Nashik: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday dismissed reports claiming a late-night meeting with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray at the Varsha bungalow in Mumbai.

He clarified that if such a meeting were to happen, there would be no need to keep it secret, and it could be held openly.

Reports about the alleged meeting were circulated by media platform Prabuddha Bharat, linked to Prakash Ambedkar, suggesting that the discussion was related to the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections. The claims triggered widespread speculation across the state.

Responding to media queries during his Nashik visit, CM Devendra Fadnavis firmly denied the reports, stating that no such meeting had taken place.

He also warned that legal notices would be issued against social media handles spreading what he described as false and misleading information.

Speaking about the issue, CM Fadnavis said, “If Uddhav Thackeray wants to meet me, or if we have to meet, there is no need to do it secretly. It can happen openly. There is nothing between us that needs to be hidden.”

Fadnavis added, “No such meeting has taken place. Some people are deliberately spreading false news in an incorrect manner, which is unacceptable. Notices will be issued to such misleading social media handles.”

Mumbai: In a dramatic twist, nearly three decades after the encounter killing of Mumbai gangster Sadiq Kalia, Mumbai police have arrested his nephew for allegedly plotting and executing a revenge murder.

Kalia was gunned down in a police encounter in Dadar in 1999 by a team led by noted encounter specialist Daya Nayak. At the time, his nephew Sadiq Javar was just two years old. Now, nearly 27 years later, Javar has been arrested for allegedly targeting the man he believed had tipped off police about Kalia’s whereabouts.

According to cops, the victim, Iqbal Ibrahim Seliya (78), was attacked at his residence in Nagpada on the evening of April 20. Police said two men entered the house while Seliya was alone and assaulted him with a chopper, stabbing him more than 20 times before fleeing. His family later discovered his body.

four days after the incident, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Javar and his associate, Naushad Mithani (22), from Nagpur following a technical surveillance operation.

Police said Javar allegedly believed Seliya had acted as an informant in 1999, leading to Kalia’s encounter. Growing up with this belief, Javar is suspected of having held a long-standing grudge against the victim.

Investigations revealed that after the murder, the accused travelled from Antop Hill to Vidyavihar, boarded a train to Kalyan, and then hired a vehicle to reach Nagpur, covering over 700 kilometres in an attempt to evade arrest. CCTV footage from the area captured their movements before and after the crime.

Crime Branch officials said the accused have confessed and provided details of the planning and escape route. Senior Inspector Pradeep Kale of Nagpada police station confirmed the murder and said further investigation is underway.

Police records indicate that Kalia, who began as a street-level shoe seller in Kalachowki, later joined the gang of Chhota Shakeel after reportedly refusing to pay extortion money to rivals. Along with sharpshooter Munna Jhingada, he was allegedly involved in multiple crimes across Mumbai in the late 1990s. The accused are being brought to Mumbai for further legal proceedings as cops continue to probe the case.

Mumbai: The Samta Nagar Police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly possessing brown heroin worth ₹9.75 lakh with the intent to sell, officials said.

The accused, identified as Vicky Vidhakar Padmukh, a resident of Kandivali East, was apprehended on April 22.

The arrest followed a case registered earlier the same evening under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

According to the police, the offence took place between 2:39 pm and 4:50 pm on April 22 near a public toilet at Krantinagar rickshaw stand, close to Lokhandwala Complex in Kandivali East.

During the operation, police recovered 65 grams of brown heroin from the accused, estimated to be worth ₹9.75 lakh in the illegal market. The contraband was allegedly being possessed for the purpose of sale.

A case has been registered under Sections 8(c) and 21(b) of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the drugs and whether other individuals are involved in the network.