Anmol Bishnoi moves Mumbai court to surrender in Salman Khan firing case (File Photo).

MUMBAI: Almost eight months after he was deported from the US, alleged gangster Anmol Bishnoi, wanted accused in the attempted murder of actor Salman Khan on April 14, 2024 and currently lodged in Tihar jail in another case, has moved the special trial court, wanting to “surrender”.“He intends to voluntarily surrender before this court to face the ongoing trial and join the judicial proceedings in the interest of a fair trial and further in the interest of justice,” the plea submitted by his lawyers said. The plea sought his production virtually over video-conferencing in the case even as the prosecution has not sought his custody so far. The court has directed prosecution to submit its reply.After being deported in Nov last year, Bishnoi was taken into custody in a 2022 case involving an alleged nexus between criminal gangs in India and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a designated terrorist organisation, to raise funds, recruit youths and carry out terror strikes in the country.Bishnoi’s plea noted that charges were already framed against the accused on Nov 13, 2025, and prosecution witnesses have been examined in his absence. His plea further said as he is already under the physical control of the law in a separate matter and cannot present himself independently, he requests the court to issue a production warrant to Tihar jail superintendent.

MUMBAI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad, moderate to intense spells of rain at isolated places and urging people to take precautions. Mumbai continued to receive heavy monsoon showers, with the island city recording an average rainfall of 114 mm between 8 am on July 2 and 7 am on July 3.The eastern suburbs recorded an average of 102 mm of rainfall, while the western suburbs received 109 mm during the same period.

Mumbai: Residents of parts of Gamdevi and Grant Road faced a power outage lasting nearly 90 minutes on Thursday evening, adding to growing frustration over recurring electricity disruptions in city.“This is the fourth outage in recent weeks. What is frustrating is that BEST staff do not answer calls on the complaint number and there is no response on the WhatsApp helpline either,” said a consumer. The outage comes amid mounting pressure on BEST’s power distribution wing. Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar recently convened an urgent meeting with senior BEST officials and warned that if concrete solutions were not implemented, general manager Sonia Sethi would have to answer questions in the assembly.Facing repeated outages over the past two months, Sethi recently announced a Rs 20-crore action plan aimed at improving reliability and restoring supply faster during breakdowns. The measures include recruiting about 690 field workers, redeploying staff, hiring 350 DG sets for emergency supply, strengthening call-centre operations, adding emergency vehicles and aerial lifts, and setting up an additional fault control centre at Tardeo. Sethi has attributed the situation partly to years of staff shortages and delays in procuring cable repair materials.

Mumbai: State assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar took a strong view on the death of a man who fell into an open manhole in Sakinaka, directing the state to lodge a case of culpable homicide against the official responsible. “This is a very serious matter. During the monsoon, gutters and manholes are left open. In the past, a doctor died after falling into a manhole. The state should file a case of culpable homicide against such officers,” Narwekar said.The issue was raised in the assembly by BJP MLA Ameet Satam. “An FIR should be filed against the contractor and the official responsible should be suspended,” Satam said.Congress MP and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad demanded a murder FIR be registered against the Mumbai mayor and the BMC commissioner over deaths caused by a falling tree and an open manhole. Terming the incidents “murders caused by administrative failure,” she alleged that the fatalities were the result of gross negligence and administrative lapses.“Despite spending hundreds of crores of rupees, Mumbaikars continue to suffer immense hardship. Every death during the monsoon in Mumbai is not an accident but a killing caused by administrative failure. These are not accidents but deaths caused by negligence of the municipal administration and the irresponsible functioning of those in power,” Gaikwad said.She claimed the mayor is blaming the administration, while the administration is giving its routine responses, saying instructions were issued, action is underway and an inquiry will be conducted.Congress politician Nana Patole said, “There is an atmosphere of dread regarding safety in Mumbai. The govt needs to take measures quickly because any news about Mumbai becomes global news. “Urban development minister Madhuri Misal later made a statement in the assembly detailing the suspension of BMC officials and the inquiry ordered into Thursday’s incident. She also said there would be a review of manholes in all wards in the city within eight days.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Mumbai: Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday told the Legislative Assembly that the state govt will investigate irregularities in the transfer and redevelopment of the plot meant for Mathadi workers in Kandivali and give instructions to Mumbai Suburban Collector Saurabh Katyar to take possession of the land. Bawankule said the state govt is positive about building houses for Mathadi workers. “Irregularities have been noticed in the land for Mathadi workers in Kandivli, and the District Collector will be instructed to investigate the matter and take possession of the relevant land,” Bawankule said.Bawankule was speaking while responding to a question raised by MLA Haroon Khan on alleged irregularities in the transfer and redevelopment of govt plots of Mathadi workers in Kandivali.Bawankule said that the govt is committed to ensuring justice for the Mathadi workers. “If housing societies have been set up on land given by the govt to a private developer, it is equally important to protect the interests of the residents who have been living there for many years. If irregularities are found, an appropriate decision will be taken to regularize their houses, considering the interests of the residents. A portion of the land allotted to Vishal Sahyadri Sanstha has been converted into Occupancy Class-1 with the prior approval of the govt. As per the request of the organization, the relevant land was converted into Occupancy Class-1 only after the required conversion fee was collected by rectifying the breach of condition as per the rules. After that the organization entered into a development agreement,” Bawankule said.

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs arrested a 25-year-old passenger arriving from Bangkok who was found carrying 1 kg gold bar worth Rs 1.2 crore at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Thursday.The accused, Abdul Rahoof Mamantakath, is a native of Kerala. Acting on specific intelligence, Customs officers intercepted him while he was crossing the Green Channel. After being informed of his legal right to be searched before a magistrate or a gazetted officer, he opted to be searched before a gazetted officer.As the passenger allegedly failed to declare the gold, and Customs officers believed it had been smuggled into India to evade the customs duty, the gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. During the interrogation, he said that the gold does not belong to him and he was carrying it for monetary consideration.

Mumbai: An FIR has been filed against two officials of the state-run Sir JJ Mahanagar Blood Centre after a recent Food and Drug Administration investigation found that blood collected at govt donation camps was allegedly diverted to a private blood bank.The FIR, lodged by State Blood Transfusion Council additional assistant director Dr Suhas Mohanalkar, names the JJ Mahanagar centre’s medical director, Dr Hitesh Pagare, and medical social officer Ajay Bhise. They have been booked under various provisions of the IPC for alleged irregularities that raise doubts about the transparency of the govt blood collection system and caused financial loss to the govt.The complaint alleges that of the 188 units collected at a govt blood donation camp in Chinchpokli on Jan 4, 2026, Bhise diverted 50 blood bags to the private Maya Blood Centre in Badlapur without approval from senior officials. During a departmental inquiry, Bhise admitted to the diversion, apologised in writing and deposited Rs 55,000 towards processing charges. The matter, however, ended with a warning to Dr Pagare.However, the FDA inspection conducted last month uncovered serious deficiencies, including improper handling and disposal of blood and blood products, leading to suspension of the blood centre’s licence.The investigation also revealed that govt vehicles were allegedly misused to transport blood bags from JJ Mahanagar Blood Centre in Byculla to Maya Blood Centre in Badlapur. While a govt inquiry is underway, the SBTC has ordered an audit of all blood bags purchased, stored, and used over the past three years.