Mumbai: As Konkan natives living in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and adjoining areas prepare to head home for the much-awaited Gauri-Ganpati celebrations, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Friday unveiled an extensive transport plan to cater to the festive rush. The state-run transport undertaking will operate 5,220 additional bus services on various Konkan routes between Sept 7 and Sept 25, an official announced.MSRTC will begin accepting group bookings from Aug 10 for groups of at least 40 passengers. Under the group reservation scheme, women and senior citizens will continue to receive a 50% fare concession, while beneficiaries of the Amrit Senior Citizen Scheme will be entitled to free travel. The additional buses will operate from major bus depots across the Mumbai, Thane and Palghar divisions from Sept 7 onwards.To ensure seamless operations during the festival period, senior officials will supervise round-the-clock services at major bus stations and bus stops. MSRTC will also deploy mobile maintenance and repair teams at strategic locations along key Konkan highways to promptly address any vehicle-related issues.

Police said the minor wanted to act in the popular TV show, ‘Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma.’ (File Photo)

MUMBAI: A 16-year-old boy from Madhya Pradesh left home on the pretext of going to school and changed multiple trains to travel to Mumbai in pursuit of his acting dream.Police said the minor wanted to act in the popular TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.Aarey Police have informed his parents about his whereabouts and are keeping him safe at the police station until his father reaches the city.The boy hails from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. On August 6, he left home on the pretext of going to school.Instead, he went to Chhindwara Junction railway station and boarded a superfast train to Maharashtra.Around 6 pm, he got off at Nagpur and boarded another long-distance train, which brought him to Mumbai on August 7 at around 9.30 am.The boy then took a local train to Goregaon. After getting off at Goregaon East railway station, he walked to Film City. He was roaming alone in Film City when someone noticed him and informed the police.A team from Aarey Police Station reached Film City and brought him to the police station. During questioning, the police obtained his father’s phone number from him.When contacted, his father said the family had been searching for him and were worried about his safety. He added that he would reach Mumbai at the earliest and take his son home.Fortunately, the boy was found safe and unharmed by the police.

Mumbai: The Mahim police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after a 13-year-old boy alleged that a 16-year-old teenager forcibly took him to a secluded location in Mahim, assaulted him sexually and threatened him with consequences if he disclosed the incident.According to the complaint, the incident took place on June 18 at around 7 am near a school in Mahim West. The complainant alleged that the 16-year-old accused (also a minor) chased him, forcibly made him sit on his motorcycle and took him to a location where goats were kept.The boy further alleged that the accused and his unidentified friend tied his hands and gagged him. After the friend left, the accused allegedly sexually assaulted the minor and attempted to force further sexual acts. The complainant resisted and raised an alarm, following which he was allegedly assaulted.The boy also told police that the accused threatened to edit his photographs and circulate objectionable images on social media. The complainant said he was threatened with being defamed and blamed if he disclosed the incident.Mahim police have registered an FIR against the two boys under relevant provisions of the BNS and Sections 4, 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act. Both the accused are being treated as children in conflict with law.The minor was examined at Bhabha Hospital. Police said the delay in reporting the incident was explained by the complainant. An investigation is underway to identify the second accused and establish the sequence of events. Police are also examining the alleged social media threats and other evidence in the case.

Mumbai: Kherwadi police have registered a case of abetment of suicide against two women after a 24-year-old law graduate jumped to his death from his 13th-floor apartment in Bandra East recently. Police said the two women were threatening to frame him in a police case which had resulted in the man getting severely stressed out.According to the police, the deceased youth lived with his parents and younger brother at Bandra East. He used to work as a law clerk with a judge earlier but was currently working from home. His mother noticed that he was looking stressed for the past few days. On Aug 6, she received a phone call from two of his friends. They informed her that the youth was in a relationship with a woman while they were studying in Bangalore. Later, the relationship soured and the woman and her older sister began to threaten him.The mother of the deceased youth then confronted him and he admitted that he was being threatened and was stressed out. She also received a text on her younger son’s phone from one of the accused, threatening to lodge a police complaint. While she was speaking to her son’s friend on the phone, he locked himself in his bedroom and jumped from the 13th-floor window. When his mother couldn’t get him to open the door, she asked the driver to get duplicate door keys made. But the driver informed her that a large crowd had gathered below their building and the youth had jumped from the window. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.Subsequently, his mother approached Kherwadi Police and an FIR was registered against the two women.

A person examining bank documents can be seen. (AI-generated image used for representational purpose)

MUMBAI: Khar Police have registered an FIR against two men for allegedly operating 22 mule bank accounts through which at least 42 cyber frauds were perpetrated across the country. Police said Rs 7.42 crore was collectively defrauded in these cases. One of the accused has been arrested.Khar Police were investigating a task fraud when they stumbled upon the larger racket involving mule bank accounts. The task fraud complaint was filed in February by an airline ground staffer who was duped of Rs 4.07 lakh.The woman told police that she received a message from one Riya Sanvi on February 6 offering a part-time job with no joining fee. She was asked to take screenshots of products on Amazon and send them in return for a promised commission, and was later asked to join a Telegram group.Another accused subsequently contacted her through the group and asked her to make investments to be assigned more tasks. The complainant eventually paid Rs 4.07 lakh but did not receive any commission.While investigating the case, the Khar police team was led to Pune, where they found that a flat in the Chakan area had been used to register mule bank accounts.Police identified the accused as Avinash Kharat and his associate Vikas Bhujbal. Kharat allegedly operated 13 mule accounts, while Bhujbal ran nine. Some accounts were operated in their own names, while others were opened in the names of other individuals.Police said the 22 bank accounts were used in 42 cyber scams across the country, with the total amount defrauded estimated at Rs 7.42 crore.The case was solved under the supervision of DCP Mohit Garg and senior inspector Santosh Kate.

A 24-year-old law graduate died after jumping from his apartment (AI image used for representational purpose only)

MUMBAI: Kherwadi Police have registered a case of abetment of suicide against two women after a 24-year-old law grad jumped to his death from his 13th floor apartment in Bandra East recently.Police said the two women were threatening to frame him in a police case which had resulted in the young man getting severely stressed out.According to the police, the deceased youth lived with his parents and younger brother at Bandra East. He used to work as a law clerk with a judge earlier but was currently working from home.His mother noticed that he was looking stressed for the past few days. On Aug 6, she received a phone call from two of his friends. They informed her that the youth was in a relationship with a woman while they were studying in Bangalore.Later, the relationship soured and the woman and her older sister began to threaten him.The mother of the deceased youth then confronted him and he admitted that he was being threatened and was stressed out.She also received a text on her younger son’s phone from one of the accused, threatening to lodge a police complaint. While she was speaking to her son’s friend over the phone, he locked himself in his bedroom and jumped off the 13th floor window.When his mother couldn’t get him to open the door, she asked the driver to get duplicate door keys made. But the driver informed her that a large crowd had gathered below their building and the youth had jumped off the window. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.Subsequently, his mother approached the Kherwadi Police and an FIR was registered against the two women.

The loan waiver was declared by the state on June 2

Mumbai: Mahayuti govt’s Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar loan waiver’s disbursal began on Friday with Rs 5,027 crore released into the bank accounts of 6.2 lakh farmers of an estimated 54.6 lakh through direct benefit transfer.“Of the 18-19 lakh bank accounts identified, around 12 lakh accounts have been sent back to the banks for verification on account of errors. Once these are cleared, the disbursal will continue,” said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.He said that once the names of beneficiaries had been identified, a list would be put up at the gram panchayat office and farmers only needed to provide their Aadhaar number and Farmer ID. “They do not need to fill any forms,” said Fadnavis.When asked when the disbursal to the estimated 54.6 lakh farmers would be completed, he said that 80% of the roll-out in such cases usually proceeds quickly but the remaining 20% takes time owing to technical problems.“Usually the technical problems relate to duplicate bank accounts or errors in the name or account number of farmers. Sometimes, the beneficiary has passed away but the land remains in his name and has not been legally divided among his heirs,” said Fadnavis.The loan waiver was declared by the state on June 2. It was a promise in its 2024 assembly election manifesto. It covers short-term crop loans of up to 2 lakh taken between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2025.It has three components: a debt waiver, one-time settlement and incentive benefits for those who regularly service their loans. In the first phase, the loan waiver will be rolled out while incentive benefits will be given in the second phase.

The court took grave note of the brutality of the crime and the lack of remorse shown by the accused

Palghar: The District and Additional Sessions Court in Palghar on Friday sentenced a 46-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in a tribal hamlet of Dahanu on Sept 27, 2021. Judge A R Rahane also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.The victim, then aged nine years and eight months, had been sent by her mother to fetch supplies from a neighbourhood shop. According to the prosecution, the accused identified as Pramul, also known as Praful or Pramade Ratna Ghose, who lived nearby lured the child into his house, showed her obscene images on his mobile phone and sexually assaulted her.Following the assault, the girl began crying in pain. The accused offered her Rs 10 to buy snacks, but she insisted she would tell her family about the incident and attempted to run away. The accused allegedly grabbed a sickle from his house, chased the girl down and struck her repeatedly on the head, neck and face, inflicting around 15 fatal blows. A 40-year-old villager who tried to intervene was also attacked and seriously injured by the accused, who then allegedly attempted to destroy evidence at the scene.The court took grave note of the brutality of the crime and the lack of remorse shown by the accused, who reportedly displayed no contrition even after the sentence was pronounced.The case was investigated by then Assistant Superintendent of Police Nityanand Jha. Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Rekha Ivarale represented the state.Officials said this is perhaps the first instance in Palghar district where the death penalty has been imposed in a POCSO case involving such a brutal murder.

Mumbai: Union home and cooperatives minister Amit Shah arrived in Mumbai on Friday night. He will inaugurate the new office of National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation as well as attend a programme at BSE International Convention Centre on Saturday. He will leave for Delhi in the afternoon. TNN