Crime
Asains found guilty of smuggling migrants to UK
A 38-year-old Asian-origin man has been found guilty of being part of an organised crime group linked to the prolific smuggling of migrants, including minors, to the UK.
Najib Khan, 38, from Ilford was identified as being part of the network by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), following the arrest of his co-conspirator Waqas Ikram, 40, in March 2021.
Ikram, who was caught red-handed attempting to break into a heavy goods vehicle to put migrants inside, worked for a people smuggling organised crime group headed by Mokter Hossain.
An iPhone belonging to Ikram, seized following his arrest, contained numerous conversations with Khan outlining their involvement in a separate people smuggling network, charging migrants up to 7,000 pounds a head to bring them to the UK, the NCA said in a statement.
Phone evidence showed that Khan and Ikram had been involved in a successful crossing involving five migrants being transported into Harwich in March 2019, and two other attempts that had been foiled by border agents.
The first of these was in May 2019, when 15 Vietnamese and one Afghan migrant were found in a lorry at the Hook of Holland as it prepared to board a ferry to Harwich.
In the same year in August, 16 migrants including 11 minors, were rescued from a purpose built concealment in a lorry carrying 2,000 loose tyres.
The lorry was preparing to board a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven, and officers reported the heat and the nature of the concealment made breathing difficult.
The lorry drivers involved in both would later be jailed in the Netherlands and France, but the NCA was able to prove Ikram’s crime group had been involved in both attempts.
Further conversations between Khan and Ikram showed they were using GPS trackers to follow lorries that they had arranged to be broken into without drivers’ knowledge to stow migrants.
One of the trackers was found at Khan’s house when he was arrested by the NCA. In 2020, Khan and Ikram purchased a rigid hull inflatable boat for the purpose of smuggling migrants, and Ikram attended a course for piloting powerboats that June, the NCA said.
In July, the pair were encountered by Border Force off the coast of Suffolk in their RHIB.
They told officers they were scouting for scuba diving sites, and returned to Walton-on-the-Naze.
“Ikram and Khan had no regard for the safety and security of those they were transporting, they were only interested in making money from them,” NCA branch commander Andy Noyes said in a statement.
“In at least one case it was only the fact that the migrants were discovered by border agents that prevented them being left in what could have been an incredibly dangerous, and potential fatal, situation,” Noyes added.
Ikram was arrested by the NCA in 2021, charged with people smuggling offences and released on bail by the court. Both he and Khan were detained in connection with further offences by the NCA in July 2022 and charged with three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration.
While Ikram pleaded guilty to the charge, Khan went to trial, following which a jury at Reading Crown Court on Friday found him guilty on all three counts.
They will be sentenced on October 30.
Crime
Mumbai: Mira Road Police Rescue Two Girls From Bangladeshi Woman Running Prostitution Racket

Palghar, Maharashtra: The Mira-Bhayandar–Vasai Virar Police rescued two young girls on Monday, December 1, from the custody of a Bangladeshi woman allegedly running a prostitution racket from her rented flat in Mira Road.
Acting on a tip-off, Senior Police Inspector Sheetal Mundhe of the Women Atrocities Prevention Cell & Special Juvenile Protection and Care Unit received information that 39-year-old Sultana Momotaj Saiyyad was operating a sex racket from her residence at Gaurav Woods Phase-1 in Hatkesh, Mira Road (East). According to officials, Sultana sent photographs of girls to prospective clients on WhatsApp and arranged sexual services in exchange for money.
After verifying the information and completing legal formalities, a decoy customer was sent to the location. Police conducted a raid in the presence of panch witnesses. Sultana was detained after she allegedly accepted ₹12,000 as payment for arranging two girls for sex work. Both victims were immediately rescued and placed under protective care at the Rescue Foundation in Kandivali (West), Mumbai.
A second accused, Bhagyashree Lohar, alias Guddi, a resident of Chembur, is currently absconding. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest her.
Based on a complaint filed by Police Constable Ghanshyam Khairnar, the Mira Road Police registered an FIR under Sections 143(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Commissioner of Police Niket Kaushik, DCP (Crime) Sandeep Doiphode, and ACP (Detection) Madan Ballal. The team included officers from the Women Atrocities Prevention Cell, Special Juvenile Protection Unit, and Cyber Cell.
Crime
Ulhasnagar Woman Harassed in Divyang Coach Of Mumbai Local Train; 2 Arrested

Kalyan: In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman from Ulhasnagar was allegedly harassed in the Divyang coach of a Mumbai local train on December 2. The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 2, at around 8.15 pm.
In the video shared by, while returning from work in Thane, she boarded the Central Railways Thane-Kalyan train. After the train crossed Dombivali, the woman argued with the accused, identified as Anup Surendra Singh, and Abhilasha Arjun Nayar regarding the Divyang pass. The woman alleged that after she had a heated argument, the two accused caught her hand and even eve-teased her.
When they got down at Ulhasnagar station, all three, along with another eyewitness, had a huge argument at the station. Railway Police soon reached the platform, where several women intervened and confronted the officers about the incident. The police then later moved the accused to the Kalyan Railway Police Station, and based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Both the accused have been arrested.
Meanwhile, last month, a 25-year-old transgender person was arrested by the Vashi Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly molesting a 28-year-old woman aboard a Panvel to CSMT local train on 2 November. The incident occurred around 12.10 pm when the train was nearing Nerul station. The accused, when he boarded the general compartment of the harbour line train, was seeking alms from passengers. When the train crossed Seawoods station, an argument broke out between the accused and a male passenger who refused to give money.
The man, accompanied by a female friend, asked the accused to move ahead, leading to a heated verbal exchange. During the confrontation, the accused allegedly abused the man and touched the woman on her shoulder, which made her uncomfortable. A complaint was filed and the accused was taken into custody by the Vashi GRP.
Crime
Massive Drug Bust In Nalasopara: Nigerian National Caught With 255 Grams Of Mephedrone Worth ₹51 Lakh

Nalasopara: The biggest news right now is the recovery of a large quantity of drugs in Nalasopara, which has created a stir in the area.
The incident falls under the jurisdiction of the Tulinj Police Station, in the Prgati Nagar area of Nalasopara East. According to information received, the Crime Branch Unit 2 team got a tip-off that an unknown person was coming to the area to smuggle a large quantity of drugs.
Following this intelligence, the Crime Branch Unit 2 team laid a trap and apprehended the Nigerian individual on the road. During the search, approximately 255 grams of MD (Mephedrone) drugs were seized from him, with a total value estimated at around ₹51 lakh 10 thousand.
The recovery of such a large amount of drugs in broad daylight, just 25 meters away from the Pragati Nagar Beat police chowki (under Tulinj Police Station), has created a sensation and panic in the locality.
Currently, the Crime Branch Unit 3 team has arrested the Nigerian national from the Pragati Nagar area in connection with drug trafficking, carrying out a major operation.
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