Palghar: Police have arrested four men, including two auto-rickshaw drivers, from Gujarat for allegedly stealing Rs 11.25 lakh cash collected as student fees from the treasury of a college in Maharashtra’s Palghar city, officials said on Wednesday.

About The Theft

The theft took place between 5.30 pm on July 23 and 7.45 am on July 24 at the Dandekar College located on Boisar Road here, a police release said.

An official from the college later reported that Rs 11.25 lakh kept in the college’s accounts department treasury had been stolen by unidentified persons.

Based on technical analysis and intelligence inputs, the police here identified the four accused and arrested them from Umbargaon in neighbouring Valsad district of Gujarat on Monday with the help of local police, the release said.

“During interrogation, they confessed to committing the theft. Out of the stolen cash, Rs 4.05 lakh has been recovered,” it said.

The accused have been identified as Shubham Virendra Singh (21), Murali Manohar Pawar (23), both auto-rickshaw drivers, Arun Lakhan Chavan (19), a mason, and Farooq Firoz Khan, all hailing from Valsad, the release said.

They have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 305(A) (theft in a dwelling house) and 331(3)(4) (house trespass or house break), the police added.

Thane: The Thane Crime Branch has arrested two persons for allegedly possessing 15.9kg MD (mephedrone), a psychotropic substance, with the intent to sell it in the city. The accused – Tanvir Ahmad Ansari, 23, and Mahesh Desai, 35, residents of Mumbra and Ulhasnagar – were intercepted after a nakabandi on August 9 at Ranjnoli Naka on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan bypass road.

Cops Seize ₹31 Crore MD in Back-to-Back Car Interceptions

The police first stopped a car driven by Tanvir and, upon inspection, recovered 11.763kg MD. Soon after, another car driven by Mahesh was intercepted, and officials recovered 4.161kg MD powder from him; the total value of the contraband is Rs31.84 crore. Their cars and phones were seized by the police.

Preliminary interrogation revealed Tanvir is already named in three FIRs, including drug-related charges, at Mumbra, Daighar, and Byculla police stations. Mahesh, confessed to four prior offences, including cases under the NDPS Act and MCOCA at Ajara Police station in Kolhapur.

Kolsewadi Police have arrested two individuals, including a woman, for allegedly beating a four-year-old girl to death after she had two potty accidents within an hour. The accused have been identified as Prathmesh Kambri (23) and his wife, Aprana Prathmesh Kambri, both residents of Bhivpuri in Karjat, Raigad district.

Kidnapping Complaint Filed Against Accused

According to police, a kidnapping complaint was lodged on October 6, 2024, at Kolsewadi Police Station by Jyoti Satpute. She alleged that her four-year-old niece had been kidnapped by the accused, who are her father’s brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Confession Reveals Cause of Death

The suspects were brought in for questioning, during which they reportedly confessed that Prathmesh had beaten the child to death due to her having two potty accidents within an hour. Following the murder, the couple allegedly wrapped the body in a gunny bag, covered it with a mattress, and dumped it in an isolated area.

Arrest Made Following Police Tip-Off

Based on a tip-off, police laid a trap and apprehended the accused on August 11 in Chinchwali village, Bhivpuri. They were produced before a court and remanded in police custody for further investigation.

Police Statement on the Investigation

DCP Atul Zende (Kalyan division) said, “The couple had been absconding since the FIR was lodged. They had stopped using their mobile phones, making it difficult to trace them. Acting on a tip-off, we arrested them. During the preliminary investigation, we learned that they had brought the child to their home in August to care for her. We have added murder charges to the FIR.”

Family Background and Custody Details

Police also confirmed that the girl’s father has been in jail for the past year in connection with a theft case in Ulhasnagar. After his arrest, he had sent his daughter to stay with his sister-in-law in Bhivpuri. When the complainant was unable to reach the Kambri couple despite a personal visit, she filed a kidnapping complaint.