The BMC has moved a proposal to allot a 12-acre plot housing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Andheri (West) at an annual rent of around Rs 21 lakh and a 50% share in revenue to the mandal

Mumbai: Despite opposition from the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT), activists and residents’ groups, the BMC has gone ahead and given a six-month extension to the ‘validity’ of Shri Vile Parle Kelawani Mandal’s (SVKM) bid to take over the 12-acre plot housing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Andheri (West).The bid validity ended on Aug 1 and has now been extended till Feb 2027. This means that SVKM will be able to take over the plot till Feb 2027. Officials said that usually the validity of any bid is six months, and if the proposal is not accepted during this period, then the tender should be cancelled and a fresh tender is usually floated. Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray said he will lead a protest march of Advanced Locality Management (ALM) and resident groups against the takeover of three open spaces in Juhu and Andheri (West) SVKM led by BJP MLC Amrish Patel. Aaditya said he’s appealing to “all Mumbaikars, all political parties, all associations/ housing societies/ ALMs to join protest.”The BMC has moved a proposal to allot a 12-acre plot housing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Andheri (West) at an annual rent of around Rs 21 lakh and a 50% share in revenue to the mandal. SVKM was recently also given two open spaces measuring close to 4 acres in total by Mhada in Juhu and DN Nagar. One of the two plots, the Lokmanya Tilak Udyan in Juhu, is currently maintained by BMC and used by residents. The allotments have already been opposed by Mumbai BJP chief MLA Ameet Satam.In fact, the BMC’s proposal to extend the bid validity quotes Satam’s letter seeking scrapping of the proposal. “First, the initiation of such a tender to allot reserved open space of BMC under PPP model when open spaces policy for the city is not yet finalised is completely illegal, and any reserved open space in the city can’t be tendered and allotted in this manner. Hence, kindly cancel the tender immediately,” the BMC proposal states quoting Satam’s letter.The Gulmohar Area Societies Welfare Group and RTI activist Anil Galgani have also urged CM Fadnavis to ensure that all three plots remain reserved open spaces, open and accessible to the general public at all times, in conformity with the Development Plan (DP). “This shows the BMC is still keen on giving the plot to SVKM despite the opposition. The bid validity should not have been extended. With this, the BMC has kept the issue alive and will allow SVKM to still take over the plot after the opposition weakens,” Galgali said.Patel, who is president and trustee of SVKM, has maintained that there are no irregularities in allotment of the plots and that they were transparently given by BMC/Mhada and the due process was followed. “We will utilise these plots for creating sports facilities for 52,000 of our students. There will be no construction and the plots will only be used for sports purposes,” Patel has said.Officials said bid validity is the fixed timeframe—typically 90 to 180 calendar days from the date of bid opening—during which a bidder’s quoted prices, terms, and conditions remain legally binding and cannot be changed or withdrawn.

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel City police cyber cell probing a cyber fraud case of online stock market trading scam wherein a retired Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, a Panvel resident, was duped of Rs 19.9 lakh, have arrested an accused 23-year-old youth, a D.Ed student, from Shivpuri town in Madhya Pradesh, who had allegedly opened a mule account for receiving around Rs 2 lakh out of Rs 19.9 lakh of the cyber fraud complainant.PSI Sushant Dudde of Panvel informed that, the arrested accused was identified as Yogendra Lokendra Bais alias Shiva Thakur, who was arrested on July 24 after money trailing the banking transactions and found the accused mule account holder Yogendra Bais had connived with cyber scammers by providing his mule bank account for receiving money of several cyber fraud victims for which he earned commission.The probe has revealed that the arrested accused Bais had used his mule bank account for parking money of several other cyber scam victims with banking transactions of around Rs 10 lakhs, including Rs 2 lakh out of Rs 19.9 lakh received from the complainant. During the probe, we have money trailed several mule accounts in Kareli town of MP, which has emerged as a new hub of cyber crime syndicate and even some mule accounts in Bengaluru city, where the complainant Panvel resident’s money was received by various transaction. Accordingly, the mule bank account holders are being traced.As per the FIR registered on June 8, the complainant identified as Dilip Singh Rajput (44) had taken voluntarily retirement as Border Security Force (BSF) Jawan and currently worked as security guard with Reliance company in south Mumbai. He was defrauded by cyber fraudsters between Nov 12, 2025 and Jan 14, 2026.On Nov 12, 2025, Rajput was added to an unknown WhatsApp group, where there were more than a hundred members. The group admins were advertising about online stock market trading by assuring high returns and claiming that the members promoting the advertisement will earn reward points.The next day, Rajput recieved a Telegram link on his WhatsApp. When he clicked on it, he was added to the Telegram group @Mariam-VIP005, where information was being given about online stock market trading and assuring high returns. The group admins were giving a barcode and an account number for transferring investment amount. Thereafter, Rajput was provided a link that he clicked and was added to a Telegram group @Bharat Bharat-FNFD0001, where his investment amount was being displayed along with his virtual profit.Rajput was able to withdraw Rs 10,000 profit, thus gaining his trust and he continued to invest by trading online as guided in the Telegram link till Jan 14, 2026, when his profit was being displayed virtually on the Telegram link.Thereafter, when he unable to withdraw his profit and questioned the group admins, he was told to transfer more amount for enabling withdrawal. Despite depositing a total of Rs 19.9 lakh, when he was unable to withdraw his profit, he demanded to refund his invested amount. But, he was repeatedly being told to transfer more amount. It was then he realised that he was conned and lodged a police complaint.Accordingly, an FIR was registered at Panvel city police station under BNS section for cheating along with Information Technology Act sections for the offences of punishment for identity theft and cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device.