The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a Gujarat resident from Akola in Maharashtra in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 25. Salmanbhai Iqbalbhai Vohra, a resident of Petlad in Gujarat's Anand district, was arrested from Balapur in Akola. The 66-year-old NCP leader was gunned down on October 12 near his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra East's Nirmal Nagar area. Vohra is alleged to have provided financial support to some of the accused in the case, including the brother of arrested accused Gurmail Singh.
"A few days back, Najeeb's mother had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and requested for a CBI probe in the matter. In order to get a different perspective on the case and have a fresh look at the evidence, the matter was transferred from South District to Crime Branch yesterday," another senior officer said.
The Gujarat police have arrested three individuals for allegedly acquiring hacked videos of women patients and selling them through YouTube and Telegram. The accused, who hail from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, reportedly used international hackers to obtain the clips, which appeared to be from CCTV footage of a Rajkot-based hospital. The police identified and arrested the trio who were allegedly running this racket, after videos of women patients being examined by doctors inside the labour room of a hospital were circulated online.
The Bombay High Court expressed its dismay over the Maharashtra government's failure to register an FIR against five policemen involved in the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, despite an explicit court order. The court, alleging a deliberate attempt to disregard its directives, threatened contempt proceedings against senior CID officers for non-compliance. The case pertains to Shinde's death while in police custody, accused of sexually assaulting two kindergarten girls in Badlapur. An inquiry report by a magistrate indicted the five policemen, suggesting a possible fake encounter. The court emphasized the importance of following the rule of law and stated that the government's inaction would send a detrimental message to society.
Eight individuals, including seven posing as students and one as a professor, were apprehended at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai while attempting to illegally immigrate to London. The accused, who claimed to be part of an exchange program, were caught at the airport's immigration checkpoint and were found to be using forged documents and false information to obtain UK visas. The incident involved alleged human trafficking, with the accused reportedly paying Rs 20 lakh each to an agent for facilitating their illegal immigration. The case has been handed over to the Sahar Police, and the crime branch is investigating further.
Mangaluru Police in Karnataka have seized over 37 kg of MDMA, valued at Rs 75 crore, marking the biggest-ever drug haul in the state. Two South African nationals were arrested in Bengaluru in connection with the case. The operation stemmed from an earlier arrest six months ago, leading authorities to an international drug network with links to traffickers using air routes between Delhi and Bengaluru. The arrested individuals are suspected of supplying drugs to Nigerian peddlers and using forged passports and visas for travel. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lauded the police operation and highlighted the government's commitment to building a drug-free society.
Police in Nagpur, Maharashtra, have formed 18 special teams to track down and arrest those involved in the violence that erupted in the city on Monday. As of Thursday, 69 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, while 200 accused have been identified and another 1,000 suspects are being investigated based on CCTV footage. The violence, which was sparked by rumors about a religious artifact being burnt during protests, led to injuries to 33 police personnel and damage to property.
The fresh threat comes in the wake of the recent murder of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique.
Crime Branch officials of Mumbai Police collected CCTV footage from a mobile shop in Dadar visited by the alleged suspect to purchase earphones after stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan at his apartment. The suspect had visited the shop, "Iqra".
Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil on Thursday showered praise on the Mumbai Crime Branch, which is investigating the 26/11 terrorist attacks, and claimed that the investigation done by it compelled Pakistan to finally admit that Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was a Pakistani.Patil told reporters that the Mumbai Crime Branch investigated the case properly and collected evidences systematically, which forced Pakistan to admit that Kasab was its national.
The crime branch named 29 accused in the 4,590-page charge sheet, including 26 already arrested and three wanted persons, including Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
A family in Noida was duped of over Rs 1 crore after they were kept under 'digital arrest' for five days by unknown people posing as government officials. The scammers threatened the family with arrest by making video calls and claiming to be investigating money laundering and other crimes. This is a new type of cyber fraud where the accused pose as law enforcement agency officials and use video calls to intimidate their victims.
During the Gudhi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyad Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist from the November 26 terrorist attack on Mumbai who was shifted to Arthur Road Jail for an identification parade, was brought back to Crime Branch lock-up on Monday, police sources said. "About 20 witnesses, who participated in the identification parade, have identified Kasab. He was brought back to the Crime Branch in the wee hours," one officer said.
The police arrested the accused on Thursday and booked him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, an official said.
The accused has been identified as Bhagwat Singh Om Singh (32), originally from Udaipur in Rajasthan who is currently staying in Navi Mumbai.
Lokesh Sharma, the former OSD of Rajasthan's ex-chief minister Ashok Gehlot, has turned approver in a phone tapping case that happened during the political crisis in the state in 2020. Sharma was accused of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations. He has alleged that Gehlot was involved in tapping of phones and gave evidence to support his claim. Sharma claims that he was directed by Gehlot to circulate recordings of phone calls to the media.
The probe into the mysterious death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, was today transferred to the elite Crime Branch of Delhi Police, a week after she was found dead in a luxury hotel in the national capital
Jailed journalist Mahesh Langa, already facing multiple charges, has been booked in a fresh case for allegedly extorting Rs 40 lakh from a real estate agent by threatening to malign his image and implicate him in a false case. This is the fifth FIR registered against him since his arrest in October 2023 for an alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam. The latest case was registered based on a complaint by Janak Thakor, a real estate agent, who alleged that Langa threatened to write negative articles about him and trap him in a false case unless he paid the money. Langa has been in jail since his arrest in October and is facing charges in four previous cases registered by Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Rajkot police.
A social activist has been summoned by the Mohali police after his number was found in the call records of two mobile phones of Anuradha Bali alias Fiza, the estranged second wife of former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan found dead on Monday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has alleged that leaders of the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were involved in a "conspiracy" against his cabinet colleague Jaykumar Gore in a case involving a woman. Fadnavis said there was proof of communication between NCP leaders Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar, and one of the accused in the case where three persons, including the woman, have been arrested for trying to extort money from Gore. He also pointed to Gore's acquittal more than five years ago in a case involving the woman's allegations of harassment. Fadnavis emphasized that opposition and ruling parties are political opponents and not enemies. The CM also criticized the behavior of some opposition members in the state assembly, accusing them of insulting the House and pressuring ministers.
The motice was issued on the basis of applications filed by Shiv Sena activist Amit Chouhan and four suspended police officers.
As per the advisory of cyber-security agency CERT-In, a digital arrest is the one in which victims receive a phone call, an e-mail or a message claiming they are under investigation for illegal activities, such as identity theft or money laundering.
The army termed the incident as "very unfortunate," and said it would not allow the guilty to go scot-free. "We have constituted a board of officers to carry out a proper search of the area including the houses adjoining the scene of the incident. The process of search is going on in detail," Brigadier (administration) Sashi Nair told reporters
A Bangladeshi national, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), has been arrested for stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan at his residence in Mumbai. The Mumbai police apprehended the accused after a two-day manhunt with the help of a labour contractor who provided crucial information. The attacker was tracked down to a labour camp in Thane. Khan, who underwent emergency surgery, is recovering and may be discharged soon.
Mumbai police had arrested Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a resident of Haryana and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), from Uttar Pradesh, whereas there one aide, who was at the spot during the firing, fled from the spot.
How did the thug access Saif Ali Khan's home?
Mumbai Police arrested a budding songwriter for allegedly sending threat messages to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and demanding Rs 5 crore from him in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Sohail Pasha, held from Raichur in Karnataka, wanted a song written by him to become famous and used this ploy for the purpose, police claimed.
Baba Siddique murder: Pune scrap shop owner held
The chief minister's office said the special team will be headed by IG Sparjan Kumar and will include four senior women IPS officers of the state.
The Bombay high court on Monday ordered a first information report (FIR) against five policemen for the custodial death of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde, allegedly shot dead in a police van in September 2024, and setting up of an Special Investigation Team, noting that a prima facie offence is disclosed.
He said Gehlot could tell how he got the call recordings and whether the call interceptions were done legally or not.
Shivkumar Gautam, the alleged main shooter in the Baba Siddique murder case, remained at the spot for 20 minutes after the Nationalist Congress Party leader was gunned down on October 12, an official said on Thursday.
Actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked with a knife at his Mumbai apartment, leaving him grievously injured. The intruder, captured on CCTV footage, is seen escaping through the staircase. Police are examining the footage and have formed several teams to apprehend the suspect. Khan was operated upon at Lilavati Hospital to remove a piece of knife lodged in his spine. The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday after the intruder gained entry into Khan's flat. The actor's representatives described the incident as a "burglary attempt." Police are investigating whether the intruder entered the building earlier in the night.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday that police officer Sachin Vaze will be removed from the Crime Branch and posted in some other department.
The police also mentioned that the accused had done recce of Baba Siddiqui's house and office premises and were in Mumbai for one and a half to two months and were keeping an eye on him.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized its biggest-ever cryptocurrency worth Rs 1,646 crore in a money laundering investigation into a fraud investment scheme called BitConnect. The scheme, which ran between 2016 and 2018, promised investors high returns through a proprietary trading bot but was found to be a sham. The ED tracked transactions through the dark web and seized the cryptocurrency from numerous wallets. This is the agency's largest-ever seizure of virtual digital assets and the investigation is ongoing.
The Mumbai crime branch conducted the raid with the help of the district police in Goalpukur.
'There are 10 detection teams working in different directions.'
It is important to note that confessions made to the police under MCOCA are admissible as evidence in court. It is also difficult to secure bail under the MCOCA.
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