A 31-year-old woman was saved by locals after she jumped into a creek in an suicide attempt in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said on Friday. The woman, a resident of the city's Khartan Road area, dived into the water body at Kalwa around 9 am, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Disaster Management Cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra. After being alerted about the incident, firefighters and civic rescuers rushed to the spot. By then, locals had pulled the woman to safety, he said. The reason behind her suicide attempt is still not known. The Kalwa police are talking to her, he added. 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.
13 September,2024 12:19 PM IST | Thane | PTIThe Naigaon police in Vasai on Thursday arrested two people in connection with the murder of a petrol pump owner. Police said 75-year-old businessman Ramchandra Kakrani, the owner of a petrol pump, was found brutally murdered inside his car, parked near Vasai Phatak on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on August 25, adding that it was a case of loot. Police have identified the two arrested accused as Mukesh Khubchandani, the prime suspect, and Anil Thappa, while the search for the third suspect (unidentified) is on. Police said the incident took place after Kakrani left his petrol pump in Virar with Khubchandani. He was carrying Rs 50,000 cash and had been missing from home since then. Accordingly, a murder case was registered and a manhunt was launched to arrest Khubchandani and other accused. After killing Kakrani, the accused took cash and a watch worth Rs 6 lakh and a gold ring worth Rs 15 lakh. Police said they recovered the gold ring and watch from the two arrested accused. Police said that Khubchandani and Thappa fled to Gujarat after the incident and were later traced to Uttar Pradesh and were detained on Wednesday from UP’s Gorakhpur district with the help of local police and brought back to Maharashtra on Thursday. The police during the investigation found that Khubchandani, a history sheeter, met the other two accused in jail. Ramesh Bhame, the senior police inspector at Naigaon police station, said that three teams were formed, including a team from Naigaon police station, the Vasai Crime Branch, and the Central Unit, which began their probe and initially traced the two accused in Gujarat. “We found out that the accused first went to Gujarat. We traced them, which further led us to Gorakhpur in UP, followed from where they were arrested. The search for the third accused is going on,” added Bhame. “The duo were produced before a local court...We are in search of the third person and are further investigating the matter,” Bhame said.
13 September,2024 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelThe Bangur Nagar police arrested a cheat who allegedly created fake profiles under various names on matrimonial sites to con women under the pretext of marriage. He would emotionally manipulate and extort money from his victims. A key victim in the case is a 34-year-old widow, who had lost her husband to COVID-19. On the insistence of her family members, she registered on matrimonial sites for a second marriage. Through the matrimonial website, the woman got a response from a prospective groom who identified himself as Sagar Gupte, 35. Gupte expressed his desire to marry the woman and though they never met in person, they have been regularly communicating with each other. During this period, Gupte had taken money from the woman under various pretexts. The fraud came to light, when the woman was searching for a match for her younger sister on a matrimonial site. She was shocked to find the same man using a different name. The man whom she was considering marrying was trying to deceive other women under various identities. Realizing the scam, she approached the Bangur Nagar police and lodged an FIR in September. According to the victim’s statement to the police, Gupte had introduced himself as a businessman, claiming that he was frequently out of town due to work. Their conversation developed over several months, and the victim trusted him. When the victim’s family planned a trip to Himachal Pradesh, Gupte mentioned he had lived there for years and ran a hotel business. He offered to secure a discounted hotel package for Rs 24,000, which the victim paid. Over a period of time, Gupte fleeced Rs 56,000 from the victim for various reasons. He had told her his mother was unwell, her subsequent death, and met with an accident. All these claims turned out to be concocted when the suspect was arrested by the police. Whenever she asked to meet him, he would delay, citing work commitments. When the victim’s father had fallen ill and required money for hospitalization, she sought help from Gupte, but he distanced himself and stopped answering her calls. The victim grew suspicious, but her doubts solidified when she came across Gupte’s profile under a different name on a matrimonial site. She immediately realized she had been duped and approached the police. Under the guidance of deputy commissioner of police Anand Bhoite and senior police inspector Anil Thakare, assistant police inspector Vivek Tambe and his team began an investigation. Through a technical analysis of mobile call records, they traced and arrested the accused on September 10. “Ghosalkar was produced before the court and remanded to police custody,” said senior police inspector Thakare. It was after his arrest that the police found that Gupte’s real name is Sagar Krishnakumar Ghosalkar, a resident of Neelam Apartment, MG Road, LT Nagar, Goregaon West. He was booked under several sections of the IPC and IT Act and is currently in police custody. During the interrogation, the police found several fake profiles with different names on matrimonial sites in Ghosalkar’s mobile phone. They also identified two more victims and called them to record their statements.
13 September,2024 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanIn a case of cyber fraud, a 69 year’s old retired banker fell prey to a scam after receiving a call from an unknown individual claiming to be from Bank of Baroda. The caller, whose WhatsApp display picture featured the bank’s logo, contacted the victim to address an ATM withdrawal issue. The banker, Shivkumar Iyer, told mid-day that he had recently filed a complaint regarding a failed ATM transaction from another bank, where the withdrawal didn’t dispense cash, but he received a transaction alert. Following the complaint, he got a call from an unknown person saying he was from the bank informing him that the amount would be credited back to his account. The victim said that he trusted the caller as he seemed to have specific details of the complaint, and shared sensitive information when asked. Unfortunately, this led to the banker losing Rs 1.24 lakh. Despite the severity of the fraud, the police have yet to register an FIR. According to Iyer, the incident happened on August 31 when he went to withdraw an amount of Rs 10,000 from Kotak Bank. “I tried to make a transaction but the money didn’t come out from the machine; however, I got a withdrawal alert. I immediately informed the bank and was told that within 24 hours the amount would be credited back to my account,” Iyer said. He added, “While I was waiting for the refund, I got a call from an unknown person. He claimed to be from the Bank of Baroda and said that the Rs 20 thousand amount that I couldn’t withdraw would be credited soon. He assured me he was from the bank and asked me to check his WhatsApp display picture as proof.” Iyer also said that the caller asked him to share some details of the card, and without getting any OTP an amount of Rs 1.24 lakh was withdrawn from my account. “By the time I sensed something fishy, the unknown person disconnected the call and switched off his number, I reached the bank again and I asked how come somebody had my complaint details. The bank asked me to file a complaint on their helpline number 1930 and I also approached the police who are yet to register a case.” Iyer said.
13 September,2024 06:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanThe police on Thursday said that a man was injured after four persons allegedly thrashed him for feeding pigeons in Thane city of Maharashtra, reported news agency PTI. The incident took place at a ground in Shivaji Nagar in the Manpada area on Wednesday afternoon. The man was scattering pigeon feed when the four accused confronted him and questioned his action, an official from Kapurbawdi police station said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. The argument turned into a fight and the accused struck the man's head with a wooden stick and also beat him up, leaving him injured, he said while sharing an update on the Thane crime. The man filed a police complaint, based on which a case was registered against the accused under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or other means) and 3(5) (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, he said, reported PTI. Thane: Altercation after pet dog of family enters neighbour's house A pet dog escaped from a caretaker's premises and entered the house of a neighbour in Maharashtra's Thane district, leading to an altercation between the two families, police said on Thursday, reported PTI. The incident took place on Tuesday in Ambernath area following which both the sides filed police complaints against each other. The canine, which had been entrusted to a family by their relatives for care, escaped and entered the house of their neighbour, reported PTI. The neighbour confronted the dog's caretakers, questioning their ability to manage the pet, assistant police inspector Srirang Gosavi said, reported PTI. The matter escalated into a heated argument, leading to an altercation during which the dog's caretaker damaged doors of the neighbour's house, he said, reported PTI. Both the sides later filed cross-complaints. The police on Tuesday registered FIRs against members of the two families under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 324(4) (mischief), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
12 September,2024 02:23 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Wednesday said a 30-year-old "gau rakshak" (cow vigilante) from Kalyan in Thane district was kidnapped and brutally assaulted by two men, reported news agency PTI. According to a complaint cited by the police, the victim was forcibly removed from his car by the two individuals, placed into an auto-rickshaw, and taken to a location on the Govind Wadi bypass road where he was severely beaten up at around 9.30 am on Tuesday, reported PTI. The attackers also verbally abused the victim, accusing him of tipping off the police about a pickup truck transporting beef, which had led to the vehicle's seizure, the police officials said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. After the assault, the victim, described as a "gau rakshak" (cow vigilante) in the FIR, was transferred to another vehicle and dropped near a flower market in the Patripool area, the police said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. Police identified the accused as one Aslam Mulla and his brother Sam, and said efforts were on to apprehend them, reported PTI. They have registered an FIR against the duo under sections 137(2) (kidnapping), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Man thrashed for feeding pigeons in Thane; 4 booked A man was injured after four persons allegedly thrashed him for feeding pigeons in Thane city of Maharashtra, police said on Thursday. The incident took place at a ground in Shivaji Nagar in the Manpada area on Wednesday afternoon. The man was scattering pigeon feed when the four accused confronted him and questioned his action, an official from Kapurbawdi police station said. The argument turned into a fight and the accused struck on the man's head with a wooden stick and also beat him up, leaving him injured, he said. The man filed a police complaint, based on which a case was registered against the accused under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or other means) and 3(5) (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, he said. (With inputs from PTI)
12 September,2024 11:39 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentPolice have arrested a 34-year-old Nigerian national for alleged drug trafficking after seizing mephedrone valued at Rs 1.65 lakh from his possession in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Thursday, reported new agency PTI. Acting on a tip-off from an informer, the police set up a trap near a hospital in Mumbra area and apprehended the accused when he arrived there on a motorcycle on September 8, senior police inspector Anil Shinde said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. The police seized 55 gm of mephedrone from his possession, he said, adding the accused was booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The accused, identified as Ifuni Genika Mike, was a resident of Kharghar area of neighbouring Navi Mumbai township, reported PTI. He has a history of drug-related offenses, with multiple cases filed against him under the NDPS Act in Mumbai, the official said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. The police were trying to find out from where the accused sourced the drugs and to whom he planned to sell them. So far this year, the Mumbra police's NDPS unit has taken action against 425 individuals involved in drug consumption and made 21 arrests, seizing narcotics of Rs 1.39 crore, the official said. Mumbai Customs, DRI destroy seized drugs worth around Rs 177 crore Officials of the Mumbai Customs and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) destroyed 24.73 kg of seized drugs worth approximately Rs 177 crore in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, an official said, reported PTI. A high-level drug destruction committee of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC), comprising senior officials from the Mumbai Customs Zone-I and DRI, destroyed heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and other narcotic substances by incineration at Taloja, the official said, reported PTI. As per an official release, this is the first such drug destruction carried out in this fiscal, reported PTI. In the last financial year, Mumbai Customs Zone-I destroyed 215.27 kg of drugs valued at Rs 1,525 crore, seized by the postal appraisal section (PAS), special investigation and intelligence branch (SIIB) of Customs and DRI. (With inputs from PTI)
12 September,2024 10:55 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThane Police retrieved a passenger's stolen jewellery worth Rs 7.37 lakhs from a local train and arrested two people; detectives held as many juveniles in connection with the case, according to an official. According to the news agency report, the crime occurred on August 31 while the 54-year-old passenger was travelling from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Kalyan and the local train he was aboard was passing through Thane, Crime Branch Government Railway Police SPI Arshuddin Sheikh said on Wednesday. According to the PTI report, the passenger had kept his black bag on the overhead rack which he noted went missing. He told the police that the bag contained nearly 7 kg of silver and 19.96 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs 7.37 lakh. The passenger noticed a group of persons hurriedly exiting the train at Thakurli station, just before Kalyan, and reported it to Dombivli railway police. A case was filed under Section 305(C) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses the theft of goods or articles from any form of transportation, stated the PTI report. A combined investigation was begun by the Special Task Force and Kalyan Crime Branch, which analysed CCTV material from stations along the rail route and used technological and informant assistance to track down the suspects. Reportedly, on September 5, the police arrested Altmas Razzak Khan (25) and Shubham Sandeep Thasale (20), along with two minors from Thane. The stolen jewellery was recovered following interrogation. Police stated the juveniles were later handed over to their parents. Nigerian national held with Rs 1.65 lakh drugs in Thane Meanwhile, in another unrelated incident from Thane, a 34-year-old Nigerian national was arrested for alleged drug trafficking. The Police seized mephedrone or MD valued at Rs 1.65 lakhs from his possession. According to another PTI report, the police laid a trap near a hospital in Mumbra after receiving tip-off from their informer and arrested the accused when he arrived there on a bike on September 8. The police seized 55 grams of mephedrone from his hands, he added, and the accused was charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. With PTI inputs
12 September,2024 09:54 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Naya Nagar police are looking for a father-son duo accused of cheating three families of Rs 36 lakh under the guise of facilitating their Hajj pilgrimage. This isn’t their first offence — in 2019 they had allegedly cheated 10 members of a family of Rs 24 lakh with the false promise of facilitating Hajj pilgrimage for them. They were subsequently jailed for the fraud. The accused persons have been identified as Ashfaque Ahmed Qureshi and Hannan Qureshi. They run the Hajj and Umrah tour and travel office Al-Ansar at Crystal Plaza, opposite Mira Road Railway Station, Thane. The Case One of the victims, Sharafat Ehsanmulla Hussain,63, a resident of Orchid Jahangir Enclave in Mira Road, was planning to perform Hajj with his wife this year. He had applied for the Hajj through the government quota and was awaiting the lottery results when he met Ashfaque Qureshi through a common friend outside a mosque near his residence. His friend vouched for Qureshi’s services, convincing Hussain to trust him. Subsequently, he transferred Rs 10 lakh to two people, including his wife. The accused even handed over Hajj kit (bags) and promised tickets for the final flight in June this year. However, the day before departure, Hussain was shocked when Qureshi stopped answering his calls. “If I had known about this fraudulent activity, I would have gone through the government quota for Hajj,” Hussain told mid-day. “We kept asking the accused to return our money, but he kept delaying. We had no choice but to seek police help. That’s when we found out he had duped many people in 2019 as well.” Ashfaque Ahmed Qureshi, the accused The other victims Mohammed Sikandar Khan, a retired Indian Railways employee, had planned his Hajj trip this year with his wife through Qureshi’s company. After paying Rs 10 lakh to Qureshi, Khan also applied through the government’s Hajj department. He got selected through government quota for which he paid Rs 4.52 lakh to the Hajj committee. He conveyed this development to Qureshi and sought for a refund. Qureshi assured him of a refund, but never returned the money. Khan missed his chance to go on Hajj due to the failure to get his refund. Another victim, Shirazullah Mallick, a 49-year-old software engineer, wanted to take his elderly mother and wife on the pilgrimage this year. He had initially intended to go with a Nalasopara-based tour company but switched to the Qureshi’s company after being offered a Rs 1.5 lakh discount. He transferred Rs 17.50 lakh to Qureshi. The software engineer realised he was cheated when the tour didn’t materialise. “When we went to the Qureshi’s house to ask him to return our money, he went to the police station and filed a case against us for making noise at his house,” said the victim. “He doesn’t pick up our calls or return our money. Later, we found out that he had taken money from many others, too.” It has become clear that this father-son duo has been running the same scam since 2019. The victims have demanded stringent legal action against them. The police are now actively investigating the case and collecting evidence. In the 2019 cheating case, Qureshi and his two sons had been granted bail by the High Court on the condition that they return the money to the victims. However, as Qureshi failed to fulfill this commitment the High Court revoked his bail about 15 days ago. Qureshi and his sons have been absconding since then. In the meantime, another case was registered against Qureshi yesterday. We are actively searching for the accused, said Vilas Supe, senior police inspector of Naya Nagar police station. Exercise caution “Recently, there has been a rise in scams where men operating fake travel agencies are deceiving people under the guise of arranging Hajj and Umrah tours. Stay vigilant to avoid falling victim to such frauds,” said Mohammed Arif Siddique, social activist from Mira Road.
12 September,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe mastermind behind the interstate dating app racket has been identified as Delhi resident Ankur Meena (35), who also goes by the monikers Happy and Meena Defaulter. His key associate, Pratham, operates under the aliases Chandu and Praveen. The cops, who raided a Goregaon hotel last week in connection with the scam, arresting six suspects, including two women, are in hot pursuit of the brains behind the operation. The arrested accused provided the police with the names of more individuals involved in the scam, but the authorities have not disclosed them. According to the police, Meena, a Delhi resident who hails from Ghaziabad, had been overseeing the network, which included clubs in Pune and Mumbai, for the past two years. Meena secured partnerships by assuring club owners of rapid business growth and high profits. Once a deal was made, Pratham and his associates managed the day-to-day operations, including bill collection. Suspects arrested in connection with the dating app scam being brought out of the Hotel Royal Inn on September 4. Pic/Anurag Ahire Meena had allegedly roped in Mumbai residents, including so-called social workers and goons, who were tasked with preventing activists from affecting operations. Strong-arm tactics Pratham was identified as the individual who threatened a victim who had filed an FIR at Bangur Nagar police station. When the man couldn’t make a payment, Pratham escorted him from Godfather Club & Lounge and forced him to withdraw money from an ATM using the cardless method. He presented himself to the victim as Praveen, though he is known as Chandu within the gang. Pratham aka Chandu aka Praveen Meena allegedly enticed men and women working in clubs with promises of large commissions, often flying them from Delhi to Mumbai as needed. He also managed their accounts and financial transactions. Meena would visit the clubs in the evenings to review accounts and collect earnings. The accused revealed that Meena initially promised his accomplices a 30-35 per cent commission but would hand out lower amounts after the job was done. For example, if a woman helped rack up a Rs 41,000 bill and taxes and GST inflated the amount to Rs 51,000, the commission was calculated based on the initial figure. Meena would then pay the woman and her associates just 20 per cent of this. SIM card fraud The investigation also uncovered that bills were generated using a mobile application that could not be traced, with fake GST numbers, allowing the scamsters to defraud both the government and unsuspecting customers. The men and women involved in the racket used SIM cards sourced from different states for Rs 1,000 per card to lure victims and maintain communication. Around 300 SIM cards were used each month, which were subsequently blocked. Payments from victims were processed through accounts ‘rented’ by the gang, similar to cyber fraud schemes used to transfer illegal funds. ‘Kingpin wants revenge’ Filmmaker and men’s rights activist Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj, said, “We worked hard to expose the gang’s activities, sharing news and their fraudulent tactics on social media to raise public awareness. While the Mumbai police have arrested several gang members and revealed their operations, the kingpin, Meena, has gone underground and as I was involved in exposing this gang, he and his gang members are planning to execute a criminal act against me to teach me a lesson.” She added that she possessed WhatsApp chats proving the gang planned to carry out an act that would be to detrimental her life and well-being. “I have lodged an online complaint with the police. I urge the cops to arrest the kingpin and his gang as soon as possible,” she added. 300No. of SIM cards used by the racketeers each month Sep 4 Day 6 suspects were nabbed during a raid in Goregaon
12 September,2024 06:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe Raigad Police in Maharashtra on Wednesday said that it has nabbed a man seen assaulting a car driver on a busy street in a viral video. According to the police, a video showing one person attacking another who is seated inside a vehicle has been going viral on social media platforms. The incident took place on September 7 in Neral of Raigad district in Maharashtra. "Preliminary reports indicate that the two individuals involved knew each other. The altercation reportedly began over a dispute related to a broken glass on the vehicle," a senior police official said. The police said that the cops responded quickly to the incident. They have registered a case and arrested the accused who has been identified as Shivaji Govind Sonwale, a 35-year-old resident of Pimpoli in Karjat. "The Superintendent of Police of Raigad is overseeing the investigation into this matter," the official said. Watch video below Maharashtra: Cops nab man seen assaulting car driver on busy street in viral video#Crime #MaharashtraCrime #Raigad #RaigadNews Video: @faisaltandel1 Read more: https://t.co/723YuhSQOp pic.twitter.com/gn6k6uGNa8 — Mid Day (@mid_day) September 11, 2024
11 September,2024 09:44 PM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelADVERTISEMENT
