Thane: Two theft incidents have been reported at Kalyan Railway Station, where two individuals lost valuables worth a total of Rs 75,000. Both victims have registered complaints at the Kalyan Lohmarg Police Station.

Certain thieves are pretending to be passengers and approaching people at the station. These thieves use friendly conversation, emotional stories, and clever tricks to distract people and steal their belongings.

Most of these incidents take place on platforms or nearby areas like the skywalk. Victims usually realise the theft only after the criminal has escaped with their valuables, which often include gold ornaments and cash.

One of the incidents took place around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A passenger was waiting on the skywalk because the local train was delayed. A man approached him, pretending to ask for information about trains going to Mumbai.

The man started an emotional conversation and shared stories about his financial problems and future plans. During the talk, he slowly gained the passenger’s trust, reportedly even hypnotising him. According to the report, taking advantage of the moment, the thief stole a 10-gram gold ring worth Rs 60,000 and walked away.

The victim only realised what had happened after the man had already left. He searched the area but could not find the thief. He then went to the Kalyan Lohmarg Police Station and filed a complaint.

Assistant Police Inspector Kamble is currently handling the investigation. In another incident earlier that day, a thief stole a mobile phone worth Rs 15,000 from a passenger seated at the station. The phone was placed next to the passenger, and the thief managed to steal it without being noticed. A complaint has also been filed in this case, which Sub-Inspector Mohite is investigating.

The rising frequency of such thefts has created unease among railway passengers. Commuters are expressing concern and surprise over the continued thefts, especially given the presence of regular police patrolling at the station.

Navi Mumbai: A 54-year-old vigilant citizen from Noor Co-op. Ho. Society in Sector 9, Vashi, first brought this information to the fore through the Right to Information. After this vigilant citizen complained about this to the Anti-Corruption Department of Navi Mumbai Police, the police caught this bribery red-handed. A case has been registered against the public servants who demanded bribes on Wednesday.

A vigilant 54-year-old citizen exposed CIDCO’s bribery issue through RTI, leading to a police operation that caught public servants demanding bribes, resulting in legal action against them.

The complainant is the secretary of Noor Society in Sector 9, Vashi. The executive committee of Noor Society was dissolved due to the resignation of some members. After that, the administration of this housing society was run under the administrative control of the Co-Registrar of Cooperative Societies of CIDCO.

Later, after the election of the executive board of the society, while he was working as the secretary again, the opposition applied to the Deputy Registrar’s Office and demanded the abolition of the relevant committee. Apart from this, an allegation of holding the annual general meeting late was also registered.

On August 7, an order was given to stop the processing of this application (close of order). To give the result in favor of the complainant, the public servants of the Co-Registrar’s Office of CIDCO demanded a bribe of Rs. 5 lakh. After a compromise, the amount was fixed at Rs. 3 lakh 50 thousand. After verifying the authenticity of this demand, a trap was laid in the Co-Registrar’s Office of CIDCO on September 10.

Rahul Kamble, who was working in this office at that time, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe through constable Mahesh Kamothkar. A case has been registered under sections 7, 7A, 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act for demanding and accepting bribes.

The accused include Rahul Rangrao Kamble (aged 50), Dhanaji Dattatray Kalukhe (aged 52), private Kishore Shankarrao More, and constable Mahesh Gangaram Kamothkar, said Dharmaraj Sonke, Deputy Superintendent of the Anti-Bribery Department. All four suspects will be produced in court on Thursday afternoon. The police will investigate which other senior officials of CIDCO are involved in this amount of Rs 3.5 lakh.

Mumbai: The road concretisation project, which was temporarily suspended during the four-month monsoon season, is set to resume next month. The BMC will first prioritise the completion of 574 roads, spanning 156.74 km, which were partially completed and secured before the onset of rains. In addition to these, 776 new roads, covering approximately 208.70 km, will also be taken up for concretisation in the upcoming phase.

So far, 49% of the total roads taken up under the BMC’s concretisation project have been completed, with nearly 64% completion recorded in the second phase.

As per civic data, over 771 roads covering 186 km have been fully completed, while 547 roads spanning 156.74 km remain partially completed. The concretisation work was halted after May 31 due to the onset of the monsoon. However, the work is now scheduled to resume from October 1, a senior civic official confirmed.

“To minimise disruption for citizens, we will carry out the road concretisation work in phases. Simultaneously, roads where work has not yet commenced will also be taken up,” according to an official.

Phase I of the project is targeted for completion by May 2026, while Phase II is expected to witness substantial progress, with full execution likely by the first half of 2027.

Meanwhile, following public criticism over road concretisation work in certain areas, the BMC has launched a public dashboard to enhance transparency and accountability.

The portal allows citizens to track the status of the concretisation project, providing key details such as the contractor’s name, start and expected completion dates, and other relevant information for each road earmarked for concretisation.