The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Mumbai Airport Customs have apprehended two persons for allegedly smuggling 2.9 kilograms of gold valued at Rs2 crore, agency sources said on Sunday.

The accused have been identified as M Waghela and Sunil Kadam. According to the Customs sources, Waghela had brought smuggled gold and had handed it over to Kadam in order to take it out of the airport.

The Customs officials who were discreetly monitoring their movements, got hold of the duo and placed them under arrest. The Customs has also seized the gold from them. The sources said that further investigation have been taken up in this matter.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Unit arrested three Bihar residents on Thursday night in the Pydhonie area of Byculla and seized a cache of weapons.

The accused Abhishek Kumar Patel, 26, Siddharth Suman alias Golu, 23, and Rachit Mandal alias Pushpak, 27, reportedly brought the weapons to Mumbai two days before their arrest.

A trap was laid near Prabhu Hotel on PD Melo Road, Byculla, and the trio was apprehended. The haul included two pistols, one revolver, three single-bore country-made firearms, two empty magazines, and 67 live cartridges. A case has been registered at Byculla police station and further investigations are underway.

Mumbai: A 25-year-old Air India pilot, Srishti Tuli, allegedly died by suicide in Andheri East on November 25. The Powai police arrested her 27-year-old boyfriend, Aditya Pandit, on charges of abetment of suicide. She was found hanging in her rented flat with a data cable. Srishti’s relatives alleged that Pandit mistreated her, frequently argued with her over the phone, and instigated her to take this extreme step. The police registered the case on November 26 and subsequently arrested Pandit. The court sent him to police custody until November 29. The police did not find any suicide note near her body or in her flat.

According to the FIR, Srishti resided at Room No. 601, B Wing, Kanakia Rain forest, Marol, Andheri East. She was a commercial pilot. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, she had been living in Mumbai for work since June 2023. On November 25, between midnight and 3 PM, she allegedly ended her life. Srishti and Pandit met in Delhi two years ago while training for a commercial pilot’s license. They became friends, fell in love, and eventually entered a relationship.

Pandit had stayed with Srishti in her Andheri flat for almost five to six days before the incident. On November 25, around 1 AM, he started his journey to Delhi by car. During the drive, Srishti called him and said she would commit suicide, prompting him to return to Mumbai. Upon arrival, he found her door locked, then he contacted her friend Urvi Panchal.

Panchal arrived at Srishti’s flat, Together, they knocked on the door, but when there was no response, they eventually brought a keymaker to unlock the door and found Srishti hanging. She was transported to Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri East, where doctors pronounced her dead after examination.

Srishti’s uncle filed a complaint against Pandit, alleging that he harassed and abused her, often in public. He also forced her to stop eating non-vegetarian food. Srishti’s cousin and other relatives claimed to have witnessed Pandit’s abusive behaviour towards her. Her uncle, Vivek kumar Tuli, who runs a gas agency in Gorakhpur, spoke to her friends and colleagues. They informed him that Pandit often misbehaved with Srishti and tried to control her.

She had missed the engagement function of Pandit’s sister due to work, and as a result, Pandit refused to speak to her for nearly ten days. His behaviour often left her mentally disturbed. At a party, he publicly yelled at her for eating non-vegetarian food and forbade her from doing so again. On other occasions, he damaged her car and left her stranded on the road. Despite his treatment, Srishti loved him deeply.

Based on the the complaint, the police registered an FIR under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
During her training period, Srishti lived in Dwarka, Delhi. After completing her training, she secured a job with Air India and moved to Mumbai in 2023.