Mumbai News Highlights: Crime branch starts probe into Sena (UBT) leader Ghosalkar’s death; ‘don’t politicise killing,’ says Dy CM Fadnavis

Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut slams BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the party has ignored Sena founder late Bal Thackeray while announcing the Bharat Ratna. 

"Prime Minister Modi who calls himself Hindutva-vadi has once again forgotten Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray. The first two and now three leaders have been honoured with Bharat Ratna in barely one month. However, neither Veer Savarkar nor Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray who deserve Bharat Ratna more than anyone else have been fully ignored. Actually, in one year, three people can be honoured with Bharat Ratna. But PM Modi has announced five Bharat Ratnas. Clearly, elections are around the corner," Raut said

"After Karpuri Thakur and L K Advani, today Chaudhary Charan Singh, P V Narasimha Rao and M S Swaminathan have been honoured with Bharat Ratna. Other leaders are waiting too. But why has the PM forgotten Shri Balasaheb Thackeray who is the real architect behind the Hindu wave sweeping the country? And remember, it is because of Balasaheb, PM Modi could hold the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya," Raut added.

Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis was on Friday slammed by the opposition in Maharashtra for his apparent off the cuff remarks over the killing of former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar during a Facebook Live event.

Replying to a query during a media interaction, Fadnavis, who is also the state deputy chief minister, termed the opposition's charges as politically motivated.

“This (Ghosalkar's killing) is a serious incident, but even if a dog were to come under a vehicle, they (opposition) will seek the home minister's resignation,” Fadnavis said. State Congress president Nana Patole said the remarks by Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, were irresponsible.

“If this is the reaction of Fadnavis, then it is unfortunate,” Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad said. “The law and order situation in the state is in a shambles and Fadnavis should resign, owing moral responsibility,” the former minister added. (PTI)

Mumbai Police on Friday arrested accused Mauris Noronha's bodyguard, whose pistol was allegedly used in the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, under the Arms Act.

The crime branch of police, which is probing the case, had detained bodyguard Amarendra Mishra for questioning earlier in the day.

He was booked under section 29 (B) of the Arms Act which deals with the offence of handing over a weapon to someone without ascertaining if the person is legally permitted to possess it, an official said. Noronha, a local businessman and `social worker', shot Ghosalkar during Facebook Live in suburban Borivali (West) on Thursday evening and then killed himself. As per police, he used a pistol for which Mishra held the license. (PTI)

A day after The Indian Express published a report on how Ratnagiri Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) which is executing the Konkan refinery project had made a payment of Rs 4.44 lakh to Pandharinath Amberkar, who is accused of killing journalist Shashikant Warishe in Rajapur, State Industries Minister Uday Samant said on Friday that an inquiry would be conducted as to why and for what purpose the money had been transferred.

“If it has been revealed during the police investigation and contains facts, then action would be taken against those responsible for it. An inquiry will be conducted about everything which is revealed in the investigation,” Samant said.

Read more here.

Amerinder Mishra, the bodyguard of Mauris Noronha will be arrested in The Arms Act (1959) case, as the gun was not registered in Mumbai. Amerinder did not register it with Mumbai Police, the gun was registered in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh. According to police, five rounds were fired of which four hit the former corporator and there were three exit wounds.

Abhishek Ghosalkar's final journey from his residence in Borivali to the crematorium.

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty.

People gather to mourn the death of Abhishek Ghosalkar, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar, at their residence at Borivali East in Mumbai—Express Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee.

State Industries Minister Uday Samant commented on Indian Express's report that, "If it has been revealed during the police investigation and contains fact, then action would be taken against those who are responsible for it and it will not be supported by anyone. An inquiry would be conducted about everything which is revealed in the investigation."

When asked if there would be any inquiry into RRPCL, Samant said  "Instead of saying the inquiry of RRPCL, the inquiry would be conducted of whoever  has paid the money. If it is there in the investigation, then it would be inquired as to why and for what purpose the money was transferred by that person. Everything would be checked and if anyone is found guilty then action would be taken,"Samant said.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "The entire incident of UBT leader Abhishek Ghosalkar being shot dead & accused killing himself is serious & saddening...No one should politicize this incident. The investigation is underway..." 

The latest update from the Crime Branch investigation into Abhishek Ghosalkar's murder reveals that the firearm used by Mauris Noronha was not registered under his name. Authorities are checking whether the individual who owned the weapon possessed the necessary official license for its ownership.

Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said, " It is my ardent appeal to everybody don't politicize the Abhishek Ghosalkar killing. It is very unfortunate incident. A young aspiring leader's career was curtailed this way."The investigation is underway. The incident points to personal rivalry.

The police investigation has thrown some pointers. Various aspects are being looked into. Once all the details are ascertained exact reason and what lead to such incident will be established. There is no law and order issue in  Maharashtra.

The incident took place out of personal rivalry.

The Mumbai Crime Branch has initiated an investigation into the murder of Shiv Sena leader Abhishek Ghosalkar and the subsequent suicide of his assailant, Mauris Noronha, during a Facebook Live event.

The Crime Branch is focusing on determining the source of the weapon, Noronha's state of intoxication, and interviewing witnesses.

The case has been transferred to the Crime Branch due to its seriousness, with police officials visiting the crime scene and conducting inquiries.

Meanwhile, supporters gathered outside the hospital where Ghosalkar was taken, necessitating heavy police presence.

The NCP group under Sharad Pawar on Friday demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar.

The opposition leader said CM Shinde must take immediate cognisance of this situation as he too is responsible for the safety of the people and is answerable for any lawlessness. (PTI)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar condemned the murder of Shiv Sena leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, which occurred during a Facebook Live, describing it as "wrong and unfortunate."

He assured a thorough investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch to uncover the circumstances leading to the crime. Pawar noted that the conversation between Ghosalkar and his assailant appeared cordial, suggesting a friendly relationship.

The incident follows a recent shooting involving a BJP MLA and a Shiv Sena leader. Sena MP Sanjay Raut demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis over Ghosalkar's murder, but Pawar dismissed this as political opportunism.

Pawar also announced that Mumbai Congress leader Baba Siddique would join the NCP, emphasizing the party's unity under his leadership. Regarding internal party matters, Pawar addressed the issue of factionalism within the NCP, mentioning Prashant Jagtap's resignation as Pune unit president but highlighting efforts to reconcile differences within the party.

The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the murder of Shiv Sena leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, who was shot during a Facebook Live by a local activist, Mauris Noronha, who then killed himself.

The incident occurred at Noronha's office in IC Colony, Borivali.

The investigation will focus on various aspects such as the source of the weapon, Noronha's state at the time, and questioning witnesses. Both Ghosalkar and Noronha had personal issues, but the Facebook Live was meant to reconcile their differences for the betterment of the IC Colony area.

The police are examining Noronha's alcohol consumption and have collected his blood samples.

Sena supporters gathered at the hospital where Ghosalkar was taken, prompting heavy police deployment. Ghosalkar's body has been sent for post-mortem. The incident follows another recent shooting involving a BJP MLA, prompting Chief Minister Shinde to launch a probe. (PTI)

Mauris Noronha shot Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar today at Dahisar in Mumbai when Abhishekh and Mauris were live on Facebook. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Vilas Potnis told The Indian Express that Mauris Noronho shot Abhishek Ghosalkar. "Abhishek and Mauris had a dispute in the past but recently their dispute was sorted. Mauris had called Abhishek for an event at his office and during the event he took him inside his cabin and shot him. He fired three bullets shots using his revolver. Later he also shoot himself,' Potnis said. 

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

Mauris Noronha who likes to refer to himself as Mauris Bhai is a 49 -year-old businessman and resides in Borivali. Noronha who earlier worked in Dubai and in the United States had set up a finance business in Borivali.Noronha who describes himself as a philanthropist and social worker was also keen on contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. Mauris Noronha shot Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar today at Dahisar in Mumbai when Abhishekh and Mauris were live on Facebook.

Mauris had gained substantial press coverage for his social work during the pandemic and was felicitated by the then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari as a COVID warrior.

In 2022 he was arrested by the MHB Colony Police for allegedly blackmailing, raping, cheating and threatening a 48-year-old homemaker of Rs 88 lakh since 2014.

"I am saying this everyday that there is a rule of gangsters in Maharashtra. Chief Minister and his people meet goons everyday and induct then into their party. Home minister has disappeared and state is in the hands of gangsters. That's why there is no fear of law in the state and police are left to only serve the Shinde gang(faction)," said Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Sanjay Raut after son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar; Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot in Dahisar, northern suburbs of Mumbai on Thursday evening.

"Firing on Abhishek Ghosalkar is shocking. Abhishek is fighting for his life and Home Minister Fadnavis is doing Chai Pe Charcha. Fadnavis must resign!," Raut said. 

The son of former Shiv Sena(UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, Abhishek was the former corporator of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

A resident of Kandharpada area in Dahisar, Ghosalkar is known to be a youth leader of the Shiv Sena(UBT) and was two-term corporator from ward number 7. 

Abhishek, who is also the Vibhag Pramukh of Shiv Sena(UBT) of Dahisar area is considered to be close to Aaditya Thackeray, son of former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena(UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.  Abhishek's wife was also a corporator from ward number 1.

"Extremely shocking what is happening in Maharashtra. Today in Mumbai's Dahirsar, Abhishek Ghosalkar, a former corporator and the son of senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar has been shot at. Mumbai is not used this kind of terror on the streets," wrote Mumbai Congress Committee President Varsha Gaikwad in a post on the social media X after son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar; Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot in Dahisar, northern suburbs of Mumbai on Thursday evening.

"In the past few weeks, purported photos of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and their sons meeting individuals with criminal backgrounds have surfaced. The law and order situation in Maharashtra is deteriorating day by day. What is the home minister doing?," wrote Gaikwad in the post.  

"Now no citizen is safe in Maharashtra. There is an atmosphere of jungle raj in the state. Firing is taking place in the city in a broad daylight. There should be an immediate investigation into who are the goons who shot our former corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar. This government has failed," said Anand Dubey, Spokesperson, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar; Abhishek Ghosalkar, has been shot in Dahisar, northern suburbs of Mumbai on Thursday evening.  

"There is a government of goons in the state. There is no law and order in the state. First the firing took place  in Kalyan and now it is taking place in Mumbai,"Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Vilas Potnis told The Indian Express that Abhisek's condition is very critical. He also said that the person who shot at Abhishek is Mauris Noronho. 

Son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar; Abhishek Ghosalkar, has been shot in Dahisar, northern suburbs of Mumbai on Thursday evening."Abhishek and Mauris had a dispute in the past but recently their dispute was sorted. Mauris had called Abhishek for an event at his office and during the event he took him inside his cabin and shot him. He fired three bullets shots using his revolver. Later he also shoot himself,' Potnis said.

Son of former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vinod Ghosalkar; Abhishek Ghosalkar, has been shot in Dahisar, northern suburbs of Mumbai on Thursday evening. The seriously injured Abhishek, who was also a former corporator, was rushed to a nearby private hospital. It is suspected that a person known to Abhishek has fired three bullets at him over some dispute. The police and the local crime branch are investigating the matter.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday alleged that MLA Ravindra Waikar, who is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, has been threatened with arrest if he did not leave the party.

In a post on X, the Rajya Sabha member said such threats amounted to intimidation.

Waikar, a former Maharashtra minister, is a loyal worker of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and will not buckle under pressure, he added.

Last month, the ED raided seven properties linked to Waikar in a money laundering case related to the construction of a luxury hotel in suburban Jogeshwari in alleged violation of an agreement with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Waikar represents the Jogeshwari assembly constituency. (PTI)

The Maharashtra government on Thursday issued a circular asking schools to start classes for pre-primary to standard IV from 9am onwards.

The move from the state school education department came after Governor Ramesh Bais, in a speech in the first week of December last year, indicated his aversion to the early timings for primary classes.

"Those schools having timing of their pre-primary to 4th standard classes before 9 am should change their timings and start the classes at 9 am or later. School managements that find it difficult to change their timings must approach the district education officer concerned and find a solution," the circular said.

It added that schools should not have difficulty in following teaching hours prescribed in the Right to Education Act 2009.

The circular, which had a reference to the governor's comments, said changes in lifestyle, including going to bed late, loud music and access to various means of entertainment, had resulted in students not getting adequate and proper sleep. (PTI)

The Maharashtra government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with search engine giant Google to utilize Artificial Intelligence for solutions in sectors like agriculture, healthcare and education.

The MoU was signed at the company's office here in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Sanjay Gupta, country head and vice president, Google India; and state chief secretary Nitin Kareer.

Ambadas Danve, the Opposition leader in the state legislative council demands an inquiry into the payment of Rs 4.44 lakh made by RRPCL into the bank account of Pandharinath Amberkar who is accused of killing journalist Shashikant Warishe in Rajapur.

Shashikant Warishe, 48, was killed in 2023 allegedly for opposing a Central refinery project in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district alleging environmental violations. The prime accused, Pandharinath Amberkar, is in jail facing charges including that of murder and destroying evidence. He is alleged to have rammed Warishe’s scooter with his SUV and run him over.

Not only did Amberkar threaten Warishe with death, as the chargesheet filed by the Ratnagiri Police states, he and his network of family members were involved in a slew of land transactions in and around villages where the project is proposed, an investigation by The Indian Express in collaboration with Paris-based consortium Forbidden Stories, has revealed.

An investigation of land records of the past three years shows that the accused, Pandharinath Amberkar; his sister Pratiksha Khadpe; and his nephew (cousin’s son) Akshay Amberkar; are linked to more than 30 land transactions covering over 10.2 hectares and worth an estimated Rs 2.8 crore.

That’s not all, police records also reveal that RRPCL paid Rs 4.44 lakh to Pandharinath Amberkar in December 2022 in lieu of “logistics services.”

Read more about Express investigation with Forbidden Stories

Income tax raids were initiated on Pradeep Sharma, accused in Mansukh Hiran murder case, and retired IAS Nirmal Deshmukh. 

Pradeep, one of the ten persons arrested by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Antilia terror threat case was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August 2023. On February 25, 2021, a Scorpio vehicle containing gelatin sticks was found outside Antilia – the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. A few days later on March 5, Thane-resident Mansukh Hiren, whose Scorpio vehicle had been used for the threat, was found dead in the case. In September 2021, the National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against 10 persons including dismissed cop Sachin Waze and retired ACP Pradeep Sharma among others. 

Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Ziauddin Siddique, popularly known as Baba Siddique, on Thursday said he had resigned from the party and will be joining the Ajit Pawar led-NCP.

Later, talking to reporters, Siddique said, "I will go with the Ajit Pawar group. My journey will be from Congress to Nationalist Congress Party." The Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, recognized as the real NCP by the Election Commission earlier this week, is part of the ruling coalition in the state.

Siddique will hold a rally on February 10 and it will be attended by corporators and Zilla Parishad members from across Maharashtra, Siddique said. 

Baba Siddique is the second senior Mumbai Congress leader to leave the party in the last one month after former Union minister Milind Deora joined the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in January.

A prominent Muslim face of the Mumbai Congress, Siddique served as a minister when the Congress-NCP coalition was in power in Maharashtra. (PTI)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the party's central leadership will take a call on whether to nominate leader Pankaja Munde for the Rajya Sabha elections, give ticket for the Lok Sabha polls or offer any other post in the party.

He also said that it was up to the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to decide candidates for the upcoming elections to the Upper House of Parliament.

Munde is currently the BJP secretary. She was a minister during the Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra between 2014-19.

Munde, who is late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde's daughter, had lost the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections. She was denied a nomination to the state legislative council, elections for which were held in June 2022. (PTI)

Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty

The accounts officer of the trust that manages the famous Tulja Bhavani temple in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 6 lakh, a police official said on Thursday.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday nabbed accused Siddheshwar Shinde (39) from the premises of the temple in Tuljapur town on the complaint of a contractor.

The complainant had got a contract for developmental work worth Rs 3.88 crore at a local Sainik school run by the Tulja Bhavani Temple Trust. He has completed 90 per cent of the work, the official said.

Accounts officer Shinde has scrutinised and cleared the contractor's bills of over Rs 2 crore so far. However, he allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from the contractor to get the remaining amount released and also help in the return of the security deposit of Rs 34.6 lakh, an official said. (PTI)

With Baba Siddique quitting Congress party ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections for six seats from Maharashtra, speculations are rife over his switch to Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Recently, talks on Siddique and his son Zeeshan changing loyalties were prominent in political circles.

“I have always liked Ajit Pawar and his style of functioning. I wished that a leader like him should have been in our party. But I have no plan to quit the Congress as of now. I cannot comment about the future,” Siddique had told a news agency. Read more

"I joined the Indian National Congress party as a young teenager and it has been a significant journey lasting 48 years. Today I resign from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress Party @INCIndia with immediate effect. There’s a lot I would have liked to express but as they say some things are better left unsaid. I thank everyone who has been a part of this journey," Baba Siddique wrote on X.

The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has acted on the orders of a court and registered a case against a retired police officer and two of his subordinates in connection with a bribe of Rs 2.25 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.

Retired ACP (assistant commissioner of police) Sudhir Kalekar, earlier posted as senior inspector of Borivali police station, has been booked in the case along with his juniors – inspector Arvind Ghag and sub-inspector Swapnali Mande.

Mande had allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 2.25 lakh on behalf of both the cops to help a woman get her jewellery back from her estranged husband and in-laws and punish them in a domestic violence case, the official said.

ACB Mumbai on Tuesday registered the case against Kalekar, Ghag and Mande under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the court's direction. (PTI)

Stand-up and actor Kapil Sharma has told ED that car designer Dilip Chhabria, accused of cheating several celebrities, tried to shift blame onto him for the non-delivery of a customised vehicle that he had ordered and resorted to illegal ways of extracting money from him.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recorded the statement of Mohammed Hamid, the authorised representative of Sharma, as part of its chargesheet filed against Chhabria in a money laundering case.

A special PMLA court, presiding over the case, on Wednesday took cognizance of the chargesheet and issued summons to Chhabria and six other accused in the case.

They have been asked to appear before it on February 26.

The ED case is based on three FIRs registered against the accused, including a cheating case filed by Sharma.

In his statement before ED, the actor's representative said that Sharma, the sole proprietor of K9 Productions, had approached Chhabria for the purchase of a customised vanity van in December 2016. (PTI)

The Sharad Pawar-led group of the NCP on Wednesday said it will approach the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's order recognising the rival Ajit Pawar faction as the "real" party and allotting it the "clock" election symbol.

Clyde Crasto, a spokesperson of the 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar', the name allotted by the EC for the group led by the former Union minister, said the poll panel's order goes against a Supreme Court directive which gives importance to a political party over its legislative wing in case of a dispute.

"We will obviously go to the Supreme Court. There is a Supreme Court directive which says that legislative party cannot be chosen over the political party. So if the decision has gone against the Supreme Court's verdict then we will go approach to the Supreme Court because we have faith in it," Crasto said.

On Tuesday, the EC gave the Nationalist Congress Party name and the "clock" election symbol to the group led by Ajit Pawar, who had walked away with a majority NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly in July last year and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government. (PTI)

The Mumbai police have arrested a 45-year-old tailor for allegedly kidnapping a person and extracting nearly Rs 2 lakh from him, an official said on Wednesday.

The police have also recovered a firearm from accused Abdul Sattar Roshan Khan, said the official from Kurla police station.

Khan, who has a criminal background, is accused of kidnapping a man last month and forcing the victim to transfer Rs 1.81 lakh to his account. He had been on the run since then.

Acting on a tip-off, the police recently arrested Khan near the Kanakia mall at Kurla and recovered a country-made pistol and two live cartridges, he said.

Khan has been arrested under the Arms Act and kidnapping charges will be pressed against him in due course, the official added. (PTI)

Police have recovered the control unit of an electronic voting machine (EVM) after it was allegedly stolen from the office of a revenue official in Maharashtra's Pune district, and nabbed two persons in this connection, an official said on Wednesday.

The incident of theft had occurred at the office of a tehsildar in Saswad on February 3 and a CCTV footage of the offence surfaced on social media.

"Three thieves allegedly stole the control unit of the EVM and some stationary material from the tehsildar office. The incident came to light on Monday," a senior police official said.

The stolen control unit of the EVM was recovered within 24 hours of the theft, he said.

"We nabbed two persons involved in the crime and the control unit was recovered from them in Jejuri area of the district. We are investigating the matter further," he added. (PTI)

Three men, originally from Tamil Nadu, arrested by Mumbai Police started their boat journey from Kuwait on January 28 and claimed to have taken Saudi Arabia-Dubai-Pakistan route before entering Indian shores illegally, as per the police remand note. Court has remanded them to police custody till February 10. 

Police have recovered GPS from the boat which needs to be sent for analysis to get clarity on the route taken by the three from Kuwait to India, as per the remand note submitted in the court. 

The trio had gone to Kuwait from Trivandrum in Kerala two years back through an agent, identified as Captain Madan, for employment, police stated.

They were working as fishermen with one Abdulla Sharheed, who had kept their passports with him. The trio claimed that they were not paid wages regularly and that they were assaulted.

“The accused persons claim to have complained about the same to a local police station in Kuwait and with the Indian embassy there. However, when they failed to get any response, the trio decided to flee,” the police said.

Since the three have crossed international borders, the police need to verify if they met anyone, whether they committed any offence in Kuwait or if they carried any suspicious article or individual on the boat during their travel, and if they have committed any act that would be detrimental to national and international safety, the note stated. (PTI)

Election Commission of India (ECI) grants the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP the name of Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar for the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra a day after announcing that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) name and its clock symbol would go to the Ajit Pawar-led group. Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadchandra Pawar group said it would also approach the Supreme Court against the poll panel’s decision. The three options provided by the Sharad Pawar faction to EC for a new name were: Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadchandra Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadrao Pawar and NCP- Sharad Pawar.

The Navi Mumbai police have registered a murder case against a 27-year-old man in connection with the discovery of a body from the water tank of a dilapidated building recently, an official said.

Uran resident Sayarali Jalil Sheikh was booked on Wednesday under IPC section 302 on the complaint of the brother of victim Imdadul Pachu Sheikh (35), he said.

Citing the FIR, the official said that a friend of the accused had sought refuge at the victim's place for a brief respite. Sayarali was apparently furious when Imadul asked his friend to leave his room.

Between December 16 and December 21 last year, Sayarali allegedly fatally attacked Imadul and hid the body in an empty water tank of a dilapidated building at Chirle near Uran. (PTI)

A suspicious object was found in a state transport bus in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Wednesday and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) later took it away for inspection, police said.

The object was found near the driver's seat in the vehicle at the Ganeshpeth bus depot, a senior police official said.

The entire area was cordoned off and teams of the BDDS and dog squads were deployed at the depot.

'It appeared to be an explosive,' the official said.

The BDDS took away the object for inspection and disposal, the police added. (PTI)

A 65-year-old man died by falling down an uncovered drain in Mumbai on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Omprakash Sharma. 

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) disaster control cell, a fire broke out at Sawant Marg which is located between Borivali and Dahisar in the western suburbs around 2 am during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, following which fire engines were pressed into operation. However, officials from Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) said that on arrival at the scene they found one person had fallen in an open drain. 

'The drain was 20 feet deep and we had to pull the person out by using rope and hooks. This person was rescued safely and was sent to the hospital for treatment,' said an official. 

The deceased was declared dead by hospital authorities at 4:15 am. The officials said the fire was extinguished within a short span and nobody sustained any burn injury.

Court has remanded three persons from Tamil Nadu who came to Mumbai by boat from Kuwait to police custody till February 1. Mumbai police on Wednesday arrested them and seized a fishing boat after registered a case for illegally crossing international border and entering India without any license or passport.

The three people were found moving suspiciously along the city’s coast on Tuesday.

The Mumbai police have found more than 200 files and documents, pertaining to cases being examined by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in possession of some persons arrested last month for allegedly trying to extort Rs 164 crore from a real estate developer, officials said on Wednesday.

The six accused arrested in the extortion case had threatened ED action against the real estate developer or even kill him if he did not cough up money, police earlier said.

During the probe, the crime branch team found the accused persons had more than 200 files and papers pertaining to cases which are being examined by the ED, an official said.

These details came to light during the interrogation of the accused, he said.

The police suspect the arrested persons might have extorted more than Rs 100 crore from businessmen and builders by threatening them with ED action against them, he said.

The papers found with the arrested persons also include those pertaining to the Mahadev betting app case in which more than 30 people have been named as accused, the official said. (PTI)

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said those who murdered democracy after the 2019 state assembly elections have now realised the real power of democracy.

His remark came a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and also allotted the party's poll symbol 'wall clock' to his group. The decision came as a setback to party founder Sharad Pawar.

"The Election Commission's decision is a victory of democracy and majority, especially in view of what happened after the 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra. People's mandate was rejected and democracy was murdered at that time," Fadnavis said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the undivided Shiv Sena had contested the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections together. But after the results, the Sena snapped ties with the BJP and joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to form Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. (PTI)

The supporters of the Sharad Pawar faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday protested outside Pune headquarters against the decision of the Election Commission (EC).

A day earlier, the EC announced that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) name and its clock symbol would go to the Ajit Pawar-led group.

(Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

Mumbai continues to swelter at above normal temperatures as the Santacruz observatory, on Wednesday, recorded a maximum temperature of 33 degrees, which is a departure of two degrees above the normal.

At Santacruz station, the minimum temperatures were recorded at 21 degrees, which is four degrees above normal.

The city will witness mainly clear skies for the next 24 days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

A day after Election Commission (EC) announced that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) name and its clock symbol would go to the Ajit Pawar-led group, the Sharad Pawar faction will announce his outfit’s name and symbol on Wednesday.

The group said it would also approach the Supreme Court against the poll panel’s decision.

The EC in its order asked the Pawar group to “claim a new name” and “provide three preferences” by Wednesday 4 pm.