Kalbadevi trader shoots himself dead at home

 

Picture for representational purpose only.

 

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 24, 2018, 03:43 IST 

MUMBAI: A 45-year-old cloth merchant who also dabbled in shares shot himself dead at his Kalbadevi home on Friday evening. No suicide note was found, but Nitesh Rathi's wife told police he was under depression for some time.
Police said Rathi, landlord of the five-storey Rathi Bhavan at Kalbadevi, took the extreme step around 6 pm when his family was not at home; only a domestic help and a female relative were present. "They were in other rooms when they heard a gunshot. The duo ran to Rathi's bedroom and found him lying bleeding. "The girl immediately called up the police control room. We found him lying in the bedroom. He had shot one round in the right temple with his imported .32S & WL Smith and Wesson revolver. He had a licence for it for the last 15 years," said an officer from L T Marg police station, who have registered an accidental death case. He was rushed to the GT Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. 

 "Rathi, who resided on fourth and fifth floor, did not go anywhere on Friday. He was last seen in the building passage around 4.30 pm," said the officer. The couple does not have a child.
"We don't know what might have led Rathi to end his life. We don't have any information about any business loss or any other problem. We will talk to the family soon," the police said. 

 

The Times of India, June 24, 2018

Ex-soldier held for video-calling women, posing in the buff

 

Picture for representational purpose only.

 

 

TNN | Jun 24, 2018, 03:25 IST

 

MUMBAI: A former armyman has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing women by sending them obscene videos. The accused, C Carls (45), sexually harassed women by often making WhatsApp calls and posing in the buff, said senior inspector of Tardeo police station, Sanjay Surve. carls has been remanded in police custody till June 25. 

bank had lodged a complaint in March about receiving "vulgar videos from an unknown number". The police said that the number, whose SIM card had been activated in Rajasthan, was switched off.

After making some preliminary inquiries, the police learnt that another woman had saved this number as an alternative contact number of Carls, a former armyman, who had promised her a job. That's when the police laid a trap and arrested Carls, said an officer.
 

The Times of India, June 24, 2018

Couple, son kill selves due to daughter's death, poverty

 

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TNN | Jun 23, 2018, 03:30 IST
 

MUMBAI: A couple and their 11-year-old son committed suicide by hanging themselves at their house in Cuffe Parade on Friday afternoon. The police said they had found a long suicide note in the house written by the man, Pravin Patel (40), blaming poverty and depression after the death of their daughter who was cancer-afflicted for taking the extreme step.
Cops said the Pravin, his wife Reena (35), and son Prabhu (11) may have committed suicides two days ago and that it came to light only on Friday after neighbours informed the police about the foul smell emanating from their Machchimarg Nagar house that had been locked for two days.



"The police broke open the room and found the three bodies," said an officer. Cuffe Parade police officials said that according to the suicide note, the Patels lost their three-year-old daughter to cancer some time ago and had been depressed since then. Cops said that the note also says "people who taunt the family". However, the police declined to elaborate on the point.

A source said that Pravin and Reena had got married 13 years ago despite opposition from their families. "The couple worked hard and wanted to give their children good education," the source added. Pravin worked as an electrician and was provided a small room to stay by a decorator for whom he had worked once. "The family was facing financial problems. Locals said that since his daughter's death, Parvin barely stepped out of the area and would always be depressed. Gradually, he started losing clients leading to less work for him. We are probing all the angles. We have not found any foul play," said police.

"We are gong through the suicide note which has named many people who reportedly taunted them and caused stress," added the officer.

The Times of India, June 24, 2018

Mumbai: 5 held in Rs 40 crore banking fraud

 

Representative Photo

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 22, 2018, 04:20 IST

MUMBAI: In a banking fraud estimated to be over Rs40 crore, the city crime branch on Wednesday arrested five members of a pan-India gang for stealing bank details of nearly 1,000 foreigners. The gang used the information to make duplicate debit cards and transfer out money.
Police claim the gang has been active since 2013.

Those arrested include Zubair Sayyed, who is from Bengaluru, but currently staying in Mira Road, Hasan Shaikh, a garment shopowner, his assistant Mukesh Sharma, Faheem Shora, who has a shop selling Kashmiri products in the western suburbs and Abu Bakar Shaikh.

While Shora provided his swipe machine to the accused, Abu Bakar was responsible for contacting various shopowners and providing their swipe machines to the accused, the police said.

DCP Dilip Sawant said not a single foreigner, targeted by the gang has come forward to lodge a police complaint. Most of the victims are from the US and China.

Police said they cracked the case following a tip off about the gang about two weeks ago. "The accused had taken some shopkeepers into confidence and gave them 20% commission to use their swipe machines," said a police official.

The property cell team of the city police led by inspector Rehmatullah Sayyed seized 51 swipe machines, dozens of cheque books and debit cards from the accused.

The police did not mention the names of the foreign banks, stating that it would hamper the probe. 

 

All the accused are either school or junior college dropouts. Zubair Sayyed, the brain behind the racket, is a class XII dropout.

DCP Sawant added cards were swiped at places frequented by foreigners like Goa, Ludhiana, Kullu Manali, Rajasthan, Delhi etc. "We are questioning the accused to know who provided them the details of the cards. We have also written to the Indian banks where the money had been transferred, seeking details about the financial transactions," added the officer.  

 

"Since the accused did not have shops, they contacted some shopkeepers and offered them a commission to use their swipe machines and bank accounts. The gang would not use one card for more than two to three transactions. "We are interrogating the accused and trying to find out who provided them bank details of the foreigners," said an officer.

All the accused were produced before a court and remanded to police custody till June 26.  

The Times of India, June 22, 2018

Week on, 5 historysheeters held for Rs 16 lakh cash van heist in Mankhurd

 

Representative Photo

 

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Updated: Jun 22, 2018, 01:35 IST

 MUMBAI: A week after a gang of robbers stole over Rs 16 lakh from a private cash van on Sion-Panvel Road in Mankhurd, the police arrested five of the accused and recovered Rs 1 lakh from them. A hunt is on for their eight accomplices. All five are historysheeters.
On June 13, four masked men, armed with choppers and firearms, travelling in a car, overtook the cash van belonging to Securitrans (India) Pvt Ltd on Sion-Panvel Road and tied up the three security men. There was no armed guard in the cash van though it was carrying more than Rs 2 crore. The robbers could not break open the lock of a trunk that had Rs 37 lakh, so they fled with the smaller trunk containing over Rs 16 lakh towards Sion, the police said. A female passenger in a passing autorickshaw alerted a police patrol van about the robbery.

DCP Shaji Umap on Thursday said they made the arrests based on intelligence inputs. “We learnt that the private car was with an autorickshaw. We later found that the Alto was stolen from Navi Mumbai and had fake number plates. So, we focused our investigation on the autorickshaw and picked up the driver, who spilled the beans on the robbery and his accomplices,” said Umap.

The cash van had collected money from 28 points before reaching Mankhurd station. “The accused knew the time when the van would reach for cash collection and where it would park as they had made five-six attempts to rob it, but failed. On June 13, they were successful,” said a police officer. The police have, so far, ruled out the involvement of any employee.

The arrested accused—auto driver Sagir alias Pahelwan Shaikh (40), Vijay Thackeray (38), David Laurence (33), Jagdish alias Jaggu Suvarna (49) and Santosh Rajput—have cases of theft, assault, robbery and murder registered against them. During interrogation, the police learnt that Rajput was also wanted in a Gujarat highway robbery case. On October 3, 2017, five armed dacoits, including Rajput, had robbed three employees of the Bhilad RTO of Rs 1.14 crore on national highway 8 in Valsad district. The employees were on to deposit the cash in the bank when the robbers attacked them. Rajput will later be handed over to the Gujarat police, said officials.

The Times of India, June 22, 2018

Byculla jail death : Six women staff will not be lodged in city prison for trial

 

Six officials of the Byculla jail were arrested in connection with the death of a woman prisoner. (File Photo)

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 21, 2018, 05:01 IST

MUMBAI: The prison authorities on Wednesday said they don't have any plan to shift six female jail officials accused of killing a convict, Manjula Sheteye, from Thane central prison to Byculla women's prison for trial.
The crime branch had arrested the six officials, including jailer Manisha Pokharkar, and constables Bindu Naikade, Waseema Shaikh, Shital Shegaonkar, Surekha Gulve and Aarti Shingne, on July 1, 2017, for kicking and punching Sheteye to death in the prison. A day after special judge Shayana Patil of the sessions court framed charges against the six suspended women jail staffers, a senior jail official said, "They have been kept at Thane Central Jail and we don't have any plan to shift them to Byculla women's prison. They will be transported from Thane to Mumbai by the police escort in a van." Usually, inmates facing trial in Mumbai are shifted to Mumbai jails if lodged outside the city for security reasons and to save time.

All the accused were lodged at the Byculla women's jail where the incident took place. Sheena Bora murder case accused, Indrani Mukherjea, is also lodged in this prison and due to some security reasons, she was previously produced before a court through video-conferencing facility for her case hearing.

The jail authorities are still to decide on producing the accused jail staffers through video-conferencing. "If we get an order from court, we can do it," said the officer.

The Times of India, June 21, 2018

Mumbai: Police crack angadiya firm robbery, 8 held

 

Illustration for representational purpose

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 20, 2018, 04:55 IST

 MUMBAI: LT Marg police recently arrested eight members of a gang that had struck at an angadiya firm in Bhuleshwar, South Mumbai, and looted Rs 1.13 crore.

The gang threatened two employees with a knife and used chloroform to sedate the victims. The accused then blew up nearly Rs20 lakh on a shopping spree.

The incident took place on May 29. A team supervised by additional police commissioner Pravin Padwal and DCP Dnyaneshwar Chavan was formed to probe the case.

Investigation revealed one of the employees, Ripon Patel, had tipped his friend, Bhavik Panchal, working in an angadiya firm close by, about a huge stash of cash in their office.

Panchal got in touch with some contacts in Ahmedabad to execute robbery. After the robbery, the accused split the money. "A few days later, they all went to Goa. By then, we had arrested Patel and Panchal. We caught four others from Gujarat, while one was tracked to Agra and another to north India too," said an officer.Over Rs 92 lakh has been recovered so far. - Mateen Hafeez


The Times of India, June 20, 2018

Ponzi scheme unearthed, investors lose over Rs 100 crore

 

Photo used for representational purpose only

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 16, 2018, 05:58 IST

 

MUMBAI: Citizens are feared to have lost over Rs 100 crore in yet another Ponzi scheme. The city economic offences wing (EOW) began searches at the offices of Atharva 4 U Infra and Agro Pvt Ltd on Friday. The action comes two days after the police registered an FIR against four directorsof thefirm.

The accused lured unsuspecting investorswiththe promise of doubling their money.

Those named in the FIR include Shivaji Niphade, Ganesh Hajare, Sachin Gosavi and Mukesh Sudesh. “Our teams are conducting searches at the firm’sofficesin Dahisar,Dadar and Thane. We have seized a server and over half a dozen computers. Teams of forensic experts have been called in for cyber analysis of the server and computers,” said an EOW officer.


“The firm claimed it had business interests in construction, travel and tourism, educational institutions, hotels and resorts etc. The directors claimed would invest money (collected from investors) into these businesses,” said an officer.

Dahisar resident, Sneha Deware, had lodged a police complaint stating she had invested Rs 36,000 in 36 months and was promised Rs 49,000 on maturity of the scheme in 2017. However, she did not get the returns or the principal she invested.

“Investigation has revealed the accused duped victims to the tune of over Rs 100 crore,” said an officer, adding the amount could go up if more victims came forward.
Investors were given various investment options and they could start with a minimum Rs 1,000 per month.

The fraudsters had promised to double the money if invested for five years, triple return on investment for seven years and give four times return on investment if investors made a 10-year commitment.
The Times of India, June 16, 2018

Three of 20 Nigerian ‘drug peddlers’ nabbed

Mateen Hafeez | tnn | Updated: Jun 14, 2018, 04:14 IST

 

Photo used for representational purpose only

 

 

MUMBAI: After a two-hour hunt and chase, four teams of 60 police personnel nabbed three out of 20 Nigerians, suspected to be drug peddlers, from Byculla early on Wednesday.

The chase began on tracks between Byculla and Sandhurst Road railway stations and ended at P D’Mello Road after police caught three of them. 

Around two weeks back, an FIR was registered with police. Local residents at Reay Road in Mazgaon complained that foreigners, suspected to be peddling drugs, were roaming along tracks between Byculla and Sandhurst Road. The complainants told police that whenever railway police patrol the tracks, the suspects flee and come to their area, which is not under railway police’s jurisdiction. “They shuttle between the road and tracks to avoid police. There have been squabbles and heated arguments between the residents and drug peddlers. Two weeks back, after a similar incident, the residents lodged an FIR.

Byculla, JJ Marg and Agripada police station personnel, besides GRP and RPF sleuths were roped in. Four teams of 15 personnel each were formed, said a police officer.

Avinash Singte, senior inspector of Byculla police, added, “Our first team looked for suspects from Sandhurst Road to Byculla. The second was near a wall near Khada Parsi, Byculla, which is used as an exit point, while the third was near an exit point at Burhani College and the fourth at Byculla railway station.”

A senior GRP official said they had conducted raids in the past.  

The Times of India, June 14, 2018

Roza unites faiths in women’s jail

Mateen Hafeez and Mohua Das | TNN | Jun 11, 2018, 05:00 IST

 

(Representative image)

 

 

MUMBAI: Like the others, she wakes up when it is still dark for her Sehri, the pre-dawn Roza meal, so that she can abstain from food and drinks for the rest of the day. She breaks her fast at dusk and will continue to follow the Roza routine like the others until the sighting of the moon next week. But unlike the other Rozadar women, Pushpa Singh is a Hindu.

Pushpa isn’t the only one crossing the religious divide this Ramzan. In a rare gesture of communal camaraderie, as many as 25 Hindu women inmates at the Byculla women’s prison are stepping outside their egos and thresholds to observe Roza—rising, fasting and eating—together with more than a hundred of their Muslim counterparts, in the hope of good luck, good health and good companionship.

“It’s wonderful to see Hindu prisoners rise three hours before their wakeup call and follow the Roza rituals. Together, they make arrangements for over 130 people to eat. Most of them are on trial for murder, fraud and other crimes, but it’s interesting to see their faith in the almighty irrespective of their individual allegiance,” said a jail official.

Seema Patil may have been arrested for assault, but in prison she seems keen on trying out a more amicable life. “I have heard about Ramzan since I was a child, but never seen it being observed from such close quarters. Watching my fellow inmates go about their rituals made me curious and I wanted to experience it too. I don’t read the Namaz but when they pray, I sit nearby and pray too. It’s all an attempt to find a connection with God,” Patil told an officer in the jail.

Religions may contradict one another, but that has barely made a dent in this prison. Of the 317 incarcerated women in the Byculla women’s prison, 200 are Muslim. Regardless of their own faith, many fast because their fellow inmate in the same cell is fasting. Some of the Hindu inmates take care of the children as their mothers partake in Namaz and Iftaar while many others avoid turning on the television in their barracks during those hours, informed a senior jail official.

Byculla jail cell turned into ‘Ramzan barrack’

The ambience is very different during these days, especially when Muslim and Hindu prisoners go to the jail canteen together to buy fruits,” said the officer.

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With temperatures touching 40 degrees in Mumbai, special space has been made in one of the barracks for praying and breaking fast; jail timings too have been relaxed for fasting prisoners.

Aruna Mugutrao, Byculla jail’s superintendent, says, “We’ve turned one of the cells into a Ramzan barrack where Rozadar inmates are kept. Iftaar is organised in a separate barrack called Rozadar cell. It’s easier for us to manage too. Male prisoners lodged in another section of the prison cook the Sehri meals.”
Navratri, hoping their prayers too would be heard.


(Names changed for privacy)


The Times of India, June 11, 2018

DRI seizes 14 Chinese drones worth Rs 14 lakh

 

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 10, 2018, 03:39 IST

 

 MUMBAI: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Friday seized a Rs 14 lakh consignment of 14 high-quality drones, which are banned in India. The consignment had arrived from China. At least three major companies are under the scanner for alleged complicity in smuggling in the drones, officials said. 

 

 

The drones were concealed in a consignment of children’s toys.

The use and import of drones was ‘restricted’ by a notification in 2016 by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). It is mandatory to seek prior permission from directorate-general of civil aviation and an import licence from DGFT for import of drones. 

 

 

The Times of India, June 11, 2018

Charge-sheet filed against housing conman

Mateen Hafeez | TNN | Jun 9, 2018, 04:08 IST

 

(Representative image)

 

 

MUMBAI: The city economic offences wing (EOW), which probed a housing scam, has submitted a charge-sheet against Madhukar Suryavanshi (48), for cheating over 700 buyers of over Rs 10 crore.

The resident of Damu Nagar slums in Kandivli (E) was arrested by EOW in February. He had promised to develop affordable housing in Malad, Borivli and Titwala, said an EOW officer. Suryavanshi is currently in Harsul jail, near Aurangabad, where he is facing three other criminal cases against him. 

Ironically, Suryavanshi, who promised to build houses for investors, himself lived in a slum. He had formed Samyak Nivas Haqqa Sangh, and rented out an office in Parel in 2010. He publicised his project by word-of-mouth.

The investors were from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Ahmednagar and other districts of Maharashtra. The charge-sheet contains the statements of victims, their bank transaction details of payments, details of Suryavanshi’s bank accounts and money he collected and paid to other people for buying plots and raw material.

It said Suryavanshi had bought a site in Titwala and took some buyers there to show them the project. Police said he had used investors’ money to buy the plot. Once the money stopped coming in, his project was also stopped.

 

The Times of  India, June 9, 2018

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