As Mumbai: gears up for Diwali celebrations, the city’s roads have turned into a nightmare for daily commuters. From Western Express Highway (WEH) to Dadar TT Circle, traffic jams stretching for kilometres have left people stranded for hours. With markets buzzing, last-minute shopping peaking and office commuters battling festive rush, Mumbai’s streets are bursting at the seams.

Frustrated citizens took to X to share their ordeal. One user tagged the Chief Minister, saying, “Massive traffic jam from Bandra to Vile Parle. When will the suffering end? No police on the road.” Another wrote, “Complete mismanagement, no police around on Tilak Bridge, Dadar TT Circle full jam. Happy Diwali!”

The complaints didn’t stop there. A commuter from Kurla West posted a Google Maps screenshot showing an alarming red zone across the area, captioned, “What’s going on here? Complete chaos!” Others reported similar gridlocks across Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, Pathanwadi signal, and Mumbai-Nashik Highway, where some were stuck for over an hour without any movement.

A particularly worrying account came from a commuter stuck near Pathanwadi, who said an ambulance had been honking for more than an hour but received no assistance. “No traffic cop in sight, same as daily. It’s horrible,” the user posted. This lack of on-ground management has sparked anger among citizens who feel stranded and ignored.

While traffic snarls are nothing new for Mumbai, the festive season has magnified the city’s daily woes. With markets, malls, and highways flooded with vehicles, travel time across major corridors has doubled. Commuters are urging the traffic department to deploy more personnel and ensure smoother flow, especially during peak evening hours.

As the festive mood lights up Mumbai’s skyline, the ground reality tells another story, one of stalled cars, impatient honking, and weary travellers. Mumbaikars are now calling for better traffic management and crowd control to ensure the spirit of Diwali isn’t dimmed by endless jams and frustration.

Palghar: A 13-year-old tribal girl from Maharashtra’s Palghar district was allegedly forcibly married off and raped, police said on Friday.

Based on a complaint lodged by the minor, the police have registered a case against five persons, including the groom and his family from Ahilyanagar, an official said.

According to the police, the girl’s grandfather allegedly got her married to a man from Ahilyanagar in September, and she was repeatedly sexually assaulted. The groom’s parents also mentally harassed her.

“We have registered a case against five individuals, including a family member, for the forced marriage, trafficking, and repeated sexual assault of a minor girl. The case involves multiple jurisdictions, and we are coordinating the investigation to ensure immediate action is taken against all the accused involved in this serious crime,” the official said.

The offence has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

Mumbai: A yoga instructor from Santacruz West was cheated by two men posing as policemen, collecting money to distribute clothes and food to the poor. The complainant, Anand Joshi, 67, lodged a complaint at Santacruz police station on Wednesday, saying that he was convinced with the narrative that his neighbour donated Rs10,000 and was shown a fake entry in a register.

When Joshi asked about payment, they asked him to scan a QR code, and he transferred Rs2,000. Later, his neighbour informed him that the men were impostors. It was found that their uniforms were fake and they had arrived on a motorcycle.

In a separate case on Thursday, a hotel and lodge owner, Ratikrushna Patnaik, 55, from Goregaon West, complained to Bangur Nagar police on Thursday of being cheated by a man posing as a crime branch officer named ‘Prakash’ seeking a room, purportedly for VIP bandobast duty. When the lodge staff later asked him for his ID or payment, he refused, allegedly threatened them, and left without paying.

In both cases, offences have been registered under Section 204 (personating a public servant) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.