On the intervening night of Thursday-Friday, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers of the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai, seized 1.892 kg of gold dust in wax, having an estimated value of Rs 1.36 crore. The customs officers intercepted a transit passenger at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai, who was leaving the staff washroom in the departure hall with a private airport staff member carrying a backpack. Upon conducting a search of the staff member and his backpack, the officers recovered a package containing 24-KT gold dust in wax having a gross weight of 1.892 kg and a net weight of 1.800 kg, provisionally valued at Rs 1.36 crore which was concealed in an innerwear and kept inside the bag. In his confessional statement, the private airport staff admitted that the gold was handed over to him by the transit passenger, who had been under surveillance by AIU officers. The airport private staff and the transit passenger were arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.
08 November,2024 10:28 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanThe Mumbai Police Friday said that it raided two fake call centers in the city for allegedly impersonating Google services and the other running Forex trading scam. The police said that it as many as 19 people were held in the matter. According to the police, the Mumbai Crime Branch's units 10 and 11 have busted two illegal call centers. The operation was part of a well-coordinated effort following inputs regarding the alleged fraudsters targeting foreign nationals and Indian citizens alike. The police said that the investigations revealed that certain individuals were running illegal call centers, impersonating Google services, and deceiving foreign nationals and Indian citizens were allegedly being lured into illegal Forex trading schemes and scammed for money under the false pretext of high returns. Unit 10 Raid The police said that a team from Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit 10 raided a bogus call center located in Andheri East. The suspects were found to be posing as Google representatives, telling foreign nationals that their Google business profiles were about to be shut down unless they paid for upgrades and green verified checks. Victims were asked to make payments via credit cards, but no such services were ever provided, an official said. Unit 11 Raid An another team from Unit 11 uncovered a similar scam in Kandivali West. The individuals were allegedly found contacting Indian citizens and enticing them with promises of high returns from Forex trading and they convinced people to invest through fake payment gateways without engaging in any actual trading activities. "In total, the police seized 12 mobile phones, 22 hard disks, 1 monitor, 2 CPUs, 1 router, 1 laptop, 1 keyboard, 12 headsets, and several important documents during the raids," said a police official. The arrested individuals include 2 business owners, 5 team leaders, 1 call center sales manager, 11 operators, and 19 total accused, he said. The police said that the successful operation was carried out under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, Special Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, Additional Commissioner (Crime) Shashi Kumar Meena, DCP (Detection-1) Vishal Thakur, and Assistant Commissioners of Police, Prashant Raje and Rajendra Shiratode. The Crime Branch officials who conducted the raids included PI Dipak Sawant, PI Manoj Sutar, Ganesh Todkar, Rohit Narvekar, Afroz Sheikh, and others from Unit 10, as well as PI Mahesh Nivatkar, PI Kakade, and other officers from Unit 11, the police said.
08 November,2024 10:08 PM IST | Mumbai | Asif RizviFour people, including a 12-year-old boy, died in multiple accidents that took place in Mumbai this week. The boy, identified as Amit Chauhan, had accompanied his family to an artificial pond in Ketki Pada in Dahisar (East) for Chhath Puja on Friday morning. Realising that they had forgotten to carry milk with them for the rituals, the family asked Amit to buy a packet from a nearby shop. When he was on his way to the shop, Amit was struck by a dumper near Crescent Tower, police sources said. The child sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Shatabdi Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The dumper driver fled the scene but was later apprehended by the Dahisar Police. “We have arrested the dumper driver,” said Senior Inspector Ashok Honmane of Dahisar Police Station. In another incident on Thursday, a 25-year-old man from Bihar lost his life at Andheri. The victim, Rohit Gautam, was sitting by the roadside near Azad Nagar Metro Station, when he was accidentally run over by a reversing dumper. Oshiwara Police officers rushed him to the hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival. The driver was detained and later arrested. On Wednesday, 22-year-old college student Sriram Mane died in Kandivali when a speeding milk tanker collided with his motorcycle, throwing him under the vehicle’s wheels. Samata Nagar Police arrived at the spot immediately and rushed Mane to the hospital, where he was declared dead. The tanker driver fled the scene, and the police have launched a search operation to locate him. A day before that, a youth crossing the street at 90 Feet Road in Andheri's (East) Sakinaka area died after being struck by a speeding tempo. The victim, Abuzar, sustained critical injuries in the accident and was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital. He was later transferred to Sion Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The Sakinaka Police have registered a case and arrested the tempo driver.
08 November,2024 10:03 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanMumbai Police's Crime Branch has seized 2,816 kilograms of ganja crop worth Rs 5.63 crore from a field in Dhule district Maharashtra, an official said on Friday, reported the PTI. The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch raided the farm, the official said. Efforts are on to arrest the owner of of the plot on which ganja was being cultivated, he added. "On August 15, a man was held in Sakinaka by the ANC's Bandra unit with 47 kilograms of ganja. His interrogation revealed he had bought the contraband from one Kiran Koli, a resident of Shirpur in Dhule. We found that Koli was cultivating ganja on his 2.25 acre farm plot," he said, according to the PTI. "A raid on the farm plot led to the seizure of ganja worth Rs 5.63 crore. We confiscated ganja crop weighing 2,774 kilograms and 42.5 kg dry ganja. Further probe into the peddling network is underway, the official added. Liquor, drugs, freebies worth Rs 13.26 crore seized in Thane district since mode code kicked in Meanwhile, between October 15, when the model code of conduct for Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 came into force, and November 5, authorities in Thane district have seized liquor, drugs and freebies worth Rs 13.26 crore, officials said, as per the PTI. According to the PTI, a total of 209 FIRs have been registered in connection with the seizures, Thane Collector Ashok Shingare said during a review meeting with Special Observer (Expenses) B R Balakrishnan on Wednesday, according to an official statement. Shingare shared a presentation on key numbers associated with the upcoming polls in the Thane district, which has 72,29,339 voters spread across 18 assembly segments. Of them, 22,82,882 are women and 1,415 are from the third gender category. The district has 1,72,981 voters in the age group of 18-19 years, 38,149 persons with disabilities eligible to cast their ballots and 56,976 voters above the age of 85. A total of 30,868 staff will man the election process in the district, Shingare said. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23. (with PTI inputs)
08 November,2024 09:45 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentBollywood actor Salman Khan has once again received a threatening message, suspected to be from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A threatening message targeting Bollywood actor Salman Khan was sent to the Mumbai Traffic Control Room on Thursday. The message warned that a song mentioning "Salman Khan and Lawrence Bishnoi" would not be forgiven. It stated that the songwriter would be killed within a month and left in a condition so severe he would never write under his name again. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang allegedly added, “If Salman has the courage, let him try to protect him.” This warning was part of the threatening message. The Mumbai Police are currently investigating the matter. On a complaint by traffic officials, the Worli police have registered a case and launched a probe. Police sources said that the Worli police tracked the location of the mobile number used to send the threatening message via traffic police. According to sources, the individual who sent the message is from Karnataka. An officer stated that the phone number is registered under the name of a person named Venkatesh. A police team has been dispatched to Karnataka. The threat message that was sent to the police Notably, the previous threat message sender and the individual who demanded a ransom of 5 crore, Bikharm Bishnoi, was also from Karnataka. In the past few weeks, the traffic police helpline has received many threat messages for Salman Khan. Salman Khan had earlier received death threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. While Bishnoi himself is lodged in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati jail in cases including attempted murder and extortion, suspected members of his gang opened fire outside the actor's Bandra home in April. Lawrence Bishnoi's brother, Anmol has been made an accused in the case. Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Salman Khan had received a fresh threat, as reported by a police official on November 5. The threat, which was sent to the Mumbai traffic police helpline, has left authorities concerned for the actor's safety. According to the police, the message was read around midnight by an officer who was monitoring the helpline.
08 November,2024 09:34 PM IST | Mumbai | Faizan KhanIn a shocking incident on a moving Mumbai local train, a commuter, standing near the door, was kicked by another man during an argument, causing him to fall onto the tracks between Borivali and Kandivali stations, the officials said. Fortunately, the passenger survived with minor injuries. The Borivali Railway Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the incident, an official said. According to police sources, 22-year-old Shamshad Hashmi had visited his sister in Nalasopara along with his cousins, Adil Hashmi and Captain Hashmi. On their return journey, they boarded the 9:30 pm Churchgate-bound fast train from Nalasopara railway station, intending to reach Prabhadevi. At Borivali station, three passengers boarded the train: Asif Ali Arab (42), Sameer Khojjada (32), and Shakeel Sheikh (27). An argument broke out between them and Adil, which escalated into a physical fight, with Adil being badly beaten. During the altercation, Sameer Khojjada kicked Adil, who was standing near the door, causing him to fall from the moving train. Fellow passengers alerted the control room and informed the RPF and GRP officers. When the train arrived at Andheri station, police personnel detained the three accused and took them into custody for further action. The suspects were then brought to the Borivali GRP station. Police have confirmed that Adil’s condition is stable, and he was taken to KEM Hospital for treatment, the police said. The complainant, Shamshad Hashmi, a Pune resident and has been working as a laborer there for the past 15 years. He had taken a two-day leave to visit Mumbai, where he planned to meet his cousins, Adil and Captain Hashmi, as well as his sister in Nalasopara. His cousins reside in Prabhadevi. "On the complaint of Shamshad Hashmi, we have registered a case under various sections of the IPC including 110, 115(2), 3(5), and 352, and have arrested the trio. All three arrested accused are residents of Wadala Antop Hill. They were produced before the court today," said Senior Inspector Datta Khupekar from Borivali GRP.
08 November,2024 08:52 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA toddler died after falling into a pit dug up on a plot in Kalyan town of Thane district in Maharashtra, the police said on Friday, reported the PTI. Based on a complaint filed by the child's father, police have registered a criminal offence against two persons who own the plot located in the Kalyan Phata area, an official of the Shil Daighar police station said. The toddler, who was just one month away from his third birthday, fell into the pit on November 4 and suffered injuries. He died the following day in hospital during treatment, he said, according to the PTI. The child's father, who resides in a building near the accident site, had earlier told the plot's owners, Ravi Rasal and Abhimanyu Bhoir, to fill up the pit, but they did not act on his advice, said the official. Police have registered the FIR against the duo under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 106 (1) (causing death by negligence) read with 3(5) (a criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention of all), he added, the news agency reported. Five-year-old boy dies after getting trapped inside car Meanwhile, in an another incident, A five-year-old boy tragically died after becoming trapped in a car he was playing in on Thursday. “The little boy was trapped in the car for two hours,” said Roshan Singh, a relative of the deceased. “He was initially playing with his father and then told his father he wanted to use the restroom. The father fell asleep inside his shop, and when he woke up, he realised his son was missing. He searched nearby cars and found Kabir unconscious inside a Honda City,” said the relative. Kabir was taken to Veer Savarkar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The police identified the boy as Kabir Kanojiya, a resident of Ramabai Nagar in the MHADA colony, Mulund East. According to the police, there is a garage near the shop where Kabir used to play in one of the cars. “Around 3 pm, the boy must have entered the Honda car, got trapped inside, and couldn’t open the door from within,” the police added. (with PTI inputs)
08 November,2024 05:31 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe man arrested for allegedly sending a threatening message and demanding a ransom of Rs 5 crore from Bollywood actor Salman Khan, while claiming to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has stated that he has no regrets about going to jail for the Bishnoi community. According to Mumbai police, Bhika Ram Bishnoi, who was apprehended in Karnataka in connection with the case, said that he had no regrets and that he was prepared to face jail time for the benefit of the Bishnoi community. During his interrogation by Worli police, the accused mentioned that Lawrence Bishnoi was his idol. He further revealed that the Rs 5 crore he demanded from Salman Khan was intended to fund the construction of a temple for the Bishnoi community. As per ANI, the investigation by the Worli police has uncovered that Bhika Ram Bishnoi regularly watched videos of Lawrence Bishnoi and admired what the gangster was doing for the community while incarcerated. The accused also spoke about Salman Khan's alleged past actions, stating that the actor had never apologised for his involvement in the hit-and-run case or the illegal hunting of blackbuck. According to ANI, Bhika Ram Bishnoi expressed that he believed Lawrence Bishnoi’s actions were justified and that he was willing to face jail time for the cause. The 32-year-old man, hailing from Rajasthan, was arrested in Karnataka and subsequently handed over to Maharashtra Police on Wednesday, officials confirmed. Earlier this week, on Monday, the Mumbai Police Traffic Control room received a threatening message via WhatsApp, allegedly sent in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The message stated that Salman Khan had to either visit their temple and apologise or pay a ransom of Rs 5 crore if he wished to stay alive. The sender further warned that if the demands were not met, Salman Khan’s life would be at risk, and the gang would remain active. This was the second death threat Salman Khan had received in a week. In the previous threat, a ransom of Rs 2 crore had been demanded. Police further stated that the sender had threatened severe consequences for Salman Khan if the money was not paid. As per ANI, the Traffic Police alerted Worli Police, who then registered a case and began tracking the sender. Following this, a case was officially registered against the unknown individual at the Worli Police Station in Mumbai. Earlier, on October 24, Mumbai Police had arrested a man from Jamshedpur who had also threatened Salman Khan in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore. According to Mumbai Police, they had launched an investigation after the Traffic Police received a threatening message. On October 21, the same sender who had threatened Salman Khan on October 18 sent an apology, claiming the message had been "sent by mistake." This series of events follows the recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, which occurred on October 12 near his son’s office in Mumbai, highlighting the ongoing tension and criminal activities in the region. According to ANI, the police continue to investigate the matter. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 01:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAn official on Thursday said that the police have seized gutka valued at over Rs 32 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district and arrested one of the four persons transporting the banned substance, reported news agency PTI. Acting on inputs, police intercepted two tempos near the Soma Nagar locality of Bhiwandi on Thursday morning. The vehicles were loaded with cartons of gutka, the official said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported news agency PTI. Gutka, which contains tobacco and other harmful products and can cause cancer, is banned in Maharashtra. While police were carrying out an inspection, three persons, including the driver of one of the tempos, escaped from the spot. Police arrested the driver of the other tampo and identified him as Ankit Rajendra Pal (26), the official said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. The seized gutka is worth over Rs 32 lakh, said Assistant Inspector S B Mahale of Bhoiwada police station, adding that a probe is underway to ascertain the source of the consignment and its intended destination. Thane crime: Two held with banned gutka, tobacco products of Rs 9 lakh In September, the police arrested two persons after seizing banned gutka and tobacco products valued at Rs 9.04 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI. Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Kalyan Crime Branch unit conducted a raid at a shop in the Shil-Phata area. The team seized the contraband stock, which included various brands of gutka and tobacco products intended for sale and distribution, a police spokesperson said while sharing an update on the Thane crime, reported PTI. Two persons, both aged 29 and residents of Mumbra and Shil-Phata area, were arrested after the raid, reported PTI. They were booked under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc, with intent to commit an offence), 275 (sale of noxious food or drink) and 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), and relevant FDA regulations, the police said while sharing an update on the Thane crime. Authorities were investigating where the accused procured the banned goods. (With inputs from PTI)
08 November,2024 01:08 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old woman in Rajasthan's Jodhpur whose body was buried in a pit by the accused, police said on Thursday. Gulamuddin Farooqui, who was absconding for the last nine days, was apprehended by officials of the V P Road Police Station along with a team of Rajasthan Police officials, an officer said. The arrest was made after receiving information that the accused was hiding in South Mumbai, he said, adding the accused was handed over to the Jodhpur Police for further probe. Anita Chaudhary, a beautician, was allegedly killed by Gulamuddin in the last week of October to steal the gold ornaments she was wearing. Her body was chopped and buried in a 10-foot pit near his residence, the official said. The incident came to light on October 28, when a case was registered at the police station. During the probe, it came to light that Anita had visited Gulamuddin's house on the day she went missing. During the interrogation of Gulamuddin's wife she admitted that her husband had committed the murder, the police official said. While Gulamuddin was absconding, his wife was arrested, he said. After killing Anita, Gulamuddin came to Mumbai by train to evade arrest, the police official 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
08 November,2024 11:41 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIThe Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a shooter identified as Gaurav Vilas Apune in connection with the Baba Siddique murder case, ANI reported. According to ANI, the Mumbai Crime Branch investigation revealed that Gaurav Vilas, a shooter in the Lawrence Bishnoi gang's backup plan B for Baba Siddique's murder, travelled to Jharkhand to practice his firing. In further interrogation, Apune revealed that Plan B was set up as a backup in case Plan A failed. Additionally, one of the accused in the case, Rupesh Mohol who was arrested earlier had also travelled to Jharkhand with Apune to practice firing, ANI reported. Further interrogation revealed that the mastermind of the Baba Siddique murder, Shubham Lonkar had sent both the accused Mohol and Apune for their firing practice to Jharkhand on July 28 along with the required weapons. Both practised firing for a whole day in Jharkhand and then returned to Pune on July 29 following which they got back in touch with Shubham Lonkar, as per the Mumbai Crime Branch, ANI cited. Officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch are also attempting to locate the precise spot in Jharkhand where the exercise was conducted. Further investigation is underway, ANI reported. Two more people held from Pune, 18 arrested so far This week, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two more suspects in the Baba Siddiqui murder case, raising the total number of arrests to 18. The two suspects, both residents of Pune, were arrested in Pune and were reportedly in contact with accused Praveen Lonkar, who allegedly supplied them with around 50 bullets. The suspects were brought to Mumbai on Thursday and were scheduled to be presented in court on November 7. The Mumbai Crime Branch said that two suspects arrested in the matter were identified as Aditya Raju Gulankar, 22 and Rafik Niyaz Shaikh, 22, both are residents of Karve Nagar in Pune. A senior official said that the investigation revealed that both accused were in contact with previously arrested individuals Pravin Lonkar and Rupesh Mohol. He said that Pravin Lonkar and Rupesh Mohol handed over a 9mm pistol and rounds to them, intended to be used in the crime. During the earlier investigation, the 9mm pistol was recovered. Efforts are ongoing to trace and seize the remaining ammunition. The accused in the Baba Siddique murder case have been presented in court. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 11:08 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
