Mumbai: The Bangur Nagar police booked an employee of Bajaj Allianz for allegedly cheating a 69-year-old customer out of Rs. 6.94 lakh on the pretext of offering her a pension scheme. The case was registered on September 17. The accused has been identified as Ashish Tiwari, 34, a representative of the firm who resides in Vikhroli West.

According to the FIR, the complainant, Lalita Malhotra, 69, resides in Malad West and teaches classes from second to eighth standard. Her daughter is married and also resides in Malad West, while her son lives abroad. In December 2023, she purchased a five-year policy from Bajaj Allianz Finance. The insurance office is located in Sion. She visited the office and paid her first instalment of Rs. 61,350 via cheque.

In January 2024, Ashish Tiwari called her from the insurance company and requested her to pay the second instalment. She told him that she wanted to close the policy and asked for her money to be returned. Tiwari told her that the policy bonus was due and that her policy value had increased. He further assured her that if she paid the remaining instalments, she would start receiving a pension from November 2024. Trusting him, she was provided a demand letter and transferred a total of Rs. 7.94 lakh to the Google Pay number he provided, in various instalments from May 2024 to February 2025.

Later, she, along with her daughter, visited the insurance office at Andheri East and discovered that while Tiwari was an employee of the company, he had taken the money into his personal account. He returned a small portion of the amount but did not return Rs. 6.94 lakh. She subsequently filed a complaint with the Bangur Nagar police. The police registered the case under Sections 316(2), 316(5) (criminal breach of trust), and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Mumbai: A Class 7 student from Vibgyor Roots and Rise, an international school in Malad, reportedly suffered a spinal injury after classmates gave him birthday bumps inside the classroom. The incident occurred on the child’s birthday, leaving what was meant to be a celebration turning into a serious accident. The school’s response was unavailable.

According to the parents, one of the classmates gave the child birthday bumps with such force that it led to a serious spinal injury. The boy was taken for medical attention, where it was confirmed damage to his spinal cord.

The boy’s parents claim that they approached the school administration but received no response. Left with no option, they went to the local police station at Bangur Nagar to lodge a complaint. But they alleged that when the police authorities visited the school, the matter was downplayed and never followed up.

The parents have demanded responsibility from the school for not averting such accidents as well as for keeping silent after the injury. They also stressed that traditions like birthday bumps need to be controlled strictly to avoid similar incidents in the future. The parents stated that they will wait for a week for the management’s response after which they will decide their course of action.

The accident has also raised concerns from parents about the security of students in the school premises and the need for more strict monitoring of such informal celebrations.

Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Thursday remanded Upendra Pawaskar, who was arrested for allegedly defacing a statue of the late Meenatai Thackeray, wife of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, to police custody till September 20. Police told the court they need time to ascertain the motive behind the act, reportedly committed by a person of “unsound mind.”

According to sources, during police interrogation, Pawaskar claimed that one of his relatives, who is a personal bodyguard of Uddhav Thackeray, is involved in a property dispute with him. Police suspect that personal and political grievances may have motivated the act. Sources also indicate that Pawaskar has displayed signs of mental instability, which is now under evaluation.

The Shivaji Park Police identified the accused through CCTV footage and arrested him on Wednesday night from Khed Galli in Dadar. He was produced before the court on Thursday. The paint can allegedly used in the incident is yet to be recovered.

Prosecutors argued that further custodial interrogation was necessary to determine the motive and trace the missing evidence. The court subsequently granted police custody until September 20.

Police sources further revealed that Pawaskar has a prior criminal record, including assault charges registered at the Dadar Police Station, along with several non-cognizable offenses.

Police stated that Pawaskar had been living alone in the Dadar area for many years and is believed to be “mentally unsound.”