Mumbai: In a troubling incident on Sunday night in Kalyan East near Chakkinaaka and Santoshnagar, a vadapav vendor and two of his companions were brutally assaulted by four men. The attack occurred after the assailants asked the vendor, “Do you know how to speak Marathi?” and began the assault when he did not respond affirmatively.

The vendor, identified as Vishnu Thapa, and his co-workers told police at the Colsewadi station that they work at a small eatery named Riddhi Bhojanalay. Around 8 pm two unknown men arrived at the shop, ate food and left. They returned shortly after and confronted Thapa with the question “Marathi ye­t nahi ka?” (“Don’t you know Marathi?”). Without waiting for a response they started beating him. He suffered serious injury to his nose in the first attack.

After the two men left, Thapa and his colleagues resumed work. Minutes later the men returned, this time bringing two others. The group of four again raised the language question and launched a fresh attack. Co-worker Madan Thapa was hit with a stone slab. Another colleague, Ali Khan, had his mobile phone smashed to the floor amid the chaos. The assailants also vandalised the shop, throwing food, utensils and trays outside.

The three victims were taken to hospital for treatment. A First Information Report has been registered at the Colsewadi police station and investigations are underway, with Police Constable Jadhav assigned to the case. Locals say the area has long been troubled by harassment of street vendors and extortion attempts; some offenders had been removed by police about 18 months ago.

The incident has raised serious concerns among workers and local vendors who feel vulnerable in the wake of such attacks. For many migrants eating and operating in the city, language and region should not become triggers for violence. City police have been urged to increase patrols in the zone and ensure protection for small street-vendors, especially during late evening hours.

Dhanbad, Nov 10: Traders on Monday launched a massive protest after a businessman was robbed and shot at inside the government-run Market Committee complex in the Barwadda police station area in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, late Sunday evening.

The incident has caused concerns over rising crime in Jharkhand’s coal capital, prompting traders to shut all 417 shops in the market complex for the day.

The attack took place around 8.30 p.m. on Sunday when three bike-borne assailants intercepted trader Shyam Bhimsariya while he was closing his shop.

The miscreants fired at him, snatched a bag containing Rs 4 lakh, and sped off. Bhimsariya narrowly escaped the bullet, which reportedly grazed past him. The incident created panic among shopkeepers and customers, many of whom rushed to safety.

On Monday morning, hundreds of traders assembled at the main gate of the Market Committee complex, raising slogans against the administration and demanding immediate arrests. They alleged that the market, which witnesses a heavy footfall, has long been operating without proper security measures.

The Market Committee complex is one of the busiest business hubs in Dhanbad, recording a daily turnover of Rs 7-8 crore.

“We will not tolerate this kind of atmosphere where traders fear for their lives every evening,” a member of the traders’ association said, adding that if the culprits are not arrested within 48 hours, the protest may spread to other markets across the district.

BJP MP Dhullu Mahto, addressing traders, said criminals are “roaming fearlessly” in Dhanbad. “The morale of criminals has gone up due to weak policing. The police must act immediately to restore confidence among traders,” he said.

Jharia Congress MLA Ragini Singh accused the state government of complete failure on the law and order front. “When crime is discussed in the Assembly, the government remains silent. People are living in fear while criminals are dictating terms,” she remarked.

Outgoing Mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal demanded urgent security measures in the market area, suggesting that CCTV cameras be installed. He said a permanent police post must be established to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

Dhanbad District Chamber of Commerce president Chetan Goenka strongly condemned the attack and criticised authorities for ignoring repeated requests for better security.

“It is shocking that a market with a daily business of Rs 7-8 crore has neither CCTV surveillance nor police patrolling. Traders cannot operate under fear. The administration must take permanent measures,” Goenka said.

Thane: The Maharashtra State Tax Department (Thane Zone) arrested a Mira Road resident, identified as Srikanth Vaidyanath, for his alleged role in generating and passing on fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) worth Rs 8.43 crore through a non-existent firm. The arrest was carried out by the State Tax Investigation Branch, Bhayandar, following a detailed probe into suspected fraudulent GST activities.

Srikanth was listed as the proprietor of M/s Srikanth Enterprises, a firm that cops believe existed only on paper. When tax officers visited the firm’s registered business address, C-118, Mira Darshan Complex, MTNL Road, Jangid Circle, they reportedly found no evidence of commercial operations. The premises lacked essential records such as invoices, stock registers and ledger books, strongly indicating that the entity was merely a shell company used for bogus transactions.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Srikanth had obtained GST registration by submitting his PAN card, Aadhaar, and an electricity bill, completing the process via OTP-based authentication. However, during physical verification, his family members, including his parents and wife, denied any awareness of a business being operated in his name, further confirming suspicions about the fraudulent nature of the enterprise.

The investigation found that the accused availed fake ITC worth Rs 8.43 crore from M/s Vishal Enterprises and later passed on the same ineligible credit to M/s Shree Kuldevi Industries Pvt Ltd during May and June 2025. Officials stated that the entire operation was conducted using bogus invoices and electronic entries without any actual movement of goods or stock, violating provisions under the Goods and Services Tax Act.

Srikanth was arrested on November 7 under relevant sections of the GST Act and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody. A senior officer from the Thane Zone told media that further investigation is underway to identify other beneficiaries and uncover additional shell firms connected to the racket. Authorities are now tracing the money trail and examining linked entities and bank transactions to determine the full extent of the fraudulent network.