Mumbai, November: ( By Kamar Ansari)

In a major action against corruption in the judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Mumbai has arrested a Court Officer attached to the 14th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Mazgaon, for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹15,00,000, while the Metropolitan Magistrate, Eijazuddin Sallauddin Kazi, has gone absconding.

As per the official ACB release, the arrested accused has been identified as Shashikant Ramchandra Nayak (age 40), Court Officer, 14th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Mazgaon, Mumbai, while the absconding accused is Eijazuddin Sallauddin Kazi (age 55), Metropolitan Magistrate, 14th Court, Mazgaon, Mumbai.

According to the ACB investigation, both accused had demanded ₹25,00,000 from a complainant, who is an advocate, in connection with a case pending before the Mazgaon Court since 2015. After negotiations, the demand was reduced to ₹15,00,000.

The complainant, unwilling to pay the bribe, approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Mumbai and lodged a formal complaint.

After verifying the allegations, a trap was organized on November 10, 2024, at the 14th Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Mazgaon. During the operation, Court Officer Shashikant Ramchandra Nayak was caught red-handed while accepting ₹15,00,000 on behalf of Metropolitan Magistrate Eijazuddin Kazi.

The ACB seized the bribe amount at the spot, arrested Court Officer Nayak, and initiated further investigation. Magistrate Eijazuddin Kazi fled the location and is currently absconding.

An offence has been registered under Sections 7(a) and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), for demanding and accepting a bribe by a public servant.

The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration), ACB Mumbai, Ms. Nimisha Soni, assisted by Assistant Commissioner of Police Shailesh Sawant and Police Inspector Sunil Raje from ACB Mumbai Division.

The ACB has launched a manhunt to locate and arrest the absconding Metropolitan Magistrate Eijazuddin Sallauddin Kazi.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has claimed to have busted a gang of fraudsters in the Miland area who were duping American and Canadian nationals through a fake call center and charging them processing fees for obtaining bank loans. Senior Police Inspector Ajay Joshi of the Miland Police Station received information that a person named Sagar Gupta was running a call center with his four associates in a residential building in Miland and he was calling American and Canadian nationals for loans and then charging them $90-100 as processing fees for obtaining payday loans. The police raided the call center and seized two laptops, 11 mobile phones, two routers and other documents, arresting a total of five people. The police have registered a case under the IT Act and cheating against them and started investigation.

Mumbai: Two people jumped into the Mahim creek in Mumbai, due to which they drowned. The search for them is on. Today at around 12:20 pm, Irshad Asif Sheikh, a transgender, aged 22, residing at Lal Mati, Nargis Dutt Nagar, Bandra (West), Mumbai, and Qalander Altaf Khan, aged 20, residing at Lal Mati, Nargis Dutt Nagar, Bandra (West), were standing between a bridge in Bandra. During this, they had an argument and one jumped into the creek while the other also jumped into the water to save him.

During the argument, Irshad jumped into the water and Qalander Khan jumped after him to save him. However, both drowned in the water.

The search operation is on, so far no trace of both has been found. Teams are searching for both.