Mumbai: Juhu police on Friday said they had solved the murder of a 35-year-old watchman, Mohan Yadav, who was on night duty at the Abhijit residential building in Vile Parle (West) on August 1. Five people have been arrested in the case, including the cook employed by a businessman couple living in the building and the driver of a renowned Bollywood film director residing in Juhu.Police said the accused had allegedly conspired to rob and kill the businessman, his wife, who also runs a business, and their daughter, who lived on the sixth floor of the building. The plan was to steal cash and valuables that the cook, Jogeshwar Mallik (38), a native of Madhubani in Bihar, claimed to have seen inside a cupboard. The valuables allegedly included Indian and foreign currency, diamond and gold jewellery, and gold bricks.Police said Mallik was the mastermind behind the conspiracy. Employed by the businessman for the past 10 years, he allegedly procured duplicate keys to the family’s flat and spent nearly two-and-a-half years planning the robbery with Vijay Gonjare (41), the driver of a renowned Bollywood film director. Investigators said the two stopped communicating over mobile phones six months ago to avoid detection and instead met in person every night after signing off from work around 9.30pm at locations in Juhu.To execute the plan, Mallik allegedly asked Gonjare to recruit three more accomplices — Sharad Yerudkar (43), his brother Mahadev Yerudkar from Kolhapur, and Aniket Bornak (30). According to police, it was agreed that Mallik would receive 50% of the stolen valuables, while the remaining half would be divided among the other four accused.“When we picked up Mallik, his employer came to his rescue and even stood by his side, insisting he could not have been involved in the murder, unaware that the conspiracy was actually to rob and kill the family as well,” said an officer from the Juhu police station.Police said Mallik and Gonjare knew each other because Gonjare had earlier worked with his employer in the same Juhu building where the film director resides, before relocating to Vile Parle (West). Investigators said the conspiracy gathered pace last week after Mallik handed over the duplicate keys to Gonjare.According to the investigation, Gonjare introduced the three accomplices to watchman Mohan Yadav on Friday, a day before the crime, and even gave him Rs 500 to gain his confidence while telling him they would return the next day for a party.On the night of August 1, the four accused gathered at the building and drank with Yadav. Police said they had spiked his drink, but when they realised it had little effect on him, they allegedly strangled him to death. His hands were tied behind his back before his body was dumped into a water tank and the lid was shut.Around 4.30am on August 2, Gonjare and the three accomplices, who were allegedly drunk, went to the sixth floor and attempted to enter the businessman’s flat using the duplicate keys. When they failed to unlock the door, Sharad Yerudkar continued trying for some time before the group eventually abandoned the attempt and fled. Police said the accused had also carried hammers to facilitate the robbery if required.Investigators said both Mallik and Gonjare have confessed to having planned the crime for nearly two-and-a-half years.Police registered a murder case on Aug 2, after the relieving security guard discovered Yadav’s body and alerted the police.The investigation was supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone-2) Mohit Garg. Multiple teams worked on the case under Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Gaonkar; senior inspector Bapurao Gawade; inspectors Santosh Jadhav and Atul Mali; assistant inspectors Ranjit Chavhan, Yash Palwe and Kumbhare; sub-inspectors Balasaheb Pote and Suryakant Omase; along with other staff members.Police said the investigation initially hit a dead end. Teams recreated the crime scene and found that even loud screams from the watchman’s location could not be heard elsewhere in the largely vacant building.The breakthrough came after investigators spotted Gonjare in CCTV footage in Juhu allegedly making inquiries about purchasing operation gloves. Police said technical analysis helped track Gonjare, which in turn led investigators to Sharad Yerudkar before they arrested Mallik and the remaining accused.According to police, the accused believed they could execute the robbery without being detected because only three families occupied the 10-storey building. While the first two floors housed commercial establishments, most of the residential floors were vacant after flat owners had vacated the premises for an upcoming redevelopment project.

The victim, Jayshree Bhanji Parmar, was employed as a sanitation worker with BMC and was two years away from retirement

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport’s (BEST) 79th foundation day celebrations turned sour after a 56-year-old BMC sanitation worker was fatally run over by a bus when she was crossing the road at a traffic signal in Mulund West on Friday afternoon. This is the fourth fatal mishap involving a BEST bus since June.The bus driver, Ravi Bhagvanta Bolij (32), was arrested shortly after he and conductor Shailesh Sudhakar Wagh (26) were taken to Mulund police station.A senior BEST official told TOI that prima facie it is ‘driver error’ and Mulund police, who have registered an accidental death report, were also probing this angle. Police said they are examining CCTV footage, recording eyewitness statements, and collecting other evidence as part of the probe.The incident took place around 2.35pm, when the BEST bus, operating on the Nerul-Mulund Check Naka route, halted at a traffic signal at Maharana Pratap Chowk. As the signal turned green and Bolij started the vehicle, Jayshree Bhanji Parmar, who was crossing the road, came under the front right tyre and suffered grievous head injuries, an official said. She was rushed to the nearby M T Agarwal Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. The body was sent to Rajawadi Hospital for postmortem examination before being handed over to her family.Parmar, who worked with the BMC as a sanitation worker and lived in Nalasopara, was two years away from retirement, said her daughter Dipali Waghela.Police said the bus involved in the accident had been wet-leased from private operator Mateshwari.The latest tragedy has reignited debate over the increasing number of accidents involving wet-leased buses. Commenting on the crashes over the past few months, senior BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya alleged that accidents have increased due to inadequate driver training and growing dependence on wet-lease operators. “Such incidents were rare earlier. Wet-lease drivers do not face the same level of accountability and disciplinary action as permanent BEST drivers. They are not governed by any rules of BEST, which is why there is no fear,” he said.While BEST has announced plans to gradually reduce its reliance on wet-lease buses and induct around 5,000 owned buses, Ganacharya urged BMC to provide advance funding to speed up fleet acquisition. “Otherwise, accidents involving wet-lease buses could continue unchecked for the next two to three years,” he warned.BEST committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao had recently directed wet-lease operators to ensure drivers were sensitised and buses technically sound. She also said officials from transport and engineering departments had failed to adequately monitor vehicle maintenance, driver training and compliance checks, contributing to the recent spate of accidents.RECENT CASES OF PEDESTRIANS HIT BY BEST BUSES :July 20 : A 62-year-old pedestrian was killed and 10 people, including a BEST bus driver and conductor, were injured after a bus crashed into the railing of the Mankhurd Bridge. BEST officials blamed it on driver error while the latter claimed it was a ‘brake failure’July 10 : Two pedestrians suffered injuries after a wet-lease BEST bus lost control and rammed into 14 vehicles at Amboli naka in Andheri WestJuly 8: A 43-year-old pedestrian was injured after being struck by a BEST bus during a reversing manoeuvre near Konkan Nagar in Bhandup. The incident occurred around 8.30am and involved a wet lease bus operating on Route A-425 from Oshiwara depot. During the manoeuvre, the rear portion of the bus reportedly came into contact with Atul Anant Padave, leaving him trapped between a large tree planter and the busJune 8: A BEST electric air-conditioned bus rammed into multiple vehicles in heavy traffic opposite Plaza Cinema in Dadar, killing a 22-year-old delivery executive and injuring six others. Shivaji Park police registered a case against the driver, Vikas PadaveJune 4: An accident involving a BEST bus on route 440 near Pushpa Park in Borivli claimed the life of a 50-year-old car driver

Mumbai: In a significant boost to the Maharashtra government’s efforts to promote Marathi among professional passenger transport drivers, more than one lakh non-Marathi auto and taxi drivers across the state have successfully completed functional Marathi language training under the Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Shikvani Abhiyan.Reiterating the govt’s commitment to promoting linguistic inclusivity, Marathi commission chairman Ravi Gaikwad said: “The transport department urges all remaining commercial passenger vehicle drivers to complete the programme before August 15 and help advance the campaign’s core objectives: respect for Marathi, cordial communication with passengers, and a stronger emotional bond with Maharashtra.” The transport officials will nab drivers unable to speak basic Marathi and penalise them post-August 15.Expressing satisfaction over the overwhelming response to the initiative at a media conference on Thursday, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said learning Marathi is not a matter of compulsion but a gesture of respect and belonging towards the state and its people. He stressed that anyone seeking employment and livelihood opportunities in Maharashtra should strive to connect with the Marathi language. “Marathi is not merely a medium of communication. It is the soul of Maharashtra’s identity, heritage and culture. Every driver who speaks a few words in Marathi with passengers becomes an ambassador of the state’s cultural values,” he said.The minister further noted that the campaign has received an enthusiastic and positive response from non-Marathi-speaking drivers, many of whom voluntarily enrolled for training. He appealed to those yet to participate to take advantage of the opportunity and complete the programme before August 15.For drivers who had enrolled for the basic Marathi course and completed it, there will be an event at Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane on August 17. This will be attended by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, and Marathi language minister Uday Samant. Thousands of non-Marathi drivers who have successfully completed the course will be awarded certificates by the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad.A review meeting on Thursday was attended by transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, senior litterateur Pradeep Dhawan, and representatives of the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad, which have partnered with the government in implementing the initiative statewide.Sarnaik said encouraging drivers to communicate with passengers in Marathi would not only make daily interactions easier but also strengthen social bonds and foster a sense of mutual respect. “Maharashtra will warmly embrace everyone who honours and respects Marathi. This initiative is about creating cultural harmony and emotional connect, not enforcing language through coercion,” he said. The minister observed that the campaign gained momentum following Marathi’s recognition as a classical language, inspiring thousands of non-Marathi residents to learn and appreciate the language. He described their voluntary participation as a fitting tribute to the Marathi linguistic legacy championed by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.The campaign, jointly organised by the state’s Marathi language department, Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, and Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad, has gradually evolved into a mass movement. According to Sarnaik, every driver who completes the training emerges not only as a compliant professional but also as a socially conscious citizen who respects Maharashtra’s cultural ethos.

The Bombay high court ordered Meta Platforms Inc. to remove fake accounts impersonating Delta Corp.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Thursday directed Meta Platforms Inc to immediately remove fraudulent social media accounts impersonating hospitality and gaming major Delta Corp Ltd and an AI-generated deepfake video targeting the company.The court passed the urgent interim directions while hearing Delta Corp’s plea challenging the suspension of its social media accounts by Meta, which the company claimed was unlawful, without notice and without sufficient reason.Justice Abhay Ahuja, sitting singly, had on July 2 directed Meta to preserve content from the suspended handles until the dispute was resolved.Delta’s counsel Kunal Dwarkadas said Meta had given “six different contradictory reasons” for suspending the company’s accounts.He argued that the issue concerned the “accountability and transparency” of actions by a digital media intermediary and said Meta had failed to disable several accounts impersonating Delta, including one carrying an AI-generated video that had caused the company “reputational loss”.Delta, represented by RJD and Partners, told the court that it was not involved in online gaming, which the court observed is prohibited in India.The disputed video purportedly showed Delta chairman Jaydev Mody announcing the launch of an online casino. The court noted that the video also featured sports and film personalities and industrialists.After viewing the video in court, justice Ahuja observed that although it was submitted to be a deepfake, it appeared real, demonstrating the extent to which technology can make deepfakes and impersonations convincing.Meta’s counsel Amey Gokhale sought another week to file a detailed response to Delta’s challenge to the account suspension. He said that if directed by the court, Meta would be “duty bound” to remove or disable unauthorised impersonation accounts.The HC said interim relief ought to be granted and, pending final disposal of the matter, directed Meta to remove the impersonating accounts and the “AI-generated fake video”, which Delta said it had brought to Meta’s notice on August 5.

​NCP (SP) slams RSS-BJP over Gen Z pitch

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Friday launched a scathing attack on the RSS-BJP establishment, accusing it of “double standards” and political hypocrisy in its sudden outreach to the nation’s youth.The opposition attack came in response to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s address to around 2,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha members in Mumbai, where he advocated dialogue and trust while stating that agitating youth should not be branded “anti-national.”Addressing a press conference, NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase highlighted a stark contradiction between the Sangh’s conciliatory public stance and the ruling party’s actions during recent student agitations over the NEET paper leak.“The country is witnessing two completely different faces of the Sangh Parivar,” Tapase said. “One face speaks softly on public platforms about engaging Gen Z through dialogue and trust. The other face—represented by the BJP—has repeatedly questioned the patriotism, motives, and integrity of students who dared to question the government.”Taking specific exception to the heavy-handed response to student demonstrations, Tapase questioned why authorities responded with force—including lathi charges and tear gas—when students took to the streets demanding exam transparency and the education minister’s resignation. He explicitly called out BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Kangana Ranaut, alleging that senior party leaders used offensive language to label protesting students rather than acknowledging their democratic right to dissent.“If Mohan Bhagwat genuinely believes that Gen Z deserves dialogue and dignity, moral consistency demands that he publicly disapprove of BJP leaders who have delegitimised young Indians,” Tapase added, asserting that youth demand fair exams and employment opportunities rather than political labels.Amplifying the charge, NCP (SP) national spokesperson and secretary Clyde Crasto targeted the BJP for hastily jumping on the “Gen Z bandwagon” to curry political favour after suppressing peaceful demonstrations.“The BJP and its supporters are now jumping on the popularity of the Gen Z bandwagon,” Crasto said in a statement. “Gen Z is the future of this country. They understand what is happening, and through their peaceful protests, they have proven to the world that they possess knowledge and awareness.”Pointing to the police action against young agitators in the national capital and other parts of the country, Crasto demanded direct accountability from the central leadership.“Where were these leaders when there was a lathi charge on these peaceful protesters? All these youth were asking for were answers and justice, yet police in Delhi and across the country were deployed to beat them up,” Crasto stated. “Who ordered the lathi charge on Gen Z is an important question that the BJP-led government needs to answer. The central government must come out in the open and answer to the youth and the people of India as to who authorized the force used against peaceful protesters.“