A Navi Mumbai businessman, allegedly abducted in a pre-planned conspiracy for murder stemming from a financial dispute, was rescued within 24 hours of his kidnapping, police said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. In an official release, the Navi Mumbai police said three individuals were arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday in connection with the crime. The trio was identified by the police as Rusikesh Indrabushan Ingole (25), also a businessman, Mangesh Kisan Astarkar (23), a mason, and Sagar Narendra Manvar (25), all residents of Washim district in eastern Maharashtra, reported PTI. The victim, Pankesh Sanjay Patil (27), was into export-import of vegetables and operated from Akshar Business Park in Navi Mumbai. He was kidnapped over a financial dispute on the night of May 18 within limits of APMC police station, but rescued within 24 hours from Washim district, the release said. "At around 20.45 pm, Patil was returning home on a motorbike along with his business partner when a car with armed men came in front of them in a lane in the Turbhe area," it said, reported PTI. "The car occupants pulled the motorcycle by the side of the road and waylaid them and started beating Patil with sharp and blunt objects, leaving him injured. Later, the accused dumped Patil in the car and fled the scene," the release said, reported PTI. Based on a complaint by the victim's business partner, the APMC police registered an FIR on May 19 under BNS sections 140(1) (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or for ransom), 142,(wrongfully concealing or keeping in confinement, kidnapped or abducted person.), 126(2),(wrongful restraint) and 135 (assault or criminal force in attempt to wrongfully confine a person), among others, reported PTI. Ten teams, including three of the crime branch, were formed to crack the case, police said. "Probe team members inspected the place of crime, and checked CCTV footage of the area and also toll nakas in Navi Mumbai and other parts of Thane district. Also they carried out technical probe and checked up with the complainant and office staff and other related persons," the release said, reported PTI. The teams, acting on a tip-off, landed in Washim where the Navi Mumbai businessman had been taken by the abductors and rescued him and arrested the accused persons," it said. Regarding the motive, the release said initial information suggests the Navi Mumbai businessman was kidnapped over a financial dispute. (With inputs from PTI)
21 May,2025 08:07 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentA 70-year-old woman was found dead with injury marks on her body at her house in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Tuesday, police officials said, adding that a murder probe has been launched, reported the PTI. The woman's body was found at the entrance of her house in Wave-Dongripada village in the morning, an official said. He said the body was sent for post-mortem, and a case of murder was registered. The woman's body bore injury marks to the jaw, the official said, adding that a probe is underway, according to the PTI. Meanwhile, last week, the police had on Saturday said that a 36-year-old man was found dead with stab wounds at a playground in Maharashtra's Palghar district, reported news agency PTI. Passersby spotted the body in the Pasthal town on Friday morning and informed the police, inspector Nivas Kanse told PTI. He said the body was sent for post-mortem to a government hospital, and the police have registered a case under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The victim, Abhishek Ram Singh, was found lying in a pool of blood, and there were several stab wounds on his body, the official said, adding that a probe is underway. 27-year-old woman found murdered in Navi Mumbai home In an another case, a 27-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slit at her home in the Ulwa area of Navi Mumbai, police said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI. The murder took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, an official said. Based on a complaint lodged by the woman's husband, the police on Monday registered a case under section 103 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified persons, an official from NRI Sagri (Ulwa) police station said, adding that a probe in the matter was underway, according to the PTI. He said that the victim was identified as Alvina Kishoresingh alias Alvina Admali Khan (27). It is suspected by the police that she was killed by unidentified assailants at her Navi Mumbai home, reported PTI. A probe was underway in the case, he added. (with PTI inputs)
20 May,2025 04:21 PM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentThe police on Tuesday said that a 27-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slit at her home in the Ulwa area of Navi Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. The murder took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, an official said. Based on a complaint lodged by the woman's husband, the police on Monday registered a case under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified persons, an official from NRI Sagri (Ulwa) police station said. He said the victim, Alvina Kishoresingh alias Alvina Admali Khan (27), was killed by unidentified assailants at her Navi Mumbai home, reported PTI. A probe is underway in the case, he added. Two held for kidnapping 15-year-old boy for Rs 12 lakh ransom in Navi Mumbai In another case, two persons have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old boy over his father's outstanding debts and demanding a ransom of Rs 12 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. According to the police, the accused arrived at the victim's house in Ghansoli on the night of May 14 and had a heated argument with his father over the Rs 4 lakh he owed one of them. They allegedly beat up the boy and took him away in a car and later demanded Rs 12 lakh for his safe return, an official from the Koparkhairane police station said. Based on the father's complaint, a case was registered under section 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder or for ransom, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against four persons, he said, reported PTI. The boy was rescued within hours from the Rabale area, and two of the accused were apprehended, assistant police inspector Sunil Bodke said. The police have arrested Raj Uday Bhalerao (32) and Yash Satish Garud (26) in connection with the crime, while two other accused are still at large, the official said, reported PTI. Teen held for kidnapping, molesting 4-year-old girl in Navi Mumbai Meanwhile, a man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and molesting a four-year-old girl at a housing complex in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. The 19-year-old accused allegedly kidnapped the child from a housing complex in the Vashi area on Thursday and was caught by residents, an official said. He said the girl was playing near her house in the complex around 8 pm when the accused took her away and allegedly molested her, reported PTI. Alert residents caught him and handed him over to the police, he said. The official said a case has been registered under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and further probe is underway. (With inputs from PTI)
20 May,2025 12:38 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Malwani police have arrested a 30-year-old woman and her 19-year-old boyfriend for the alleged rape and murder of the woman's two-and-half-year-old daughter. Police said that interrogation revealed that the man repeatedly raped the child while the mother watched the toddler scream in pain. The case came to light when the child was brought to the General Hospital in Malwani’s Janakalyan Nagar for treatment in the wee hours of Monday. The doctor checked and declared her dead during examination. But, when he discovered injuries to the child’s private parts, he immediately alerted the police. According to police sources, the woman had divorced her husband three years ago. She was pregnant at the time. She then started living with her mother and is unemployed. The accused, also unemployed, lives with his parents. He was a vagabond in the area. He met the the woman several months ago and they got into a relationship. “On Sunday night, when the woman’s mother was out for work, the man came to the woman's house and the two got intimate. The child, who had been sleeping, suddenly woke up and started crying, so the woman brought her into the bed with her,” a police officer said. “The man then expressed his desire to have sex with the child, and with the permission of the mother, he raped the child repeatedly in front of the woman. Despite the child screaming in pain, the mother did nothing to help her. To stop the child from screaming, the man placed his hand tightly on her mouth and she died of suffocation,” the officer said. The officer said that the two then took the child to the government hospital where the mother lied to the police saying the child suffered from epilepsy. But, when the doctor saw the severe injuries to the child, he alerted the police. “Based on the medical evaluation, the Malwani police registered a case and arrested the woman and her boyfriend under relevant sections related to rape, murder and under POCSO. The post-mortem report revealed that the girl’s internal organs and her private parts were severely damaged in the brutal assault. Her death occurred due to suffocation, which is suspected to have happened when she began screaming during the rape. “This act is so heinous that even thinking about it sends shivers down the spine. It is a crime of such a grave nature that no amount of punishment would ever be enough. Therefore, after consulting with senior police officers, I have sought permission to pursue this case in a fast-track court, so that the accused can be given the harshest possible punishment without delay,” said another officer from Malwani police.
20 May,2025 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe police have arrested a man in Shahapur taluka of Maharashtra's Thane district and seized 7 kilograms of ganja valued at Rs 2.10 lakh along with Rs 5 lakh in cash, a senior official said on Monday, reported the PTI. Thane Superintendent of Police D S Swami said the arrest of the 28-year-old accused and seizure were the result of a joint action by the Vashind police and the Local Crime Branch (LCB). He elaborated on the proactive measures being taken by the police force to combat drug menace in the district located adjoining Mumbai. "Several police teams were formed to check the drugs menace in Thane district and bring to book the peddlers and those associated with the trade," the SP stated, according to the PTI. During patrolling on May 15 in the Vashind police limits, a police team got a tip-off that some people were trafficking drugs, Swami informed. "The police on suspicion raided a flat in a housing complex in Khativali village of Shahapur taluka and found one Vishal Vasant Shelar, 28, possessing ganja," he said. Ganja or marijuana worth Rs 2.10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh in cash were seized from the man, said the SP, as per the PTI. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at the Vashind police station under provisions of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act, he added. The investigation is now focused on uncovering the broader network involved in this drug trafficking operation, the SP maintained. "The police are probing as to from where the arrested accused sourced the drug and to whom he was to sell it," Swami said. Drugs worth over Rs 13 crore seized in south Mumbai; five held Meanwhile, in an another incident, Mumbai Police have seized drugs worth over Rs 13 crore in south Mumbai after arresting five persons in connection with the matter, an official said on Sunday, reported the PTI. In March this year, police arrested one of the accused with MD worth Rs 4.5 lakh. During interrogation, he shared the details of the other accused, the official said.MD, also known as ecstasy, has high potential for abuse, according to the PTI. Personnel from the Anti-Narcotic Cell of Zone 6, RCF police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recently raided a premises in south Mumbai and recovered 6.6 kg of MD, valued at Rs 13 crore, said the official, the news agency reported on Sunday. Four of the five persons arrested in connection with the haul are from Mumbai, and the other is a resident of Navi Mumbai, said the official from the RCF police station. A case has been registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway, he added. (with PTI inputs)
19 May,2025 06:40 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentIn a heart-wrenching and disturbing incident, the Malvani police have arrested a 30-year-old woman and her 19-year-old boyfriend for the alleged murder and rape of the woman's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. According to the police sources the case came to light when the child was brought to a government hospital located in Malvani Janakalyan Nagar for treatment late at night. The doctor who was on duty checked and declared the infant dead during the examination. The doctor found injuries to the girl's private parts, and he alerted the police immediately. Based on medical evaluations, the Malvani police have registered a case against a 30-year-old woman and her boyfriend, who is said to be 19 years old. Both of them have been booked and arrested under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including the charges rape, murder and POCSO. "The accused woman and the 19-year-old accused boy were allegedly in a relationship. It has also come to light that the woman was divorced three years ago after her husband had left her when she was pregnant. She gave birth to a girl and had been living at her mother's house ever since she developed a relationship with the accused boy. Police officials said, "Last night, the accused raped the infant girl in front of her mother. The girl was screaming with pain, and later she died." The girl was then taken to the general hospital located in Malvani Janakalyan Nagar for treatment. After reaching the hospital, the accused mother misled the hospital staff and told the doctor that the girl was suffering from epilepsy. "Based on a medical evaluation report, we have booked and arrested the accused mother and her boyfriend under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (including rape with murder) and relevant sections of the POCSO Act," confirmed an officer from Malvani police.
19 May,2025 11:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanThe police on Monday said that a case has been registered against three men for allegedly trespassing into a stockyard and assaulting a staffer of the facility in Navi Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. The incident occurred at a Navi Mumbai stockyard in Kon village in Panvel on the evening of May 16, an official said. As per a complaint, Deepak Hake, a former sarpanch of Kon village, and his associates Kunal Gaikwad and Jitesh Kamble forcibly entered the premises without permission and forced the in-charge Rajubhai Patel to sign an unspecified document, the official said, reported PTI. Patel, in his complaint, alleged that when he refused to sign the document, citing his inability to read Marathi, the trio allegedly slapped and punched him and threatened him, reported PTI. The official said a first information report has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, but no arrests have been made. Two held for kidnapping 15-year-old boy for Rs 12 lakh ransom in Navi Mumbai In another case, two persons have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old boy over his father's outstanding debts and demanding a ransom of Rs 12 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. According to the police, the accused arrived at the victim's house in Ghansoli on the night of May 14 and had a heated argument with his father over the Rs 4 lakh he owed one of them, reported PTI. They allegedly beat up the boy and took him away in a car and later demanded Rs 12 lakh for his safe return, an official from the Koparkhairane police station said. Based on the father's complaint, a case was registered under section 140(2) (kidnapping or abducting to murder or for ransom, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against four persons, he said. The boy was rescued within hours from the Rabale area, and two of the accused were apprehended, assistant police inspector Sunil Bodke said. The police have arrested Raj Uday Bhalerao (32) and Yash Satish Garud (26) in connection with the crime, while two other accused are still at large, the official said, reported PTI. Teen held for kidnapping, molesting 4-year-old girl in Navi Mumbai Meanwhile, a man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and molesting a four-year-old girl at a housing complex in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday, reported PTI. The 19-year-old accused allegedly kidnapped the child from a housing complex in the Vashi area on Thursday and was caught by residents, an official said. He said the girl was playing near her house in the complex around 8 pm when the accused took her away and allegedly molested her, reported PTI. Alert residents caught him and handed him over to the police, he said. The official said a case has been registered under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and further probe is underway. (With inputs from PTI)
19 May,2025 09:35 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Amboli police busted a prostitution racket and arrested a 28-year-old man while also rescuing a 30-year-old woman from a hotel lodge in Andheri West. Police have identified the accused as Mohammed Gulab Fulbabu Shaikh, alias Sarfaraz, a resident of Versova and a native of Bihar. Police said that to nab the accused, they sent a decoy customer and trapped him. Sarfaraz had been operating the prostitution racket in Versova for the past year, targeting young women and aspiring models. Police Inspector Vasant Devkate of Amboli police station received a tip-off, and to arrest the accused, he formed a team and arranged for a man to pose as a bogus customer. On May 16 at around 8 pm, the decoy contacted the accused. Sarfaraz sent multiple photos of several young women and quoted a rate of R5000, said police. A police officer said, “Sarfaraz shared the location and met the decoy customer in Andheri West, where he accepted R5000. He then escorted him to a room at a lodge in Andheri West where a 30-year-old woman was found.” The police raided the lodge, arrested Sarfaraz from there, and rescued the victim. “We arrested Sarfaraz, who had been running the prostitution racket for the past year. Our team trapped him using a decoy customer and also rescued the woman,” PI Devkate said. May 16Day accused was arrested
19 May,2025 08:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaAn official on Sunday said that the police have arrested 21 persons after the security guards of a private company were assaulted by a group of people over a land dispute in central Mumbai, reported news agency PTI. One of the accused persons, who was carrying a "single-bore" rifle, allegedly opened fire at the guards, an official said, reported PTI. The incident took place on Saturday night in the Agripada area when some people allegedly used stones, sticks and chilli spray besides firearms to threaten the guards, he said, reported PTI. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rioting, attempt to murder and assault, and the Arms Act, he said. Police have arrested 21 persons in connection with the case, he said, adding further investigation was underway. Three killed, four injured in clash between two families In another case, a flare-up of an old dispute between two families in a slum area in Mumbai's Borivali took a devastating turn on Sunday, resulting in the death of three men and injuries to four others, police said, reported PTI. Police said sharp weapons were used during the clash in the Ganpat Patil Nagar slum area, leaving Ram Naval Gupta, his son Arvind, and Hameed Sheikh from the rival camp dead. The injured persons are identified as Ram Naval's sons, Amar and Amit, and Sheikh's sons, Armaan and Hasan, reported PTI. According to police, the Sheikh and Gupta families had been at loggerheads since they lodged cross complaints in 2022. The deadly clash broke out in the afternoon after heavily drunk Hameed Sheikh started arguing with Ram Naval Gupta, who sells coconuts in the area, police said. Soon, Gupta was joined by his sons Amar, Arvind, and Amit, while Sheikh called up his sons Armaan and Hasan, reported PTI. The two groups initially exchanged blows and later attacked each other with sharp weapons, resulting in the death of three persons and injuries to four others. Two separate FIRs were registered at the MHB police station, and a search was launched for the accused individuals, police said. (With inputs from PTI)
19 May,2025 08:19 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentMumbai Police have seized drugs worth over Rs 13 crore in south Mumbai after arresting five persons in connection with the matter, an official said on Sunday, reported the PTI. In March this year, police arrested one of the accused with MD worth Rs 4.5 lakh. During interrogation, he shared the details of the other accused, the official said.MD, also known as ecstasy, has high potential for abuse, according to the PTI. Personnel from the Anti-Narcotic Cell of Zone 6, RCF police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recently raided a premises in south Mumbai and recovered 6.6 kg of MD, valued at Rs 13 crore, said the official, the news agency reported on Sunday. Four of the five persons arrested in connection with the haul are from Mumbai, and the other is a resident of Navi Mumbai, said the official from the RCF police station. A case has been registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway, he added. Drugs worth over Rs 6 crore seized from house in Mumbai's Govandi; one held In an another major seizure by the Mumbai Police, earlier this week, the police had said that it seized various narcotic drugs collectively worth more than Rs 6 crore from a house in Govandi area of Mumbai, and arrested one person in connection with the matter. According to the police, the seizure of drugs was made on Tuesday night by a team of police officials. Following the seizure, a 23-year-old accused was arrested by the police. He has been identified as Salman Shaikh, an official said. "Based on a tip-off, the police conducted a raid at Shaikh's house. During the operation, three kilograms of mephedrone or MD drug worth Rs 6 crore, 12 kilograms of ganja valued at Rs 2.40 lakh, 36 bottles of codeine phosphate (Corex) of Rs 18,000 and Rs 1.30 lakh cash - collectively worth Rs 6,03, 88,000, were recovered from there," the official of Shivaji Nagar police station said, according to the PTI. The suspect was arrested under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said. The police are trying to find out from where he sourced all these drugs, he said, adding that further investigations were underway. (with PTI inputs)
18 May,2025 09:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Andheri police in Mumbai have arrested a softball (tennis ball) cricket player along with two of his friends for allegedly robbing a senior citizen of a gold chain worth Rs 1.5 lakh. The prime accused, Wasim Noor Mohammad Shaikh, is known for uploading cricket videos on his YouTube channel, including clips of him hitting sixes in MS Dhoni's ‘helicopter’ style and of training sessions. The police also recovered the stolen gold chain weighing 25 grams. Shaikh, 30, a resident of Rashid Compound at Kausa, Mumbra, has reportedly participated in numerous softball cricket tournaments. Of the two others arrested, Shaheed Farukh Shaikh, 20, is a resident of Mumbra, while Tofiq Riyaz Ahmad Idrishi, 21, is a resident of Madina Complex at Shilphata, Thane. The complainant, Shankar Jayram Joshi, is a resident of Andheri East. According to the police, the incident occurred on May 5 around 11.20 pm, when Joshi was walking on the footpath near Vijay Nagar Society in Andheri East. Three unidentified men approached him. One of them pushed him, and when Joshi questioned the act, the trio assaulted him, snatched his gold chain and fled toward Andheri railway station. Joshi immediately informed the Andheri police and filed an FIR. The complaint was officially registered at 1.45 am on May 6, prompting an intensive investigation. Under the guidance of DCP (Zone X) Sachin Gunjal and ACP Shashikant Bhosale, Senior Inspector Ramesh Bhame formed two dedicated teams, led by Police Sub-Inspectors Kishor Parkale and S Supe. The teams included Police Constables Pednekar, Suryawanshi, Shinde, Surner, Kamble, Kambari, Gaikwad, Turke, Gawli, Londhe, Mhatre, More, Patil, Narbat, Shinde, and technical assistant Pisal. The investigation teams reviewed footage of over 250 public and private CCTV cameras from the crime scene and surrounding areas. Around three hours after the incident, the suspects were seen boarding a vehicle at Vakola Junction. Using technical surveillance, the police traced the vehicle and subsequently identified and arrested the accused from Mumbra. None of them has prior criminal records. Speaking with mid-day, PSI Kishor Parkale from Andheri police station, said, “We have arrested the three accused who robbed the senior citizen in Andheri. The main accused, Shaikh, is a tennis ball cricketer who has created several social media reels hitting sixes using the helicopter shot made famous by MS Dhoni.”
18 May,2025 08:49 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaADVERTISEMENT
