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1993 Serial Blasts: Is Mumbai less vulnerable to terror strike?

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On March 12, 1993, a series of 12 bomb blasts ripped across Mumbai in which officially 257 persons died and 1,400 were injured. It was the worst urban terrorist attack then. Is Mumbai less vulnerable now to a similar terror strike than what it was 30 years ago? The answer is an emphatic ‘No’. 

NN Vora Committee report yet to be made public


The biggest injustice has been done to the metropolis by the government by not making public the report of NN Vora Committee, which was appointed to unearth the links between the underworld, politicians, police and bureaucrats. The 100-page report by the former Union home secretary had gone into the depth of the problem and submitted a remarkably candid report to the government, a source privy to the document told the Free Press Journal.

Despite several efforts by citizens to get the report made public through PILs and other means, it continues to gather dust in the archives of the North Block. Only 11 pages were placed on the floor of Parliament. But, these 11 pages hardly gave any worthwhile information.

The report exposes, among other things, the close nexus between a top politician and the Dawood Ibrahim gang. Reportedly that is one of the primary reasons why the political establishment wants to keep it under wraps.


People have every right to read report: Suradkar

Even though the people of Mumbai have a right to know the contents of the report, they have been kept in the dark. Former IPS officer SS Suradkar, who had fought a brave battle to break the deep nexus between politicians and the underworld of Vasai-Virar, said the people have every right to read the Vora report.

Interestingly, Sharad Pawar, who was the chief minister during the blasts, confessed that he had lied to the people about the number of blasts. While the fact was that the 12 blasts had taken place in Hindu-dominated areas, Pawar had claimed that there was a 13th blast in a Muslim-majority area. He had also hinted at the role of the LTTE in the blasts, while it was very clear from day one that the attacks were the handiwork of the Dawood Ibrahim gang working at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI. Pawar claimed that he lied because he did not want more communal riots in Mumbai, but there are few takers for his claim even today.

The RDX explosives, grenades and AK 47s were smuggled through the Raigad coast by Dawood’s men with the connivance of certain corrupt Customs officials.

Raigad coast continues to be vulnerable

The Raigad coast continues to be vulnerable. It was because the authorities had not learnt any lesson that on November 26, 2008 Ajmal Kasab and his men came through the coast in front of Badhwar Park in Colaba, hired cabs and launched terror strikes.

They were provided logistics support by the Ali gang which was dominating the Mumbai docks. The truth is that this gang, which is primarily into diesel smuggling from the high seas, is still active in the docks. In fact, it spread its tentacles to the JNPT port.

Corruption in customs a big menace

Corruption in the Customs department has increased as exposed by the FPJ in a series of reports recently. There is open talk of links between certain IPS officers and the underworld with the ex-Director General of Police Sanjay Pande and ex-Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve submitting detailed reports on the issue to the state home department.

But these reports have been junked for no apparent reason. Retired assistant commissioner of police Rajendra Kumar Trivedi said he filed RTI applications to get copies of the reports sent by Pande and Barve, but the home department rejected his applications.

Today, even though the violent activities of Mumbai’s underworld have reduced substantially, their money and muscle power has increased exponentially.

Pramod Goenka, a prominent builder, was summoned by Choota Shakeel to Maputo in Mozambique and today nothing is heard from him. Big builders are still required to give protection money to D-Company. One of the builders said, “We have to do it to ensure our physical safety.”

Crime

Mumbai: Man Stabbed To Death After He Intervenes To Settle Dispute In Sion Koliwada; Antop Hill Police Arrest 5

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Mumbai: Man Stabbed To Death After He Intervenes To Settle Dispute In Sion Koliwada; Antop Hill Police Arrest 5

Mumbai: A 22-year-old was murdered in the early hours of Friday in Mumbai’s Sion Koliwada area after an argument broke out over noise pollution. The Antop Hill police have registered an FIR in the case and so far five people have been arrested and further investigation is underway.

The incident took place around 12:30 am in Kokri Agar In Jai Maharashtra Nagar, Antop Hill. Vivek Gupta (22) was attacked with a knife and he succumbed to his injuries. As initial information available, a group of people were making noise causing disturbance on the street which lead to an argument broke out. Gupta had gone to resolve the dispute between the accused, however, angered over his interference, Gupta was attacked.

What started as a small fight soon escalated and Gupta was attacked with a knife. He was immediately taken to Sion Hospital, however, he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at 3:30 am. The senior police officers of Mumbai Police Zone 4 were present at the hospital. The cops have so far arrested five suspects connected to this incident, and further investigation is underway.

The arrested accused are: Karthik R Mohan Devendra, Karthik Kumar Devendra, Vicky Muttu Devendra, Miniappan Ravi Devendra and the wife of Karthik R Mogan, the police informed. The case is registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

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Crime

Mumbai: 6 Booked For Defrauding Stock Trader Of ₹1.5 Cr In Bitcoin Investment Scam

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Mumbai: The Bandra police have registered an FIR against six persons for allegedly defrauding a stock trader of nearly Rs 1.50 crore in a Bitcoin investment scam. The suspects fled even before the case was filed, prompting a manhunt. They have been identified as Abur Sode, Dhanjibhai Rawaria, Jishan Shaikh, Indrajit Latif, Abdul Latif, and Ramkumar Dharmak, all from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

The complainant in the case, Yogesh More, 50, is a resident of Parel and operates a stock trading business in the Marwari area in Bandra West. He met the accused three years ago, during which they introduced themselves as representatives of a company called Friptex Finsol, claiming to offer Bitcoin as a virtual currency.

Trusting them, More transferred around Rs42 lakh in cash and Rs1.08 crore via cheque to various bank accounts associated with the company for Bitcoin purchases between November 2021 and October 2024. Despite these payments, he did not receive the promised Bitcoins, and after multiple inquiries, the accused continued to evade him. Over the last three years, neither the Bitcoins nor a refund was provided.

Complaint Lodged At Bandra Police Station

Suspecting fraud, he began investigating and discovered that Friptex Finsol was a bogus company, and the accused had orchestrated a scam. He then lodged a complaint with the Bandra police. Following an initial inquiry, the police registered a case against six persons under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

A police officer said that the accused are from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. “The preliminary inquiry has not revealed any past criminal history. We are searching for the accused,” the officer added.

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Crime

West Bengal: Youth Arrested For Rape Of Deaf & Mute Woman In South 24 Parganas’ Kultali

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Kolkata: A youth was arrested on the charges of raping a deaf and mute woman at a deserted building in Kultali in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Even as the main accused in the case has been arrested, the local people had been agitating claiming that a local Trinamool Congress panchayat chief Prahlad Nashkar allegedly pressurised family members of the victim to settle the matter against Rs 2,00,000.

However, Nashkar has denied the allegations, saying he was the first to reach the spot and inform the family members of the victim about the incident.

Complaint Filed

The victim’s family members filed a complaint on Wednesday evening. Thereafter, the police started an investigation and based on circumstantial evidence, the accused youth was arrested.

He will be presented at a district court in South 24 Parganas on Thursday only and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody, a district police official said.

Part Of Kultali & Jaynagar Turn Into Virtual Battlefields

In the first week of this month, part of Kultali and adjacent Jaynagar turned into virtual battlefields over violent protests by the local people over the rape and murder of a minor girl there.

At that point in time, the main allegation of the local people was against the police and the latter ignored the missing complaint by the parents of the victim. The local people also alleged that had the police been active in tracking the victim minor, the heinous crime could have been averted.

The protesters became violent and attacked the police station. A local police camp was ransacked and set on fire. The police had to resort to massive lathi-charge to dispel the mob then.

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