Thane: The family of 31-year-old NDRF jawan Vikas Gore, who died after his motorcycle hit a pothole on Mumbai-Nashik Highway, has accused local police of making an “insensitive remark” when they sought action against those responsible for the road’s condition.The family alleged that after the accident, they approached Shahapur police station demanding that a case be registered against the road contractor responsible for maintaining the highway. According to relatives, a police officer allegedly told them, “Couldn’t your son see the pothole? He should have been riding carefully.”Responding to the allegation, Thane Rural superintendent of police Vinaykumar Rathod told TOI that the complaint would be examined. “We will inquire into the family’s allegations regarding the police’s remark,” he said.Speaking to TOI, Vikas’s relative Datta Mali said the accident occurred around 4.30 am on Monday when Gore was riding to work amid heavy rain. “It was raining heavily and visibility was poor. The road is smooth on both sides, but there is a sudden pothole at the accident spot. How could he have noticed it in such conditions?” Mali said.Mali said Gore was a dedicated and committed member of NDRF. Just last week, he had participated in the rescue operation after the collapse of a residential building in Bhiwandi, where he and his team helped rescue injured victims from the debris.He alleged that the family’s experience at the police station was deeply hurtful and said action should be taken against those responsible for the poor road condition to prevent similar tragedies.Mali said Vikas’s father had died two and a half years ago and the deceased was the family’s main breadwinner. Besides supporting his widowed mother, he was also responsible for his wife and their one-year-old twin daughters, and contributed to his elder brother’s household, whose income from a private company was limited.The family has appealed to the state govt to provide a job to Vikas’s wife on compassionate grounds so she can support the children.Meanwhile, following the fatal accident, Shahapur DYSP Vishal Nagarguje convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday at Shahapur police station with officials from Highway Police, MSRDC and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to review the condition of the highway.SP Rathod said police identified several dangerous potholes requiring immediate repairs and informed NHAI officials, who assured that the most critical potholes would be repaired within two days. Police also directed the highway authorities to repair the remaining potholes to minimise the risk of further fatal accidents.Nagarguje told TOI that an Accidental Death Report (ADR) has been registered in the case and a detailed report has been sought from NHAI regarding the incident. Further legal action will be decided after examining the report. Meanwhile, NHAI have filled potholes that led to the accident of Gore, who died.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a man accused of carrying nearly 1.5 kg of cocaine, observing that authorities had committed a “gross violation” of procedure by failing to produce him before the trial court on most dates for more than two years.A division bench of Justices Sarang V. Kotwal and Ashish S. Chavan passed the order on July 29 while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Satly Thomas, who is facing trial in an NDPS case arising from an investigation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).According to the prosecution, DRI officials intercepted Thomas at CSMI Airport, , early on August 18, 2023, after receiving information that he was carrying narcotics concealed in his luggage.A search allegedly led to the recovery of three packets containing 666 grams, 629 grams and 467 grams of cocaine.The total net weight was 1,496 grams, substantially above the 100-gram commercial quantity prescribed under the NDPS Act.Thomas challenged his continued detention, alleging that although he was arrested around 2.30 am on August 18, 2023, he was shown as arrested only at 10.30 am the following day and produced before a magistrate at 4.20 pm on August 19.The High Court, however, focused on a more serious issue concerning his production before the court during custody.The court noted that between August 2023 and December 2025, Thomas was physically produced before the court on only five occasions out of 70 dates.Apart from these occasions, he was not produced either physically or through video conferencing, barring four attempts at connecting through video conferencing.The court also noted that after the Special Court took cognizance of the case on February 9, 2024, there was no communication between the trial court and the jail authorities regarding extension of his remand until April 2025.“This, in our opinion, is gross violation of the procedure,” the bench observed, holding that there was no authority for the Superintendent of Taloja Central Prison to keep Thomas incarcerated during that period of more than one year.Referring to a Supreme Court ruling which stressed that production of an accused before court is a fundamental safeguard against abuse and enables a prisoner to raise grievances directly before the court, the bench held that Thomas’s non-production amounted to a violation of his fundamental right to a fair trial under Article 21 of the Constitution.“The court said the seriousness of the alleged offence could not justify ignoring mandatory procedural safeguards. It consequently ordered Thomas’s release on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one or two sureties of the same amount.” said advocate Prasanna Namboodiri.

MUMBAI: An estate agent’s house was burgled in Sion, with gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs 16 lakh stolen after he and his family members left to visit a relative. This is the second burglary at the house in a year. Police suspect the involvement of someone known to the family, as the burglary took place just 15 minutes after they left the house.The complainant, Nikhil Joshi, 36, who lives near Gauri Dutt Mittal School in Sion, told police that he had left his residence around noon on Saturday along with his parents, wife and two children in their car to visit his aunt in Chakala, Andheri. Around 6.30 pm, his neighbour informed his mother over the phone that the safety door and main door of their house were open and the latch appeared to have been broken.The Sion police are scanning CCTV footage to identify the suspects, who were seen arriving on a bike wearing helmets.Joshi immediately informed the police and returned home around 7.15 pm. On entering the house, he found the cupboards in his parents’ bedroom and his own room open. Clothes and belongings were scattered on the beds and floor, while the cupboards appeared to have been forcibly opened using a tool.The family later checked their valuables and found gold and silver ornaments, silver utensils, cash and foreign currency missing. The stolen items included Rs 1.20 lakh in cash, Dubai currency worth around Rs 1.30 lakh, seven pairs of gold earrings, two pairs of gold mangalsutras, a gold kada, a gold chain with two lockets, gold rings, bangles and a Rudraksha gold chain. The family is still assessing the value of the stolen items, and the amount may increase.The thieves also allegedly took several silver articles, including plates, glasses, lotas, bowls, a silver set, jewellery and a silver coin, along with a Rado wristwatch.According to Joshi’s complaint, CCTV footage from the building showed two unidentified persons wearing helmets and black raincoats entering the premises around 12.18 pm. The duo were allegedly seen leaving his residence, with one of them changing the direction of the CCTV camera before they left the building around 12.31 pm.Sion Police have registered a case against two unidentified persons and are examining the CCTV footage to identify the suspects. The total value of the stolen property has been estimated at Rs 16.02 lakh.

MUMBAI: Nearly 20 years after a criminal case was filed alleging a conspiracy to kill a builder in a redevelopment dispute, the Bombay High Court has accepted the State CID’s ‘B-Summary’ closure report in the matter involving Shreepati builder managing director Rajendra Chaturvedi.It said that investigators found no material against the accused and that a Magistrate’s earlier refusal to accept the closure report went against the evidence gathered during the probe.A division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Kamal Khata, in an order dated July 27, allowed a writ petition filed by Chaturvedi and a criminal revision application filed by the State CID.The court quashed and set aside the January 30, 2013 order of the Metropolitan Magistrate, 10th Court, Andheri, and accepted the B-Summary report submitted by the State CID, Konkan Bhavan, Navi Mumbai.The case originated in 2007 amid a dispute linked to a redevelopment project at Kalachowky, said to be worth around Rs 500 crore. Chaturvedi had contended that he was falsely implicated in a case alleging a plot to eliminate rival builder Rashmikant Shah.As per the allegations in the initial case, Juhu police in February 2007 intercepted four men near the Holiday Inn hotel in Juhu and claimed they had been hired to kill Shah.The police had alleged that Chaturvedi paid Rs 50 lakh for the alleged contract killing. The case had also, at one stage, seen consideration of invoking provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).Chaturvedi denied the allegations and maintained that the case was driven by business rivalry and efforts to frame him. The matter was later transferred for investigation to the State CID.During the CID probe, the agency raised questions about the prosecution narrative and indicated an alleged nexus involving the rival builder and certain police officers, suggesting Chaturvedi may have been framed.The investigation led to action against police personnel, with seven policemen suspended in connection with the matter, including then Additional Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari, who has since retired.The CID also re-examined witness claims about the purported Juhu incident. According to findings placed before the Andheri court, witnesses who had earlier asserted they were present when Shah was allegedly fired at later denied that any such incident occurred.On the basis of its investigation, the State CID concluded there was no material to proceed against the accused and filed a B-Summary report seeking closure on February 13, 2008.The agency also submitted a report under Section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, seeking discharge of some accused due to insufficient evidence.

MUMBAI: After BMC’s proposal to replace Mahindra Scorpio SUVs allotted to key political office-bearers in the civic body with six new Toyota Innovas ran into a controversy, MNS office bearers, as a symbolic protest, sent toy Toyota Innova models to the BMC Commissioner.“Our shakha 191 couriered the three Toyota Innova models to the Commissioner, to enable the Commissioner to distribute it among the office bearers, last week. But the courier was not accepted by BMC and it was returned back to us on Monday, ” said MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande.Last week, the BMC proposal led to a heated debate in the civic standing committee.The opposition questioned the expenditure, while the ruling BJP accused the opposition of going back on a decision that had been taken unanimously by all political parties.BJP group leader Ganesh Khankar said the controversy was unnecessary as there had been consensus among all parties.The move drew criticism from opposition parties, including Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who questioned the timing of the proposed fleet upgrade and the expenditure involved.In protest, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) office-bearers purchased Toyota Innova models and announced that they would courier them to BMC office-bearers and the civic administration.Khankar also distanced himself from the move, stating that he had never sought new vehicles and had no intention of doing so.In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Khankar said reports suggesting that the civic body was splurging public money on new vehicles had created a wrong impression among Mumbaikars. He further said the opposition had deliberately misrepresented the proposal without taking into account that the vehicles were to be procured on lease under the existing policy.Khankar urged the civic administration to continue with the existing Mahindra Scorpio SUVs and ensure uniformity in vehicle allocation.He requested that all senior civic officers and chairpersons of statutory committees, barring the Municipal Commissioner and the Mayor, be provided Scorpio vehicles of the same category so that there was parity among all functionaries.