In a swift and successful operation, the Worli police arrested a woman for allegedly kidnapping a 3-year-old girl on January 29. The child was rescued and safely reunited with her parents within three hours of the incident. According to the police, the child was playing in the courtyard of her residence in Worli’s Prem Nagar area when an unknown woman allegedly approached her. The woman reportedly lured the young girl with the promise of chocolate. However, when the child failed to return home, her mother immediately contacted the authorities and filed a complaint. A police officer shared the details with Mid-Day, stating, “Based on the mother’s statement, an FIR was registered. The girl was kidnapped from the Prem Nagar area in Worli.” Following the complaint, the Worli police, led by Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Katkar, formed multiple teams to track down the suspect. In their investigation, they reviewed CCTV footage from the area, which provided key clues in identifying the accused. “After analysing the CCTV footage, we were able to identify the woman and apprehend her,” the officer added. The accused, identified as 40-year-old Deepali Das, was arrested from the Prem Nagar area. Police have confirmed that she is originally from West Bengal and had been working as a domestic worker in the locality. Once apprehended, the accused was taken into custody, and the young girl was returned to her parents, unharmed. Authorities are now conducting further investigations to determine the motive behind the kidnapping. Deepali Das has been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for kidnapping. The case is ongoing, and further updates are awaited as the investigation progresses.
30 January,2025 04:42 PM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheA court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 51-year-old man to three years' rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a minor girl in 2019, reported news agency PTI. Such incidents should be reported to police as it will help in creating an awareness in society and the convictions will serve as a deterrent to the offenders, the prosecution quoted special POCSO court judge DS Deshmukh as saying in the order passed on Wednesday. Special Public Prosecutor Sandhya H Matre told the court that on July 5, 2019, the victim, then aged 13 and studying in Class 9, was on way to her school in Thane's Mumbra area when the accused, Moij Hatim Rampurwala, followed her and touched her inappropriately, reported PTI. The girl resisted his advances, raised an alarm and hit the Thane man with an umbrella, following which a woman passing by rushed there and saved the victim, while the accused ran away. The victim and the woman chased the Thane man to his house and later nabbed him, the prosecution said. The girl and the woman subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint against the Thane man following which he was arrested. Judge Deshmukh on Wednesday pronounced the accused guilty on charges of sexual harassment and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, reported PTI. The prosecutor quoted the judge as saying that these days, such crimes against minor girls are on the rise, but the victims seldom come forward to file complaint. The society should realise that it is a crime and complaints should be made of such incidents, which will go a long way in giving protection to girls, creating awareness in the society and such convictions will be deterrent to the offenders, the judge said, reported PTI. In the order, the court noted that the prosecution has successfully proved all charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt, for which he needs to be convicted and sentenced. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused. The judge directed that once the amount is recovered from the accused, it should be paid to the victim as compensation, and the case be referred to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for payment of additional compensation as per the law. Four witnesses, including the victim and the woman who helped her, were examined to prove the charges against the accused, the prosecutor said. (With inputs from PTI)
30 January,2025 02:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAn official on Thursday said that the police have registered a case against a school bus driver for allegedly crushing to death a stray dog in Maharashtra's Thane district, reported news agency PTI. The incident took place in the Ambernath area on Tuesday. While the Ambernath bus driver was turning the bus near a temple, a stray dog on the road got crushed under the vehicle, an official from Shivaji Nagar police station said, reported PTI. A man who witnessed the incident reported the matter to police and filed a complaint against the driver. The police on Wednesday registered a case against the Ambernath bus driver under section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the official said. Man tries to free undertrial prisoner from courtroom, assaults cops; booked A 19-year-old man allegedly tried to free his friend, an undertrial prisoner, from the custody of police in a courtroom in Thane district, police said on Wednesday, reported PTI. The accused, Sujit Gupta, tried to communicate with Nagesh Dande through gestures in a courtroom of Kalyan court on Tuesday afternoon, following which police personnel asked him to leave the place, reported PTI. Gupta abused police personnel and pushed them. During the commotion, he tried to free Dande from police custody, an official said. Police overpowered Gupta and booked him under section 132 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from performing their duty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), reported PTI. Police are scanning footage from CCTV cameras and recording statements of eyewitnesses to establish the sequence of events. Further action would be taken based on the findings of the ongoing probe, the police official said. Attempt to run over, abduct college student in Kalyan Parents of a college student at Kalyan in the district have alleged that there was an attempt to run over and abduct their son, reported PTI. The accused first tried to drive an SUV into her son's motorbike in the Lokgram area on Monday afternoon, his mother Juhi Sawant said in the complaint lodged at Kolsewadi police station, reported PTI. The two accomplices of the accused then tried to abduct her son, the complainant claimed. The incident was captured in CCTV cameras, she said. Her son fought off the attackers and shouted for help, forcing them to run away, the complaint said. Police are conducting a probe. No arrest has been made so far, an official said. (With inputs from PTI)
30 January,2025 01:34 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentAn assistant police inspector from the Shivaji Park police station who is under the scanner for allegedly turning a blind eye after receiving a tip-off on the multi-crore Torres Ponzi scam has denied any wrongdoing. The officer, Ashwinikumar Kagale, told mid-day that his seniors were attempting to make him a scapegoat. After the massive investment scam came to light, an ACP-level inquiry was initiated as it was alleged that the Shivaji Park police failed to act after receiving two letters from whistleblowers in 2024 stating that suspicious activities were taking place in Torres main branch in Dadar. The Torres jewellery store branch in Dadar. File pic/Ashish Raje Kagale, who has received a notice for alleged inaction, said, “I cannot speak much about this, but a journalist had sent a letter on December 6 claiming that something fishy was happening in the main branch of the company. I had issued summons to them but they didn’t reply. Despite having done everything in my capacity [to address the matter], a default notice has been issued against me to make me a scapegoat. I wouldn’t like to comment further as the matter is sub judice,” said Kagale. Ganesh Gawde, DCP, Zone V, said, “One letter was received in June last year and the other on December 6. Kagale did not act on the latter letter. He cited a lack of manpower as it was Mahaparinirvan Diwas. Hence, a default notice had been issued against him. We are investigating the matter.” Refuting this, Kagale told mid-day, “After the journalist’s letter reached the police station, I issued summons to the company executives, but they did not reply. The shop was found shut on December 31 and the scam came to light later. I did everything I could at the time as no formal complaint was made.” Earlier, in June 2024, API Vinay Mane told his superiors that suspicious activities had been reported. “After the API informed the superiors, we checked whether the company had GST and other licences in place and nothing suspicious had been found,” an officer said. The case has been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing and the police have arrested six people in connection with it so far. December 6Day in 2024 when police received the journalist’s letter
30 January,2025 11:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Apoorva AgasheThe Supreme Court has acquitted Chandrabhan Sanap, accused of raping and murdering a 23-year-old software engineer in Kanjurmarg in January 2014 and dumping her burnt body in the bushes near the Eastern Express Highway. The victim’s family, devastated by the verdict, expressed a deep sense of betrayal and hopelessness. “This judgment tells offenders they can commit the most heinous crimes and still walk free. We feel completely let down—it’s as if justice is no longer for the victims,” the victim’s uncle told mid-day. After Sanap was booked in 2014 for the rape and murder of the software engineer in Mumbai, a special women’s court sentenced him to death. He appealed the verdict in the Bombay High Court, which upheld the penalty. Later, the accused moved the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, more than a decade after the crime, the apex court directed the Maharashtra government to release Sanap, stating that “he is not guilty of the offence, hence acquitted.” The court cited significant lapses in evidence and procedural shortcomings as reasons for overturning the conviction. Reacting to the verdict, the victim’s uncle said, “We are not even asking the court to hang him for the grievous crime he committed. But leaving him scot-free after what he did to our daughter? That’s unbelievable and heartbreaking as a family member. Our daughter was raped, murdered, burnt, and the high court had categorised this as a ‘rarest of the rare case.’ Yet, the Supreme Court has acquitted him. It’s an insult to injury, a complete dismissal of our pain over losing her. Most importantly, it’s a green signal to all accused out there who will now think they can commit gruesome crimes and easily walk back into society.” He added, “The Mumbai Police, under Commissioner Rakesh Maria at the time, did a commendable job tracing the accused after months of investigation. Evidence, including the TCS ID card, was recovered from the accused, and yet the Supreme Court says there are loopholes in the evidence. The government should stop using slogans like ‘Beti Bachao’ because it’s meaningless on the ground. We have lost our beti, and she is never coming back. His conviction would have been a testament to ensuring such horrors don’t happen to other daughters.” The family is now considering filing a review petition, though they admit the process is emotionally and mentally taxing. “It’s not easy—losing our daughter, fighting for justice for over a decade, hearing such a verdict, and now trying to stay strong to fight back again. But we are thinking of meeting with our lawyer to discuss filing a review petition,” the victim’s uncle added. 23Age of the victim Case background On January 16, 2014, the victim's partially burned and decomposed body was discovered near the Eastern Express Highway. Investigations revealed that the 23-year-old software engineer had been travelling from Vijayawada to Mumbai and had arrived at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway station on January 5. The autopsy report stated that she died from head injuries, smothering, and genital trauma. After two months of rigorous investigation, police traced and arrested Chandrabhan Sanap, who was charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), and 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence). According to the police, Sanap, intending to rob the woman, posed as a cab driver offering to drop her at her hostel in Andheri. He then told her he had a bike, not a car, and convinced her to trust him. When she hesitated, he grabbed her bag and placed it on his bike after which she gave in and decided to travel with him, according to the police investigation.
30 January,2025 08:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya IyerA woman in Nalasopara, faced relentless harassment and threats over phone calls after allegedly rejecting a man’s marriage proposal. The accused repeatedly contacted her from different numbers and even sent videos of a gun being fired and gym dumbbells as intimidation tactics. Despite blocking 150–200 numbers, the harassment persisted. Seeking help, she approached the police, but instead of taking immediate action, officers reportedly advised her to switch off her phone since the threats were coming via calls. Following their suggestion, she turned off her number. However, when she reactivated it three months later, the threats resumed. She then filed a complaint at Achole police station. Despite this, the police registered only a non-cognisable offence and merely summoned the accused, warning him before letting him go without further action. The victim, a 30-year-old resident of Nalasopara working in the medical field, had registered her details at a community-run marriage bureau. A family from Madanpura, looking for a match for their son, reached out to her family. Since the boy’s mother had difficulty walking, she invited the victim’s family to their home. Before the meeting, both families exchanged photos of the prospective bride and groom. “After seeing the boy’s photo, my family was pleased. His profile stated that he was an electrical engineer working for a company in Borivli. In May 2024, we visited his home in Madanpura. However, when we met him in person, we were shocked to realise that there was more than a 10-year age gap between the man in the photo and the one standing before us. After discussing the matter at home, my family called the boy’s mother and respectfully declined the proposal,” said the victim. “Following this, the accused began calling me and my family repeatedly. When we approached his family regarding his behaviour, they dismissed their concerns,” the victim said. “The accused has also been actively riding around on his scooter in Nalasopara and asking people for my address. We have been told by neighbours that he has even rented a house in the area,” the victim said. “I have a job and often travel alone. My marriage is also being arranged. In this situation, both my family and I feel extremely unsafe. I urge the police to take strict action to ensure our safety,” she added. Accused says The accused told the police that his marriage had been fixed, but the girl’s family suddenly called it off. Following this, other marriage proposals also fell through. He suspects that the girl or her family may have performed black magic, preventing him from getting married and out of anger, he began threatening the girl. PoliceSpeak “The gun seen in the video was later confirmed to be a toy gun. Authorities took immediate action upon receiving the complaint. After filing a non-cognizable (NC) offence, preventive measures were initiated against him. A bond was issued, stating that he would not repeat such actions in the future. If he violates the bond, strict legal action will be taken against him,” said Zonal DCP Pournima Chougule-Shringi.
30 January,2025 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah KhanA West Bengal-based woman, whose mobile phone SIM card was used by the accused in the Saif Ali Khan attack case, was recorded by the officials of Mumbai Police, the PTI reported on Wednesday. Bangladeshi national Shariful Islam, who allegedly attacked actor Saif Ali Khan in his Mumbai home, has told the police she had lost her cellphone, an official said on Monday, according to the PTI. The official maintained the police were "100 per cent" sure that it was Shariful who attacked the 54-year-old Bollywood star. A Mumbai police team visited Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal as part of their investigation into the January 16 knife attack on Khan in his 12th floor apartment in Bandra during a robbery attempt, according to the PTI. The police later arrested Shariful, a Bangladeshi man who illegally entered India last year, from adjoining Thane city for the attack and he is in their custody till January 29. During the probe, the police came to know about a woman whose SIM card was used by the arrested accused for making calls, and recorded her statement, the official said. In the statement, the woman claimed she had lost her mobile phone and the police were verifying her assertion, he added, as per the PTI. The police are "100 per cent" sure that it was Shariful who attacked Khan and he was armed with a Hacksaw blade and a knife too, insisted the official. The police team will go to places in West Bengal where Shariful stayed after crossing over from the neighbouring country, he added. Shariful Islam, was produced before the Bandra court on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody. The police also recovered a weapon from Islam, which has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. The cops told to court that the accused was very clever. He had conducted a recce before carrying out the crime. A team of cops is in Kolkata as the accused Islam was in Kolkata a few months back. The court informed to cops that if needed, they would review the custody situation of the accused. The magistrate said that the investigation was complete. Now, there doesn't appear to be a need for police custody. If something new comes up in the investigation, police custody can be requested later under the new BNS law. (with PTI inputs)
29 January,2025 10:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe probe into the Baba Siddique murder case must consider issues related to slum development projects in Bandra, his son Zeeshan Siddique has said in his statement to police, reported the PTI. Zeeshan Siddique, a former MLA, also claimed many developers were in constant touch with his father for redevelopment projects. On one occasion a developer had used abusive language against his father, Zeeshan Siddique told police. Zeeshan's statement is part of the chargesheet filed by police in connection with the October 12 killing of the former state minister Baba Siddique. Zeeshan Siddique has told police he and his father were continuously fighting for the rights of the slumdwellers in Bandra, adding that a false case was registered against him for his objection towards a redevelopment project. "There are many developers who were in regular contact with my father. My father had the habit of writing a diary about his daily work. I learnt that around 5.30 pm to 6pm (on the day of the murder) my dad was contacted on his WhatsApp by Mohit Kambhoj (a BJP worker). Mohit wanted to meet my father with regard to a project in Bandra by Mundra Builders," Zeeshan Siddique said in his statement to the police, as per the PTI. "A builder during a meeting with certain persons regarding the SRA redevelopment project had used abusive words about my father. I request that all the above-mentioned matters be investigated in detail in the investigation of my father's murder," he said in the statement, according to the PTI. The police have filed a more than 4500-page chargesheet before a special MCOCA court in connection with the case. It has been filed against 26 arrested accused, while three persons, namely Shubham Lonkar, Yasin Akhthar and Anmol Bishnoi, have been shown as wanted accused, the news agency reported. All the accused have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and are currently in judicial custody. Baba Siddique (66) was shot dead by three assailants outside his son's office in Mumbai's Bandra East area on the night of October 12. (with PTI inputs)
29 January,2025 10:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentA court in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai on Wednesday sentenced a 33-year-olf man to one year imprisonment for beating up a policeman and a bus driver in 2017, PTI reported. As per PTI, Additional Sessions Judge K R Deshpande noted that the prosecution has proved all charges against the accused, Sachin Prakash Salunke, beyond reasonable doubt. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 7,000 on the accused. He ordered that the police officer and the driver of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) bus receive Rs 2,500 each as compensation after the fine amount from the offender was realised, PTI cited. According to Additional Public Prosecutor EB Dhamal, the accused was riding in the NMMT bus on September 17, 2017. The bus's driver halted it as it was travelling to Dadar in nearby Mumbai, but nobody got off. The accused later stood up and urged the driver to halt the bus when it had gone a certain distance and was close to Kopra village in Navi Mumbai. The accused repeatedly rang the bell when he received no response. Then he and the driver got into a fight, PTI reported. Later, the accused began beating up and abusing the bus driver. Another passenger on the bus, a traffic officer, stepped in and attempted to end their argument. As per PTI, the prosecution told the court that the accused then turned towards the police officer and assaulted him. According to the prosecutor, the charges against the accused were supported by the examination of six prosecution witnesses. Couple abuses cops in Thane police station; man held, wife warned Recently, a 45-year-old man from Andheri in Mumbai was arrested after he and his wife fought with their relatives and abused cops inside a police station in Thane district, an official said, reported news agency PTI. The official said the accused, Lalit Jian and his wife Chanda had some disputes with her father, who used to live with them in Mumbai before moving to his other daughter's place in Dombivali in Thane district. The couple went to the Dombivali police station on Tuesday, where Chanda's father, sister and her 16-year-old niece were also present. However, Lalit Jain and Chanda got into a fight with their relatives, stated PTI. The couples allegedly abused the cops when they tried to intervene. The couple even pulled the hair of their teenage niece, the police official said. Police later arrested Lalit and issued a warning to Chanda. (With PTI inputs)
29 January,2025 04:56 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondentThe Cyber Crime Unit of Pimpri Chinchwad Police has successfully busted an inter-state cyber fraud racket and arrested six individuals involved in the illegal operation. The accused were allegedly responsible for providing bank accounts that were used in international cyber fraud schemes, according to the police. The arrested individuals have been identified as Shubham Mohan Londhe, Sam (alias David), Sambidh Kumar Shripati Nayak, Professor (alias Himanshu Kumar), Ganesh Thakur, Rajansh Singh Santosh Singh, Gaurav Anil Kumar Sharma, and Ankush Ramrao More. These individuals are accused of facilitating cybercrime activities by providing mule accounts for fraudulent operations linked to international criminal masterminds. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode stated that Sam, also known as David, had been contacting account holders across India via the messaging platform Telegram for the past two years. These individuals were coerced into providing their bank accounts to aid the international scam. The primary suspect, Sam, is based in Cambodia and is believed to have masterminded the global operation. The operation came to light following a tip-off received by Police Constable Hemant Kharat, who had been investigating ongoing cybercrimes. The tip suggested that Shubham Londhe, a resident of Pune, had been providing bank accounts for fraudulent purposes. During interrogation, Londhe confirmed that he had handed over the accounts to Sam alias David, who was linked to the operation. The police seized several items, including nine mobile phones, one tablet, and ten chequebooks. Further investigation revealed that the suspects had provided thousands of bank accounts to the main criminal mastermind in Cambodia over the past two years. The breakthrough in the case came when the Pimpri Chinchwad police, while investigating a share trading fraud that had resulted in a loss of Rs 7.6 lakh, identified Londhe as a suspect. Londhe was found to have handled numerous mule accounts, which were later traced to Sam David, who used at least 20 different phone numbers. Sam had a base in Goa but travelled extensively across India. The police tracked down Sam in Hinjawadi on January 23, where he was arrested under his real name, Sambidhkumar Shripati Nayak, a 22-year-old from Odisha who had aspirations of working in Bollywood. Further investigations revealed that Sam had booked multiple hotel rooms in Pune for the mule account holders. The investigation continues as the police work to uncover more details related to the operation. (With inputs from ANI)
29 January,2025 04:44 PM IST | MumbaiThe alleged attacker of Saif Ali Khan, Shariful Islam, was produced before the Bandra court on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody. The police also recovered a weapon from Islam, which has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. The cops told to court that the accused was very clever. He had conducted a recce before carrying out the crime. A team of cops is in Kolkata as the accused Islam was in Kolkata a few months back. The court informed to cops that if needed, they would review the custody situation of the accused. The magistrate said that the investigation was complete. Now, there doesn't appear to be a need for police custody. If something new comes up in the investigation, police custody can be requested later under the new BNSS law. For now, the accused has been sent to judicial custody. As per the police, the accused, arrested from adjoining Thane, is a Bangladeshi who changed his name Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad to 'Bijoy Das' after entering India illegally. The Bollywood star was repeatedly stabbed with a knife by an intruder inside his 12th floor apartment in upscale Bandra on January 16. Khan, 54, underwent an emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital. He was discharged after five days. We have ample, strong evidence against arrested Bangladeshi man, say Mumbai police The Mumbai police, who are probing the incident of attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, on Tuesday said they have "ample and strong evidence" against the Bangladeshi national arrested in the case. In a press conference, Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region) Paramjit Dahiya shared the development in the probe and said it was an "excellent, proof-based detection" made by the DCP Zone 9 team along with the crime branch. "The Mumbai police have ample and strong evidence against the accused person, including documentary, physical and technical," he said. "As for ascertaining the identity of the accused as part of collecting evidence before filing the chargesheet, the police have an option of (using the) face recognition (technology), and we will explore it," he said. When an accused in any case gets arrested, police collect multiple pieces of evidence against him to prove his role in the crime, which includes face recognition, finger prints, oral statements, and many others, and the investigating officer collects all the evidence before the chargesheet.
29 January,2025 01:16 PM IST | Mumbai | Shirish VaktaniaADVERTISEMENT
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