Mumbai News Highlights: Fire breaks out at Thane mall, destroys two shops

The Income Tax (I-T) Department has been carrying out searches at the business premises linked to 360 ONE WAM, formerly known as IIFL Wealth and Asset Management, and its founder, MD and CEO, Karan Bhagat, in Mumbai since early Tuesday morning. The searches are related to charges of tax evasion, I-T officials said.

All the business premises of 360 ONE have been sealed by the income tax department to undertake their searches, officials added.

Calls and messages to 360 ONE did not elicit any response.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed officials to make special arrangements for treating Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) patients.

Fadnavis reviewed the preparedness to tackle patients infected with GBS, an immunological nerve disorder, in the state Cabinet meeting.

The state Public Health Department said Pune so far reported 111 GBS cases of which 80 are in the radius of 5 km.

The Health Department said 35,000 households and 94,000 people are (medically) inspected and the assistance of the National Institute of Immunology is being taken.

A suspected GBS patient had died in Solapur district, making him possibly the first GBS-linked fatality in Maharashtra.

The 40-year-old native of Solapur is suspected to have contracted the infection during his visit to Pune.

Fadnavis said the Kamla Nehru Hospital in Pune and Yeshwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pimpri-Chinchwad are designated as two dedicated hospitals for GBS patients to ensure them proper treatment. PTI

The Maharashtra government will organise an international-level Marathi film festival from this year, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said on Tuesday.

The objective was to promote the regional film industry and provide a platform for films that do not reach the audiences, he said at a press conference here.

He also announced nominations for the preliminary round of the 60th State Marathi Film Awards besides winners in the technical and child artist categories.

"The State Marathi Film Awards have been held regularly for the last 60 years. But there is no official, government-organised film festival. While various institutions in the state hold international film festivals with the government providing assistance ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs four crore, we do not have an official state-level event," the minister said. PTI

Some 20 residents of a 15-storey building here were rescued after a fire broke out in its electric duct on Tuesday afternoon, a civic official said.

No one was injured in the incident at Krishna Society in Panch Pakhadi area, said municipal Disaster Management Cell chief Yasin Tadvi.

The fire broke out around 1.40 pm.

A team led by chief fire officer Girish Jhalke and Tadvi reached the spot with a fire vehicle, a rescue vehicle and a pickup vehicle.

The flames were extinguished by 5 pm and 18 to 20 residents trapped in the building were rescued.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, the official said. PTI

Shiv Sena(UBT) was protesting Tuesday, as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has implemented a 15 percent fare hike in buses, citing rising maintenance costs, including diesel prices and other expenses, as the primary reasons for the increase. (Express Image by by Arul Horizon)

In collaboration with Mission Rabies India, the Thane Municipal Corporation will launch a special ‘Rabies Free Thane’ campaign to eradicate rabies in the city. According to an official statement on Monday, the initiative aims to vaccinate 10,000 stray dogs between January 29 and February 4 to prevent rabies-related deaths and break the cycle of virus transmission.

In 2024, the corporation vaccinated over 7,400 stray dogs under the same initiative.

The participants of the long march, taken out to seek justice for Dalit man Somnath Suryawanshi who died in judicial custody in Maharashtra's Parbhani, said they were compelled to protest as their voice was not being heard by the government.

The long march, which set out from Parbhani city on January 17, will culminate in Mumbai between February 17 and 20, the organisers have said.

Suryawanshi died in judicial custody of Parbhani police, days after he was arrested in connection with violence over the desecration of the glass-encased replica of the Constitution in the city on December 10, 2024. PTI

In 2014, the Mumbai police claimed to have cracked one of its most challenging cases by arresting for the murder of a 23-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad who went missing after alighting from a long-distance train at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway station.

The woman went missing on January 5, 2014, following her return to Mumbai after spending Christmas with her parents in Hyderabad. The police arrested and booked Sanap nearly two months later. Sanap, who has now been acquitted of rape charges, approached the girl, posing as a taxi driver. He then convinced her that he could take her to her hostel in Andheri. Read More about the case

In an official briefing on the Saif Ali Khan stabbing case, Additional Commissioner of police, West Region Paramjeet Singh Dahiya said, "No official report on fingerprint examination has come yet."

Dahiya further said, "It's an excellent clue based detection by Mumbai police with the help of crime branch. I can confidently said that we have got sufficient concrete evidence in the case. Further investigation is on."

We have got sufficient oral physical and technical evidence in the case, he added.

A day after a woman and her eight-year-old son were found dead in a house in the Kandivali (East) area of Mumbai, the police Tuesday claimed to have cracked the case, and arrested her husband.

According to the Mumbai police, Shivshankar Dutta, 40, suspected Pushpa, 36, was having an extramarital affair and strangled her, and then killed their son.

On Monday, Dutta, a tempo driver, told the police he found his wife and son dead when he returned home after work Monday afternoon. Read More

Sarla Salunkhe thought her six-year-old son Ritesh (name changed) was acting up and avoiding homework. Little did she know that her son, a kindergarten student, was showing signs of limb paralysis associated with the Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and would not only require hospitalisation but intensive care with ventilator support.

Ever since the beginning of the GBS outbreak on January 9 this year, this rare autoimmune neurological disorder, brought on by the body’s immune response to bacteria or virus and is seen in patients immediately after a bout of infection, in this case because of ‘Campylobacter’ bacteria. Read More

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Tuesday alleged that bogus birth certificates were being issued to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas in parts of Maharashtra under a scam.

Somaiya said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the Home portfolio, has cracked the whip after exposing these malpractices.

"Over the past six months, 2.14 lakh Bangladeshis and Rohingyas applied for birth certificates in Maharashtra. Bogus birth certificates, ration cards, and school certificates are being issued under a scam.

"Overall, 1.13 lakh birth certificates were issued under suspicious circumstances to these foreign nationals," the former BJP MP from Mumbai alleged while speaking to reporters.

He said the chief minister had ordered strict action against officials for issuing these fake certificates.

Somaiya claimed that 7,957 birth certificates were issued fraudulently in Jalna district, with Bhokardan tehsil leading the list of applications. PTI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Chandrabhan Sanap, who was sentenced to death for raping and murdering a 23-year-old techie on January 5, 2014.

A three-judge bench led by Justice B R Gavai, held that there were gaps in prosecution's case and" there was more than meets the eye," therefore he is not guilty of offence.

The Bombay High Court in December, 2018 had upheld and confirmed the death sentence and had observed that there was 'no remorse' on the part of the accused and the case fell in the category of “rarest of the rare". The sessions court had sentenced him to death row in October, 2015.

In a bid to tackle the deteriorating air quality, the Maharashtra government has formed a seven-member committee to assess the feasibility of banning petrol and diesel vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area. Headed by retired IAS officer Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava, the committee will submit its recommendations within three months, according to a government resolution dated January 22. (With PTI inputs)

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of insulting Hindu sentiments with his "insensitive" comments on BJP leaders taking a holy dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh. In a post on X, Bawankule alleged that the Congress party has consistently disrespected Hindu beliefs and traditions while "appeasing" a particular community. Kharge had remarked on Monday that BJP leaders were competing over the ritual. (With PTI inputs)

According to the information received by the Disaster Management Cell at around 8 am today on a major fire broke out in the Puma store on the first floor of Hyper City Mall in Thane. Officials from the police department as well as the Disaster Management Cell were present. One pickup vehicle, a rescue vehicle, and around 4 fire rescue vehicles were also present. An ambulance was also available at the scene.

The fire was completely extinguished at around 09 am after an hour of efforts by the fire brigade personnel and disaster management team.

Sunil Kamble, Director, IMD Mumbai, said the above normal temperatures are a result of the easterlies. “Currently, we are receiving easterlies during the day time and there are also some passing western disturbances. Therefore, we are expecting that the temperatures will remain for the next two to three days,” said Kamble.

Kamble said the absence of a cool spell in Mumbai is the result of a lack of heavy snowfall over the past days in the northern belt.

According to the weather bureau, Mumbai may see a steep drop in temperatures, starting Friday, when the day time temperatures may dip up to 31 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature is also likely to dip to 17-18 degree Celsius over the weekend. However, warm conditions will prevail for now amid IMD’s forecast of a range of 33-34 degree until Thursday.

Mumbai has been reeling under several warm days this month, starting with a high of 36 degree Celsius on January 3, which was the city’s hottest January day since 2016. Over the previous weekend too, Santacruz logged 35.3 degree. After recording a small dip, the temperature spiked again during the week.

Winter-like conditions continue to elude Mumbai as the maximum temperature yet again soared to 35 degree Sunday. In no respite for the sweltering city, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast highs of up to 33 to 34 degree Celsius until January 30, following which the temperature may dip.

Marking a departure of over three degrees above the normal, IMD’s Santacruz station logged a temperature of 35 degree Sunday, and the Colaba coastal observatory recorded 32.2 degree during the same period, which is also two degrees above normal.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday.

Founded on the occasion of Republic Day in 1975, the organisation has to its credit the construction of the Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link – MTHL) – the world’s 12th longest sea bridge. The MTHL provides crucial connectivity between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, linking vital hubs such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT Port, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

Apart from the Atal Setu, MMRDA’s Engineering Division has spearheaded other crucial infrastructure projects like the Eastern Freeway, Sahar Elevated Road, and BKC Connector.

The upcoming mega projects of the MMRDA include the Uttan-Virar Sea Link, Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel, Orange Gate Tunnel, Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR), and Gaimukh Tunnel – all of which promise to further ease congestion and enhance connectivity.

In its second phase, the BMC has charted plans to create a 22.93 km high-speed corridor linking Versova with Dahisar, covering Mumbai’s northern-western suburbs. As a part of the plan, a second set of tunnels, spanning nearly 4 km, is slated to run between Mindspace in Malad and Kandivali’s Charkop Gaon.

Senior officials said that work on the project has already taken off, in terms of procurement of permissions and approvals. Currently, the project has been approved by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and is now awaiting the nod from the Forest Department over the mangrove patch.

BMC is now working to finish final works on three pending arms of the arterial route. These include two arms at Worli and one arm at Haji Ali.

Meanwhile, several projects have taken up within the ambit of the MCRP such as the development of a 70-acre land parcel as an open space, promenade between Breach Candy and Worli, pedestrian underpasses, and parking lots are yet to be completed. Senior officials said that a December-end target has been set for all the pending projects while the 70-acre open space will be entirely developed over the next two years.

Earlier this month, the BMC invited an Expression of Interest (EOI) from private companies and voluntary organisations for the design, development and maintenance of green open spaces on the periphery of the coastal road. According to civic officials, private entities take up the land parcels for a specific period to develop and maintain the garden and open space. The entire cost of development and maintenance will be borne by the private companies, officials said.

MCRP’s first phase has now entered its final leg with the opening of the bow-string bridge. Over the past year, the arterial road has seen phase-wise openings — starting with the 9.29 km southern arm, including the twin tunnels, linking Worli to Marine Drive on March 11, 2024. The northern flank connecting Marine Drive and Haji Ali was opened on June 11, 2024, while the final 3.5 km stretch between Haji Ali and Worli became operational a month later.

The bow-string bridge was only partially opened for northbound traffic in September 2024.

Apart from this, one of the six interchanges at Worli has been opened so far with three more touted for inauguration on Sunday. At Haji Ali, which has a total of eight interchanging arms, six are already operational with the seventh one (from Haji Ali Juice centre to Marine Drive) set to open on Monday.

Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) show that between March and December 2024, more than 50 lakh vehicles have traversed through the newly launched thoroughfare — with an average of 18,000 to 20,000 vehicles using the route daily.

The entire bow-string arch bridge in Mumbai will become operational for vehicular traffic on Monday (January 27), cutting the current travel time between Bandra and Marine Drive and vice versa to 10 minutes.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday inaugurated the northbound carriage of the bow-string bridge, which links the coastal road to the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL). The Chief Minister and other officials will also launch four new interchange arms of Worli and Haji Ali on Sunday.

The bridge’s inauguration will mark a significant step towards completing the first phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP), which was partially launched in March 2024.

Following the inauguration, the entire arch bridge will become operational from Monday, enabling citizens to traverse to and fro Marine Drive and Bandra within a span of 10 minutes, which marks a significant cut in the current travel time of up to one hour. The entire stretch between Marine Drive and Bandra, including the bow-string arch bridge, will remain operational daily from 7 am to midnight.

The opening of the four new interchange arms — three at the Worli junction and one at Haji Ali — will also aid vehicles to exit towards Worli, Prabhadevi, Lower Parel, and Lotus Junction.

(Express Photo/Amit Chakravarty)

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will ask NCP minister Dhananjay Munde to step down if any evidence is found linking him to sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder, his cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil has said.

A comprehensive probe is being conducted into the murder of Deshmukh, BJP leader Patil told reporters in Sangli on Sunday.

Walmik Karad, an associate of minister Munde, has been arrested in an extortion case linked to the sarpanch's killing.

Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and killed on December 9 for trying to stop an extortion attempt against an energy firm operating a windmill project there.

Munde, the NCP MLA from Parli in Beed district, is under attack from some of the ruling alliance colleagues and the opposition over his links with Karad.

"The investigation into the murder of Santosh Deshmukh is underway. Each matter is different. As the head of the government, Devendra Fadnavis is fully capable of making decisions. If he believes there is substance in the allegations, he will act immediately and ask Munde to resign," Patil said.

"The Maharashtra government has already seized properties of the accused in sarpanch Deshmukh murder case. Stringent charges have been invoked and the probe is going on," the BJP leader said.

The police machinery is actively investigating the case, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed for a probe into it, Patil said.

Additionally, a committee headed by a retired judge has been constituted to oversee the inquiry, the minister said.

Steps are being taken, including invocation of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Walmik Karad and other accused, Patil pointed out.

The process of seizing Karad's assets is also underway, he added. - PTI

Mumbai police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) which is probing the multi-crore Torres ponzi scheme fraud, has arrested the CEO of the company Mohammed Tausif Reyaz alias John Carter, who initially claimed himself to be one of the whistleblowers of the entire fraud. Thousands of people from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayander regions have lost crores of rupees to the fraud which was allegedly operated by Ukrainian masterminds.

Amid reports of 'mismatch' of fingerprints secured from the crime scene in actor Saif Ali Khan attack case with those of arrested Bangladeshi national Mohammed Shariful Islam, Mumbai police have said that they haven't yet received the fingerprints examination report from the fingerprints bureau from the state Crime Investigation Department (CID).

Deputy commissioner of police, zone 9, Dixit Gedam said on Monday that the Bandra police have not yet received the fingerprints report.

Mumbai police had secured 19 fingerprints of the suspect who allegedly attacked Khan on January 16 during a failed robbery attempt at his Bandra house.

Former Thane mayor Ashok Raul passed away on Sunday night at the age of 75, his family announced. They stated that he had been battling health issues for some time.

Raul began his political journey with the Congress, later joining the NCP, and eventually moving to the BJP. He is survived by his wife, and his last rites will be performed today.

Ten persons were injured when a private mini bus they were travelling in overturned on Mumbai-Nashik route in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.

The accident took place at the Kasara Ghat at around 9 am on Sunday when nearly 20 persons were heading in the bus from Cuffe Parade in neighbouring Mumbai to Sinnar in Nashik for a marriage function, they said.

The bus driver lost control over the wheels at Chintamanwadi turning. As a result, the vehicle overturned, Kasara police station's inspector Suresh Gavit said.

Ten persons suffered injuries and they were admitted to private hospitals in Shahapur and other neighboring towns. Four of them, who were in serious condition, were shifted to the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai for further treatment, he said.

A probe was on into the incident, the police said. - PTI

Good Morning,

Mumbai woke up to moderate air quality today with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 143.

The city is expected to experience a minimum temperature of 20 degree Celsius and a maximum temperature of 34 degrees Celsius.

Stay tuned with us for latest updates!