navi Mumbai police have arrested four persons for allegedly stealing cargo ship engine parts valued at over Rs 93 lakh, an official said on Saturday, reported news agency PTI. Components worth about Rs 74 lakh have been recovered from the accused, the Turbhe police said in a release. One Vasudev Dattatreya Prabhu had approached the police on May 27, complaining that some persons had broken into his company's warehouse on May 25 and stolen parts of a turbo engine of a cargo ship, reported PTI. After analysing technical aspects and footage from about 40 CCTV cameras in the surrounding area, the police took four persons into custody from Indiranagar, Turbhe MIDC, on May 28 and recovered a chunk of the stolen parts, the release added. MCOCA invoked against four over assault, Rs 12.8 lakh robbery at energy plant in Beed Four members of a gang that allegedly assaulted two watchmen of a private firm in Maharashtra's Beed district and robbed property worth Rs 12.87 lakh have been booked under the stringent MCOCA, police have said, reported PTI. Confessions made to the police under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) are admissible in court, and the statute also makes it difficult to secure bail. The assault and robbery had taken place on April 7 at a unit of Avaada Group in Vida village in Kej tehsil, some 390 kilometres from Mumbai, a police official said on Friday. "A group of 14 persons had assaulted watchmen Akash Jadhav (26) and Abhijeet Dunghav. The two were tied with bedsheets and then thrashed with sticks on the hands and legs. The accused then stole items worth Rs 12.87 lakh from the site. A probe led to the arrest of Baban Sardar Shinde (40), Dhanaji Kale (23), Mohan Hari Kale (30), and Lalasaheb Pawar (26), all residents of Beed and Dharashiv," he said, reported PTI. Beed police found the gang was involved in at least 11 cases of robbery, theft and serious body offences, the official said. "Accordingly, Superintendent of Beed Navneet Kanwat sent a proposal for imposing MCOCA sections in the case against the accused. The proposal was cleared by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range Inspector General Virendra Mishra on Friday," he said, reported PTI. Six persons are wanted in the case, the official added. Last year, the region was under the spotlight over the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh after he tried to stop an alleged extortion bid at a windmill project. (With inputs from PTI)
31 May,2025 02:32 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA special court in Maharashtra's Thane city has sentenced a 40-year-old housewife to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment for pushing two minor girls into prostitution, reported news agency PTI. In his order of May 30, Special POCSO Act Judge D S A Deshmukh also imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 on the convict, a resident of Mumbai's Goregaon area, reported PTI. According to Special Public Prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale, a total of seven witnesses were examined during the trial. The woman, a resident of Mumbai, was apprehended with two minor girls at a hotel near the Passport Office, in Thane's Wagle Estate area on April 5, 2021. The court was told that 'Minor Girl-A' and the woman's daughter were friends. The convict told Minor Girl-A, who came from a poor family, that she would get good money through prostitution. Subsequently, the woman used to send her to customers, the court was told, reported PTI. The second victim, identified in court documents as 'Minor Girl-M', corroborated this account. Considering the gravity of the offence, the judge said, this is not the case to show leniency to the accused. He then sentenced the woman to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment. Tribunal awards Rs 58.26 lakh to accident victim with amputated leg Meanwhile, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra's Thane has awarded Rs 58.26 lakh to a former accountant, whose leg had to be amputated after an accident four years ago, reported PTI. The tribunal presided over by Member S N Shah, gave the order on May 23, a copy of which was made available on Saturday. Arvind Bhikhala Parmar suffered injuries after a bus crashed into his two-wheeler in neighbouring Mumbai on February 24, 2021. His left leg was subsequently amputated due to the accident. Advocate A R Yadav, who represented Parmar, told the tribunal that his client used to earn Rs 25,000 before the accident, which rendered him 80 per cent disabled. The matter reached the MACT as the bus insurance had been bought through a Thane branch of a national insurer. "Considering the nature of the injury and condition of the petitioner, his occupational disability is considered as 100 per cent," the tribunal said, awarding a compensation of Rs 58.26 lakh to Parmar. (With inputs from PTI)
31 May,2025 02:22 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentFour members of a gang that allegedly assaulted two watchmen of a private firm in Maharashtra's Beed district and robbed property worth Rs 12.87 lakh have been booked under the stringent MCOCA, police have said, reported news agency PTI. Confessions made to the police under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) are admissible in court, and the statute also makes it difficult to secure bail. The assault and robbery had taken place on April 7 at a unit of Avaada Group in Vida village in Kej tehsil, some 390 kilometres from here, a police official said on Friday, reported PTI. "A group of 14 persons had assaulted watchmen Akash Jadhav (26) and Abhijeet Dunghav. The two were tied with bedsheets and then thrashed with sticks on the hands and legs. The accused then stole items worth Rs 12.87 lakh from the site. A probe led to the arrest of Baban Sardar Shinde (40), Dhanaji Kale (23), Mohan Hari Kale (30), and Lalasaheb Pawar (26), all residents of Beed and Dharashiv," he said, reported PTI. Beed police found the gang was involved in at least 11 cases of robbery, theft and serious body offences, the official said. "Accordingly, Superintendent of Beed Navneet Kanwat sent a proposal for imposing MCOCA sections in the case against the accused. The proposal was cleared by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range Inspector General Virendra Mishra on Friday," he said, reported PTI. Six persons are wanted in the case, the official added. Last year, the region was under the spotlight over the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh after he tried to stop an alleged extortion bid at a windmill project. (With inputs from PTI)
31 May,2025 01:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA police official said that a man was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl after breaking into her house through the window, reported news agency PTI. The Vikhroli Parksite police station official identified the accused as Sameer Shaikh (31), reported PTI. "He was held on the basis of technical inputs and CCTV footage. Shaikh has been charged with rape and other offences under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act," the official said. Teen girl receives bullet injury at resort, police suspect accidental firing; male friend detained In another case, a 17-year-old girl sustained a bullet wound at a resort in Kelva in Palghar district on Friday afternoon and a senior police official claimed that the injury was possibly due to an accidental firing while a firearm was being handled.The incident occurred around 1 PM when the girl had checked into the resort with a male friend, reported PTI. "During the handling of the weapon, the girl was injured after a bullet struck her spine," Palghar Additional Superintendent of Police VS Narale told PTI. "She was rushed to a nearby hospital and subsequently transferred to a super speciality hospital, where surgery to remove the lodged bullet is currently underway," the official said. Another official said the girl's male friend has been detained for questioning and the firearm seized from the resort room. He, however, refused to comment on reports circulating that the girl was deliberately shot and injured. (With inputs from PTI)
31 May,2025 01:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMumbai’s Grand Hyatt Hotel received a bomb threat call on Friday. According to a senior Mumbai Police officer, an unidentified caller contacted the hotel’s customer service and claimed a bomb had been planted on the premises. Sources added that the “caller warned there would be an explosion at the hotel within 10 minutes.” The hotel authorities promptly alerted the police, after which the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) conducted a thorough search. No suspicious object was found. The Vakola Police have filed an FIR against the unknown caller and launched a probe. Sources said that the preliminary investigation revealed the call came from a number registered in Germany.
31 May,2025 11:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar SharmaA 28-year-old electrician hired by the state power distribution firm Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) for a repair work died due to electrocution in Arnala area of the district on Friday morning while three others suffered serious injuries, police said, reported the PTI. The deceased was identified as Jayesh Gharat. Power supply had been switched off while the repair work was going on following an outage. As Gharat climbed an electricity pole, the power suddenly returned and he received a shock, said a local police official, according to the PTI. As per the MSEDCL, the 22 KV Wathar line in Nalasopara West Sub-division tripped in the morning. MSEDCL staff along with Gharat who was hired for such work were carrying out repairs when the accident took place, it said in a release. "The MSEDCL has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this fatal accident," it added, the news agency reported. Girl sustains bullet wound at Palghar resort; accidental discharge, says senior cop Meanwhile, in an another incident, a 17-year-old girl reportedly sustained a bullet wound at a resort in Kelva in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Friday, with a senior police official stating that it possibly was an accidental discharge while the firearm was being handled, as per the PTI. The incident took place at around 1 pm on May 30, officials said, adding that the injured person has been identified as Tejal Shivram Bhide, who had checked into the resort with a male friend, the official said. "During the handling of the weapon, the girl was injured after a bullet hit her spine. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and then to a super speciality hospital and a surgery to remove the lodged bullet is underway," Palghar Additional Superintendent of Police VS Narale told PTI. Police sources said that her male friend has been detained and the firearm was seized by the police from the resort room, though senior officials did not confirm these developments. Police also did not clarify on rumours that the girl was shot at and injured and said that the investigations were underway. (with PTI inputs)
30 May,2025 07:45 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentIn a major crackdown on counterfeit currency, the Malwani police in Mumbai arrested two suspects who are natives of Telangana on Thursday night for allegedly possessing fake Indian currency worth Rs 8.7 lakh, an official said on Friday. The fake currency was seized by a team of police officials from Marve area in Malad West, he said. He added that the currency was seized near Sai Baba Mandir in Marve. Acting on a tip-off, PSI Dr Deepak Hinde led a raid and intercepted a Baleno car, recovering 1,740 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination from the duo. The arrested accused have been identified as Sampat Ayangpalli (46) and Raheem Pasha Shaikh (30), both residents of Telangana. According to police sources, the suspects had travelled to Mumbai with the intention of exchanging the counterfeit notes for genuine currency at a 1:3 ratio (three fake notes in exchange for one genuine note) through a potential buyer, an official said. Along with the fake currency, the police also seized a laptop, printer, and a car used in the operation. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS, and further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the racket, the official said.
30 May,2025 06:29 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanADVERTISEMENT
