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Centre releases first image of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana
The Centre has released the first image of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana, who landed in the national capital on Thursday evening, following his extradition from the US. A post on the Centre's Instagram handle @mygovindia read, "26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Rana has been formally arrested by NIA upon arrival in Delhi, following his extradition from the US. Escorted by NSG and NIA officials, Rana now faces trial for his role in one of India’s deadliest terror attacks." View this post on Instagram A post shared by MyGov, Government of India (@mygovindia) Rana will now face legal proceedings in India. According to official sources, his interrogation is expected to shed light on the involvement of Pakistani state actors in the 2008 attacks that claimed 166 lives, reported news agency PTI. Investigators are also hoping to gather key information about his travels across parts of northern and southern India just days before the attacks. Sources said that between November 13 and 21, 2008, Rana visited Hapur and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai with his wife Samraz Rana Akhtar. Officials believe his travel itinerary may point to a larger conspiracy, possibly involving planned attacks at multiple locations across the country. The exact nature and purpose of these visits will be confirmed during interrogation, PTI reported. Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national, was brought to India on a special flight by a multi-agency team comprising law enforcement officials and senior government representatives. His extradition followed a recent decision by the US Supreme Court to reject his plea challenging the move. Rana, who was lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles, is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out coordinated attacks on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre after sneaking into Mumbai through the Arabian sea. Among the 166 people killed were US, British and Israeli nationals. The nearly 60-hour assault sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. (With PTI inputs)
10 April,2025 09:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Bollywood assistant director loses Rs 3.39 lakh in KYC fraud in Mumbai
A man working in Bollywood as an assistant director lost Rs 3.39 lakh after online fraudsters duped him on the pretext of updating the Know Your Customer (KYC) details of his bank, police said on Thursday. According to news agency PTI, the complainant, Chetan Desai, told the police that he received a message last week from an unknown number. The message stated that his bank account had been closed, an officer from Oshiwara Police Station said. Desai immediately called the sender of the message, who told him that the account was closed owing to incomplete KYC details. He also asked Desai to update the information and sent a link for it, PTI reported. Soon after the complainant opened the link and put in the information, including his account number, PAN card number and Aadhaar number, he received multiple messages stating that money has been withdrawn from his bank, the officer said. Desai lost Rs 3.39 lakh, following which he approached the police and lodged a complaint, PTI reported. Efforts are underway to trace the bank to which the money was transferred, the officer informed. Mumbai: Fraudsters luring victims over pending e-challans, say police The LT Marg police have booked a gang for allegedly duping people in a new cyber fraud where victims are lured into downloading malicious files, after which money is siphoned off their bank accounts. Police said the cybercriminals approached the victims on the pretext of pending e-challans via text messages. Two such cases were registered at the LT Marg police station in the span of two months. “The message the victims received looked like it was sent by mParivahan,” said a police officer. mParivahan is a government app developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that provides access to various transport-related services and information. “In this case, the victims received messages stating their e-challans were due and urging them to make urgent payments. The due amount was mentioned, and once the victims attempted to make the payment, they were directed to a link where the transaction was supposed to be completed,” the official added. A victim told mid-day that the link led to the download of an .apk file, which was then installed on their mobile phone. An .apk file, or Android Package Kit, is the file format used to distribute and install applications on Android devices. “The .apk file was downloaded when the victim clicked the link. It appeared as though the mParivahan app was being installed, but no such app actually got downloaded. Instead, it was a malicious application—a software that gives cybercriminals access to the victim’s phone and all the data stored on the device,” explained a cyber cell officer. In most cases, cyber fraudsters use personal and sensitive information from a victim’s device to siphon money from their bank accounts. “Typically, the money is transferred to other bank accounts. But in this case, the fraudsters used the stolen money to book movie or event tickets,” the officer said. Following a month-long investigation, the LT Marg police said they managed to trace the mastermind behind the operation. Two persons have been identified, and their arrests are expected soon, confirmed police officers privy to investigations. (With PTI inputs)
10 April,2025 08:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Man responsible for 26/11 Mumbai attacks will get strict punishment: Shinde
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday hailed Tahawwur Rana's extradition and said that there was no doubt that the person responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks will get a severe punishment, reported the PTI. Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought to India on Thursday evening after being extradited from the US. The 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin landed in Delhi in a special plane in the evening. In a post on X, Eknath Shinde congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rana's extradition from the US. Nearly a month back PM Modi and US President Donald Trump held discussion. Accordingly, the US handed over to India the most wanted criminal of the country, he said. Eknath Shinde also congratulated External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the extradition. देश पर सबसे बड़े 26/11के आतंकवादी हमले का मास्टरमाइंड तहव्वूर राणा को भारत लाया गया. इसके लिए मैं, देश के प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi का मन:पूर्वक अभिनंदन करता हूं. लगभग एक माह पहले प्रधानमंत्री मोदीजी और अमेरिका के राष्ट्राध्यक्ष @realDonaldTrump के बीच चर्चा हुई थी. उसके अनुसार… — Eknath Shinde - एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) April 10, 2025 "There is no doubt that the one who was responsible for the attack on the world's largest democracy will get a severe punishment," he said, as per the PTI. Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the the three-day terror siege of India's financial capital. Among the 166 killed were US, British and Israeli nationals. Besides, 238 were injured in the deadly attacks carried out by a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre after they sneaked into Mumbai through the Arabian Sea. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said that 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Rana's extradition came through after he exhausted all legal avenues. In an official statement, the NIA said that it was successfully secured the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice. Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move, the NIA said. (with PTI inputs)
10 April,2025 08:37 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rana's extradition came through after he exhausted all legal avenues: NIA
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said that 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Rana's extradition came through after he exhausted all legal avenues. Tahawwur Rana was successfully extradited from the US to India on Thursday. In an official statement, the NIA said that it was successfully secured the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice. Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move, the NIA said. According to the NIA statement, the District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on 16th May 2023. Rana then filed multiple litigations in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were rejected. He subsequently filed a petition for a writ of certiorari, two habeas petitions, and an emergency application before the U.S. Supreme Court, which were also denied. The extradition proceedings were initiated between the two countries after India eventually secured a surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist from the US government. With the active assistance of USDoJ, the US Sky Marshal, NIA worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, NSG through the entire extradition process, which also saw India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs coordinating with the other relevant authorities in the United States to take the matter to its successful conclusion, the statement said. It said that Tahawwur Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. A total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured in the deadly attacks. Both LeT and HUJI have been declared as terrorist organisations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the NIA statement said.
10 April,2025 07:37 PM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
BREAKING
Rana's extradition: Plane carrying Mumbai attacks mastermind lands in Delhi
A plane carrying Tahawwur Rana, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks alleged mastermind on Thursday afternoon arrived in Delhi following his extradition from the US, official sources said. Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the Mumbai 2008 attacks, was brought to India on a special flight on Thursday after his last-ditch attempt to evade extradition failed as the US Supreme Court justices rejected his application. Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India was followed thereafter. In a setback to Tahawwur Rana, a US court had earlier ruled that the Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman could be extradited to India where is wanted for his involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in 2008. 64-year old Rana, is a close associate of one of the main conspirators of the attacks, David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen. On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 trained Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage and had carried out coordinated attacks on Mumbai iconic CSMT railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre. They had sneaked into Mumbai using the sea route. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour attack. Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a statement on Thursday said that it has successfully secured the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana. The statement said, "The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday successfully secured the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice." It said, "Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move." The District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on 16th May 2023. Rana then filed multiple litigations in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were rejected. He subsequently filed a petition for a writ of certiorari, two habeas petitions, and an emergency application before the U.S. Supreme Court, which were also denied. The extradition proceedings were initiated between the two countries after India eventually secured a surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist from the US government, the NIA statement said. It further said that with the active assistance of USDoJ, the US Sky Marshal, NIA worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, NSG through the entire extradition process, which also saw India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs coordinating with the other relevant authorities in the United States to take the matter to its successful conclusion.
10 April,2025 06:53 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Thane
Police book contractor after boy drowns in open pit dug for bullet train project
An official on Thursday said that the police have registered an FIR against a contractor after a 12-year-old boy drowned in an open pit dug for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project in Bhiwandi town of Thane district, reported news agency PTI. The tragic incident took place at Kopar village on Monday evening when the boy fell into the unprotected excavation site filled with water, he said. Senior inspector Bharat Kamath of the Narpoli police station, under whose jurisdiction the incident took place, said they have registered the FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 106 (causing death by negligence) against the contractor who has undertaken the work at the site, reported PTI. The 508-km-long under-construction high-speed rail line will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad. As part of the project, a depot is coming up in Bhiwandi, located on Mumbai's outskirts. On Wednesday, Bhiwandi Lok Sabha MP Suresh Mhatre of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) visited the bereaved family to offer his condolences and assured them of his support in seeking justice. "This heart-breaking incident is a direct result of the irresponsibility of the company involved in the project. The excavation site had no safety barricades or warning signs at the time of the incident, which directly led to the child's death. It was only after the tragedy that barricades were hastily installed, revealing both negligence and damage control by the company," he said, reported PTI. After consoling the boy's family, Mhatre visited the accident site accompanied by the victim's relatives. He later contacted the senior inspector of the Narpoli police station over the phone and demanded strict action against those responsible for the boy's death. "We will not rest until justice is served. Companies must not play with innocent lives in the name of development," the MP maintained. Car mows down 73-year-old woman inside BARC residential complex in Palghar A 73-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a car inside the residential complex of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Tarapur in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Wednesday, police said. The victim was identified as Chayalata Vishwanath Arekar. As she was leaving a hospital after accompanying her husband for a medical examination, a car allegedly driven by Dr A K Das, a doctor serving at the same hospital, went out of control and rammed into her at high speed, said a police official. Arekar died on the spot. A First Information Report was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections and Das was detained for questioning, the official said. It will be probed whether it was a mechanical defect in the car or human negligence that caused the accident, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
10 April,2025 02:13 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Commerce PG degree holder held for vehicle thefts in Thane
An official on Thursday said that the police have arrested a former data entry operator at an IT company who allegedly stole several auto-rickshaws in Maharashtra's Thane city to fund his liquor addiction, reported news agency PTI. The accused, a post-graduate in commerce, who had also worked as a driver at Dubai airport, learnt the theft techniques from information available on social media platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp, Naupada police station's senior inspector Abhay Mahajan said, reported PTI. The man would steal an auto-rickshaw, operate it until the fuel ran out, and then abandon it. The fares he collected were used to purchase liquor, to which he got addicted after his wife left him some years back due to which he had been depressed, the official said. The police have seized four stolen auto-rickshaws, a motorcycle and Rs 3.30 lakh cash from the accused, who had also worked as a data entry operator at an Information Technology firm, he said, reported PTI. Following a complaint about a missing auto-rickshaw in Naupada area of the city, the police started a probe and examined footage of 70 to 80 CCTVs near the incident spot and other routes. This led to the identification of the accused, a resident of Mumbra area here, the official said. On Monday, the police got information that the accused was planning to visit Naupada area again with the intention of stealing another auto-rickshaw. The police laid a trap and apprehended the accused, the official said. During interrogation, the accused told the police about his involvement in auto-rickshaw thefts in various localities across the city, including Naupada, Wagle Estate and Rabodi, he said, reported PTI. Based on his questioning, the police have so far detected seven cases of auto-rickshaw theft registered at the Naupada, Rabodi and Wagle Estate police stations, the official said. Three other cases were earlier registered against the accused at the Naupada, Kopri (both in Thane) and Vakola (in Mumbai) police stations for auto-rickshaw thefts, he said. Eight held for extorting Rs 3.5 crore from Palghar resident through 'digital arrest' In another incident, the police have arrested eight persons, including three siblings, from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bihar for allegedly extracting Rs 3.5 crore from a senior citizen after trapping him in a 'digital arrest', an official said on Wednesday, reported PTI. Police have also frozen Rs 22 lakh of the extorted money parked in different bank accounts. A digital arrest is a cybercrime where conmen trick people into believing they are under arrest. The fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials to extort money, reported PTI. The victim, a resident of Palghar district, was targeted between December 18 last year and February 10. (With inputs from PTI)
10 April,2025 12:36 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
DRI busts major mephedrone unit in Latur; seizes drugs worth Rs 17 cr
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, in coordination with its regional units, has successfully dismantled a clandestine Mephedrone manufacturing unit operating in Latur, Maharashtra. The operation led to the seizure of 11.36 kilograms of Mephedrone—valued at approximately Rs 17 crore in the illicit market—along with substantial quantities of raw materials and laboratory equipment. Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding a drug syndicate involved in the illegal production of Mephedrone, a banned substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, DRI officials launched a targeted operation on April 8, 2025. The facility was discovered in a remote, hilly area of Rohina village in Latur district. During the raid, officers recovered 8.44 kg of Mephedrone in dry powder form and 2.92 kg in liquid form. A fully equipped laboratory setup and a large cache of raw materials used in the drug's manufacture were also seized. Five individuals were arrested on-site, including a serving police constable allegedly involved in the operation. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of two additional suspects in Mumbai—a distributor and a financier—bringing the total number of arrests to seven. “The total value of the seized Mephedrone is estimated at Rs 17 crore in the black market. All seven individuals have confessed to their roles in the financing, production, and trafficking of the psychotropic substance,” DRI officials said. The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, and further investigations are underway.
10 April,2025 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Mumbai: Man arrested for trying to extort Rs 5 lakh from doctor in Wadala
The Wadala TT police have arrested a man for blackmailing a doctor and attempting to extort R5 lakh by threatening to leak an obscene video of him. Police said the accused, identified as Raju Venu Naikar, alias Venukam Manikam, 43, had gone to a doctor’s clinic in Wadala with the intention to steal valuables. However, he caught the doctor allegedly masturbating in his chamber and recorded a video. The incident took place on March 3. Police said that after recording the video, he approached the doctor and demanded Rs 60,000 in exchange for not making it public. Fearing public humiliation and reputational damage, the doctor transferred him Rs 1500 through Google Pay. However, the accused’s demands escalated. A month later, on April 7, he returned to the clinic and assaulted the doctor, demanding Rs 5 lakh. Distressed and unable to tolerate the harassment, the doctor approached the Wadala TT police and filed a complaint. Based on the report, police launched an investigation and arrested Manikam. Further investigations revealed that the accused has over two dozen criminal cases registered against him, including charges of attempted murder, theft, extortion, kidnapping, rioting, and robbery. He has also served time in jail. “The accused was probably attempting to enter the clinic with the intention of stealing when he happened to see the doctor masturbating. He instead recorded the act on his mobile phone and began blackmailing the doctor by threatening to make the video viral,” said a police officer. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 308(2) (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 111 (criminal intimidation), 127(2) (extortion), and 352 (assault), along with Section 66(e) of the Information Technology Act for violation of privacy against Manikam, the police said.
10 April,2025 08:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
Mumbai: Fraudsters luring victims over pending e-challans, say police
The LT Marg police have booked a gang for allegedly duping people in a new cyber fraud where victims are lured into downloading malicious files, after which money is siphoned off their bank accounts. Police said the cybercriminals approached the victims on the pretext of pending e-challans via text messages. Two such cases were registered at the LT Marg police station in the span of two months. “The message the victims received looked like it was sent by mParivahan,” said a police officer. mParivahan is a government app developed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that provides access to various transport-related services and information. “In this case, the victims received messages stating their e-challans were due and urging them to make urgent payments. The due amount was mentioned, and once the victims attempted to make the payment, they were directed to a link where the transaction was supposed to be completed,” the official added. A victim told mid-day that the link led to the download of an .apk file, which was then installed on their mobile phone. An .apk file, or Android Package Kit, is the file format used to distribute and install applications on Android devices. “The .apk file was downloaded when the victim clicked the link. It appeared as though the mParivahan app was being installed, but no such app actually got downloaded. Instead, it was a malicious application—a software that gives cybercriminals access to the victim’s phone and all the data stored on the device,” explained a cyber cell officer. In most cases, cyber fraudsters use personal and sensitive information from a victim’s device to siphon money from their bank accounts. “Typically, the money is transferred to other bank accounts. But in this case, the fraudsters used the stolen money to book movie or event tickets,” the officer said. “The money was used to purchase tickets in the form of coupons, which were then resold separately to generate profit. This type of cyber fraud allows the perpetrators to remain untraceable. It’s a new form of cybercrime we have come across,” the officer added. According to the police, the group so far is believed to have duped at least Rs 3.5 lakh from several victims. Following a month-long investigation, the LT Marg police said they managed to trace the mastermind behind the operation. Two persons have been identified, and their arrests are expected soon, confirmed police officers privy to investigations.
10 April,2025 08:23 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
New India Co-operative Bank scam probe unearths NPAs
More than 2000 accounts linked to the New India Cooperative Bank scam have turned into non-performing assets (NPAs), the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has said. EOW conducted a preliminary enquiry into these NPA accounts following a complaint by an account holder. The complainant alleges that nearly R400 crore worth of loans have turned into NPAs. This revelation comes in addition to the Rs 122 crore embezzlement case, in which the EOW has already arrested seven individuals. The fresh probe into the NPA accounts has unearthed shocking claims — that loans were allegedly granted to ineligible individuals by former Vice Chairman Hiren Bhanu and his wife, Gauri Bhanu, who is the acting Chairman. The Bhanu couple, who are wanted in the Rs 122 crore scam, are currently believed to be abroad. EOW sources confirmed that one such account from 2014 has officially turned into an NPA. Their investigation spans accounts from 2010 to 2024. According to the complainant, the Bhanus allegedly approved dubious loans in exchange for hefty commissions. Initially, the EOW’s focus was solely on the Rs 122 crore fraud. However, after receiving the complaint about the NPA accounts, the agency has expanded the scope of its investigation. “We will investigate whether rules were violated in granting these loans, which significantly affected the bank’s financial health. We plan to register an FIR in this case,” said an EOW officer. What are NPAs? An NPA (or non-performing asset) is a loan or advance overdue for more than 90 days. It becomes a non-performing asset as it stops generating income for the bank. RBI adopted the 90-day rule in 2004 to align with global standards. NPAs are further classified based on how long payments have been overdue. Source: groww.in
10 April,2025 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan