Mumbai: In a major preventive action against repeat drug offenders, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old drug trafficker under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, lodging him in Kolhapur Central Jail for one year.

The accused has been identified as Surajkumar Ramvilas Prajapati (29), a resident of Albert Compound, Vasari Hill, Shankar Nagar, near Rustamjee Tower, Goregaon (West).

While preventive detention of habitual offenders during election seasons is common to avoid threats to law and order, such detentions typically last only a few days and the individuals are released after polling.

However, in a rare and unprecedented move, the Mumbai Police have detained Prajapati for an entire year and shifted him to Kalamba Central Jail, Kolhapur.

The action was taken under the stringent PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, a provision invoked only in exceptional cases to isolate habitual offenders from society.

A senior Mumbai Police officer said a similar action under the PIT-NDPS Act was previously taken against Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi, Dawood Ibrahim’s key drug handler. After Mirchi, this is considered the second major preventive detention under the Act in recent years.

According to police, Prajapati has seven ganja trafficking cases registered against him:

Four cases at Malad Police Station

One case at Goregaon Police Station

Two cases with the Kandivali Unit of the ANC

He was recently granted bail in the Kandivali Unit case, but investigations revealed he continued operating in narcotics trafficking despite multiple bail orders.

Given the ongoing threat posed by the accused and his repeated return to drug peddling, the ANC submitted a proposal to detain him under the PIT-NDPS Act to the Competent Authority Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department, Government of Maharashtra.
The proposal was approved, and an official detention order was issued.

Following the approval, Prajapati was taken into custody and on December 6, 2025, lodged in Kalamba Central Prison, Kolhapur, for preventive detention of one year.

Mumbai: air travel schedule remained heavily disrupted on Monday as IndiGo’s nationwide operational meltdown stretched into its seventh straight day, causing widespread cancellations across major Indian airports. While the crisis has affected passengers throughout the country, Mumbai, one of IndiGo’s busiest hubs, continued to witness major cancellations that derailed travel plans from early morning.

By 7 am, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had recorded 32 IndiGo cancellations, 10 arrivals and 22 departures, impacting key routes to Chandigarh, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Darbhanga, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. Airport officials said the ripple effect of the disruptions was expected to continue through the day, adding to the nationwide tally of 309 flights impacted by Monday morning.

Across India, more than 224 cancellations were pre-planned and communicated to passengers, officials confirmed, as the airline attempted to manage the crisis strategically. IndiGo had reportedly begun processing 100 per cent refunds for passengers booked up to December 6, even as fresh cancellations continued to pile up.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport reported the highest number of disruptions, with 134 IndiGo flights cancelled, 75 departures and 59 arrivals, making it the epicentre of the crisis. In response, the airport issued a public advisory urging passengers to check real-time flight status before heading out. Authorities said they were coordinating with airline teams to minimise chaos inside terminals.

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport confirmed 127 cancellations, 65 arrivals and 62 departures. Officials said the next status update would be provided later in the evening. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport recorded 77 disruptions, splitting between 38 arrivals and 39 departures.

At Srinagar Airport, 16 flights (8 arrivals and 8 departures) were cancelled, while Ahmedabad reported 18 cancellations by 8 am. Passenger crowds were also reported at terminals in Chennai, Jaipur and Mumbai, where many travellers waited for updates amid confusion.

Amid the escalating crisis, aviation regulator DGCA granted IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidro Porqueras a one-time extension until 6 pm Monday to respond to the show-cause notice issued on December 6. The airline sought extra time citing “operational constraints linked to the scale of nationwide disruptions.” The DGCA, however, warned that no further extension will be granted, and said it would proceed ex parte if the reply is not submitted on time.

Kolkata, Dec 8: A video showing stacks of currency notes being counted as part of the donations for the proposed Babri Mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad district has drawn wide attention after suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir posted it on his social media page.

The footage has circulated rapidly, prompting fresh debate on the scale and source of the funds collected.

The legislator from the Bharatpur constituency has hinted that he may launch his new political party on December 22.

Kabir said on Monday that 11 trunks filled with currency notes had been collected as cash offerings from local residents since Saturday, the day the foundation stone for the proposed mosque was laid.

“The exact worth of the currencies collected as cash donations is yet to be ascertained,” he said.

He added that online contributions had also come in, noting that about Rs 93 lakh had been received through a QR code he had posted on his social media page.

Kabir, however, did not divulge the details about an unnamed donor whom he says has pledged about Rs 80 crore for the project. He only described the individual as a Muslim businessman with an annual turnover of more than Rs 4,000 crore. He did not disclose the person’s identity or place of origin, which has led to further questions.

He reiterated that the proposed mosque budget is Rs 300 crore, with plans to replicate the original structure that stood in Ayodhya, which was demolished on December 6, 1992.

“The complex will also include a school and a hospital,” he said.

The TMC rebel legislator is reportedly preparing to launch his new political party on December 22. He intends to unveil the list of office bearers on the same day. Although he had earlier stated that he would resign from his Assembly seat before the formal launch, he reversed his position on Sunday.

He said he would hold back his resignation for the time being, a decision that has added another layer of uncertainty to the unfolding developments.