Mumbai: The year was 2016. Shadab Momin was wiping the floor at the juice centre where he worked when the unthinkable happened. His ex-girlfriend walked in. Her brother asked for a one-litre Cola.Momin, hands still sticky from the day’s shift, stopped mopping, handed him the bottle and refused to look at the woman who had become his past. “That night,” says the 28-year-old, “I decided I had to become someone people would bow down to.”Today, in Bhiwandi, few call him Shadab. To the powerloom town, he is Spidey Bhai.With over a million Instagram followers and a part Marvel, part mohalla aura, Momin has become an unlikely symbol for a town better known for flooded roads, crumbling infrastructure and powerloom distress.Like Peter Parker, who grew up not in glossy Manhattan but working-class Queens, Momin came of age amid Bhiwandi’s potholes and poverty. He grew up in Chator Gully, where every Ramzan the aroma of dry fruit-rich gawla mingles with shawarma smoke, and still calls his government school “Peeli school” — the yellow school.Dance came naturally. Money did not. After Class XII, financial troubles forced him to quit studies. Two of his three elder brothers left for Gulf jobs while Momin spent four years at a juice centre. A stint in pharmaceutical sales followed, but by 2018 he knew he was chasing a future that would never quite arrive. “I would grow by two to five per cent every year. That’s it.”His thoughts kept returning to Spider-Man. “In the movies, he was an ordinary boy who entertained people and helped people. I wanted to be that.” It would take another six years, spanning a pandemic and a plateauing pharma career, before Shadab became Instagram’s “Aapka apna Spider-Man”.On April 14, 2024 (”I remember it was Ambedkar Jayanti”), he donned a Rs 2,000 Spider-Man costume bought online and danced in a local market. Trolls arrived first. “Spider-Man should be admitted to hospital,” one wrote. Then came followers. Soon, his unemployed desi Spider-Man sold paan, worked at the juice centre, hauled cement sacks and increasingly filmed himself helping others — distributing food, assisting strangers and turning everyday kindness into content. “Some videos are for entertainment, some for emotion and some for helping.” Within two years he crossed a million followers. Critics called it performative. “Dikhawa nahi hai,” he insists. “They are not for reel. They are for real.”During the monsoon, when floodwater swallows roads, Momin rides to the worst-hit stretches on his scooter carrying little more than a floor wiper. He warns motorists about submerged craters, pushes stranded vehicles and recently went viral for carrying two children through waist-deep water. “Ek saal se sau saal,” he says proudly of his fanbase. He recalls helping rescue passengers from a car trapped in a flooded pothole and spending hours alongside a policeman clearing water. “With great waterlogging comes great responsibility,” read one Instagram comment.These days, Spidey Bhai has been watching Tom Holland’s latest Spider-Man film and fighting villains that are less cinematic: garbage, potholes and waterlogging. “The authorities are doing their best,” he says. “Still, I don’t understand why the same places flood every year,” adds Momin who wants litterers fined.Every day, on returning home, he washes his sole costume by hand. People do not yet bow to him but they do stop for selfies. Children shout his name and somewhere, perhaps, the ex might have noticed too. Does she follow him online? “I don’t know,” he says. “She is married now.”

The 13-year-old Kohinoor Apartment’s B-wing, which had been served a dangerous building notice, partially collapsed while repair work was underway on July 30 evening

Bhiwandi: Police on Sunday arrested the caretaker of Kohinoor Apartment in Bhiwandi in connection with the building collapse that claimed 10 lives, saying he had allegedly initiated repair work without mandatory civic permission after collecting money from flat owners on the builder’s instructions.The arrested accused, Amritlal Nishad (49), who is also a resident of the building, was produced before a holiday court, which remanded him in police custody till August 5.Police are on the hunt for another person, Danish, who was also allegedly involved in the construction of the building with builder Bilal Khan as partner.Senior inspector Vikram Mohite of Bhoiwada police station said the investigation has revealed that after Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) declared the building dangerous, Khan allegedly instructed Nishad to arrange repairs. Acting on those directions, Nishad collected between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 from each flat owner and engaged contractor Ashok Paswan to undertake the repairs without obtaining permission from the civic body.Police had earlier registered an FIR against Khan and Paswan under the relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Paswan died in the collapse, while the builder is currently abroad. Police said further action against Khan will be taken once he returns to India.According to investigators, the 13-year-old Kohinoor Apartment consists of two wings with 48 flats and four shops in each wing. B-wing, which had been served a dangerous building notice, partially collapsed while repair work was underway on July 30 evening. Police said workers noticed cracks in a pillar during the day, following which repair work was intensified. A portion of the structure suddenly gave way, trapping several labourers and residents beneath the debris.Investigators are also examining whether poor construction quality contributed to the tragedy. Police suspect the building deteriorated unusually quickly for a structure barely 13 years old, raising questions over the quality of material used during construction and whether structural norms for a load-bearing building were followed.Meanwhile, civic authorities faced stiff resistance on Sunday when they attempted to demolish the A-wing of the building after issuing evacuation notices. Residents, who have been living outside their homes since the collapse, prevented the demolition, demanding rehabilitation before any action is taken.Residents said they should first be allowed to remove their belongings and sought a detailed panchnama of every flat to safeguard their ownership rights during the future redevelopment. They also demanded that the civic administration provide temporary accommodation, arguing that many families had invested their life’s savings to buy homes in the building and could not afford to lose both their property and shelter overnight.BNCMC has temporarily deferred the demolition as discussions with residents continue.

According to the IMD’s district forecast issued on Sunday afternoon, Mumbai is likely to receive light to moderate rain on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Mumbai: Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar is likely to witness light to moderate rainfall through Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a steady spell of showers over the next four days. The probability of rainfall has been classified as “very likely” on each day, while neighbouring Raigad is expected to see heavier spells on Monday before rainfall intensity eases.According to the IMD’s district forecast issued on Sunday afternoon, Mumbai is likely to receive light to moderate rain on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. No heavy rainfall has been forecast for the city during this period.Across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Thane is also expected to receive light to moderate rain from Monday through Thursday, while Palghar is forecast to witness similar rainfall activity on all four days. Both districts have a “very likely” probability of rainfall throughout the forecast period.Raigad is expected to see the more intense rainfall activity in the region at the start of the week, with heavy rainfall at isolated places forecast on Monday. The district is also likely to receive heavy rain at isolated places on Tuesday, before the forecast shifts to moderate rain on Wednesday and Thursday.Meanwhile, coastal and eastern parts of Maharashtra may expect the most rain till Aug 8, while the rest of the state will experience varying monsoon activity, according to the IMD forecast.Continuous rain is predicted to cover almost the entire Konkan and Goa region throughout the week. In Madhya Maharashtra, showers will be light and spread out during the same period.Towards the eastern parts, Vidarbha will witness heavy, widespread rain at the start and end of the week, with lighter, scattered showers in the middle days and thunderstorms early in the timeframe; rain in Marathwada will remain light and patchy across the week, with brief thunderstorms during initial days, as per IMD officials.(With inputs from Pune)

Mumbai: Goregaon police lodged an FIR last week against TV actress Aditi Sharma’s husband, mother-in-law and sister-in-law for her alleged assault, verbal abuse and mental harassment as well as taking away her jewellery.Police said they were probing the case and were yet to make any arrest.Sharma (29) is known for her roles in TV shows such as ‘Apollena—Sapno Ki Unchi Udaan’, ‘Rabb Se Hai Dua’ and ‘Kaleerein’.The FIR invokes Sections 3(5) (common intention), 316(2) (breach of trust), 352 (intentional insults), and 85 (cruelty committed by a husband or his relatives against a married woman) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the husband, Abhineet Kaushik (36), mother-in-law Urmila (65), and sister-in-law Keerti (29).In her complaint, Sharma said she befriended Kaushik in 2021 and they married in Nov 2024. After the marriage, she said, Kaushik began picking on her over her outfits and fighting over minor domestic issues. “He would not give me money for household expenses. On the contrary, he used to take money from me,” she said.Sharma alleged that the strife escalated to verbal abuses in Jan 2025 after he accused her of having an extramarital relationship. She said she was subjected to frequent taunts, which caused her immense mental distress.The actress said after their fights got more intense, Urmila and Keerti were asked to intervene. “She said instead of resolving their disputes, they kept taunting her, causing her mental distress. She complained that her in-laws took her wedding jewellery—two gold chains, four gold rings, a diamond ring, a gold mangalsutra and two gold bangles. After that, her husband started checking her phone and suspecting her fidelity,” said a police officer.Assistant inspector Amita Marathe is probing the case.

Kalyan: The uneasy relationship between alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli region appeared to deteriorate further on Sunday, with both parties inducting each other’s local functionaries in a tit-for-tat political battle despite an earlier understanding to refrain from poaching workers.The uneasy relationship between alliance partners BJP and Shiv Sena in the Kalyan-Dombivli region appeared to deteriorate further on Sunday, with both parties inducting each other’s local functionaries in a tit-for-tat political battle despite an earlier understanding to refrain from poaching workers.The latest round of defections comes days after Shiv Sena inducted several BJP office-bearers in the presence of district president Gopal Landge, MLA Rajesh More and corporator Mahesh Gaikwad. The move triggered a sharp reaction from BJP leaders, who accused Shiv Sena of violating the “alliance dharma” agreed upon by the two parties after differences surfaced during the KDMC election.Following the Shiv Sena inductions on Friday, BJP district president Nandu Parab warned that the party would respond by welcoming Shiv Sena workers into its fold. “If they induct one of our workers, we will induct four of theirs,”Parab said, alleging that Shiv Sena breached the understanding reached by the leadership of both parties.Shiv Sena leaders, however, rejected the allegation. Corporator Mahesh Gaikwad claimed that BJP first inducted around 10 Shiv Sena workers, prompting his party to retaliate by enrolling nearly 100 BJP workers.The political sparring intensified over the weekend. On Saturday, BJP corporator Dipesh Mhatre accused Shiv Sena of breaking coalition discipline and warned that the party would be taught a “lesson”. On the same day, several women office-bearers and workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) joined the BJP in the presence of Parab and Mhatre, a move seen as a setback for the Raj Thackeray-led party in Dombivli.On Sunday, BJP escalated the confrontation by inducting several Shiv Sena workers from Kalyan East, the same area from where Shiv Sena recently enrolled BJP functionaries.Speaking after the induction programme, Parab said the BJP merely responded to Shiv Sena’sactions. “Despite an understanding between the two alliance partners, Shiv Sena inducted our workers. We have now given them a reply. BJP is a party that gives justice to its workers, and that is why people continue to join us,” he said.Referring to the number of inductions, Parab remarked that while the BJP may move “at the pace of a tortoise”, it ultimately wins the race.The latest exchange of defections is expected to deepen friction between the two ruling allies at the grassroots level, even as the state leadership has remained silent on the growing local rivalry ahead of the civic elections.