Mumbai, March 27: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, has provisionally attached an immovable property worth Rs 19.12 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) case, officials said on Friday.

Sources said the attached property is linked to the LOIL Group, one of the key defaulters in the NSEL case.

The money laundering probe stems from an FIR registered at MRA Marg police station, which is being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police under various sections of the IPC against NSEL, its directors, key officials and 25 defaulters.

According to the ED, its probe has revealed that NSEL and its defaulting members were involved in criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery by allowing trading in commodities without actual underlying stocks, allegedly defrauding around 13,000 investors of nearly Rs 5,600 crore.

The investigation further revealed that three defaulting members—LOIL Overseas Foods Ltd, LOIL Continental Foods Ltd and LOIL Health Foods Ltd (collectively referred to as the LOIL Group)—fraudulently raised funds through fictitious sale transactions of paddy on the NSEL platform.

The agency said the total liability of the LOIL Group towards NSEL stands at Rs 720.30 crore. Scrutiny of bank records revealed that around Rs 569.04 crore was siphoned off from NSEL settlement accounts of the group entities.

A substantial portion of the diverted funds was allegedly layered through various group entities, including Lakshmi Energy & Foods Limited, and used for repayment of bank loans, business operations, working capital requirements and acquisition of immovable properties.

With this latest action, the ED has now issued 34 provisional attachment orders in the NSEL case, bringing the total value of seized assets to approximately Rs 3,452.16 crore. To date, seven prosecution complaints have been filed against 148 accused persons before the Special PMLA Court, which has already taken cognizance of the charges.

Mumbai: A 21-year-old woman allegedly cut the hair of her 20-year-old female friend by force and recorded a video of the act. She is said to have done so because her boyfriend had praised the friend’s hair. The incident occurred in Versova, Andheri West, on March 25. The Versova police registered a case against three persons on the same day.

According to the FIR, the complainant is a resident of Versova, Andheri West, and a student. Through a common friend, she became friends with a 21-year-old girl and her boyfriend. The boy used to chat with the complainant via Instagram.

During his conversations with her girlfriend, he reportedly praised the complainant’s hair and expressed a desire to meet her. However, the complainant and the boy were only friends and did not share any romantic relationship.

On March 7, the accused girl visited the complainant’s residence and checked her mobile phone. She did not find any inappropriate chats between the complainant and her boyfriend. She then thanked the complainant and left.

On March 25, the complainant was at home with her maid. The maid slept in her room. At around 12:30 am, the doorbell rang. The complainant assumed it might be her ice cream delivery. However, upon opening the door, she found the accused girl along with two female friends standing in the passage.

The accused girl allegedly pulled the complainant out of her flat and began cutting her hair with scissors, while her two friends recorded the incident.

When the complainant resisted, Layba said, “Hair, hair, not hair,” and allegedly threatened to make the video go viral. The accused told her to do whatever she wanted, took some of the cut hair with her, and left the building.

In her complaint, she stated, “Her friend and her two friends illegally entered the building and rang the doorbell. She misunderstood that I was in a relationship with her boyfriend, and cut my hair.”

The victim subsequently filed a complaint against her friend and her two friends at the Versova police station. The Versova police said that the individuals involved are known to make social media reels, and they are investigating whether the act was a stunt or carried out with any other intention.

The Versova police registered an FIR against Layba and her two unidentified friends under Sections 329(3) and 329(4) (criminal trespass and house trespass), 351(2) (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 3(5) (general explanation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Mira Bhayandar, March 26: The Kashimira locality in Mira-Bhayandar was gripped by fear on Tuesday night following the brutal murder of a 40-year-old female housekeeper. The victim, identified as Suman Nawachi, was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp-edged weapon inside a flat within a prominent residential complex.

Suman Nawachi worked as a housekeeper for several families in the Chandesh Accord residential complex. The attack took place in a flat located in Building Number 27.

According to police reports, the assailant launched a violent attack, stabbing Suman twice in the abdomen, once in the chest, and once across the neck.

Despite being rushed immediately to Gurukrupa Hospital, doctors declared her dead on arrival due to the severity of her injuries.

Upon receiving the alert, Kashimira Police arrived at the scene along with a forensic team to secure the area and collect evidence. Police have seized the weapon used in the crime from the spot.

Investigating officers are currently scanning footage from all CCTV cameras in and around the complex to identify the suspect. Police are recording statements from neighbours and residents to determine if anyone witnessed the entry or exit of the attacker.

The cold-blooded nature of the crime has sent shockwaves through the Kashimira neighbourhood. Local authorities have increased patrolling in the area to reassure panicked residents.

“We are conducting the investigation with the utmost seriousness. Our primary goal is to uncover the motive behind this heinous act and apprehend the perpetrator at the earliest,” stated a senior police official.

While the motive remains unclear, forensic experts are analysing every aspect of the crime scene to provide leads.