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Maharashtra

Assault case: Ex-Maharashtra minister gets anticipatory bail

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A Thane Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad in a case pertaining to the assault of a Thane civic body official, here on Friday.

The Naupada Police Station had booked Awhad and others on Wednesday in connection with the assault on Mahesh Aher, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

Aher was targeted by the former Minister’s supporters, who reacted after an audio clip surfaced in which the TMC official can be heard allegedly hatching a conspiracy to kill Awhad’s daughter Natasha and her husband Alan Patel, and how he had given a contract for this to the mafia.

The audio clip sparked off strong reactions among NCP workers and leaders and some, like ex-Minister Dhananjay Munde, demanded a probe and Aher’s dismissal for harbouring underworld links.

Incidentally, Thane is the hometown of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his son and MP Shishir Shinde, and the latest incident is billed as yet another political turf war as Awhad was elected from Mumbra-Kalwa assembly constituency against the backdrop of the upcoming civic bodies elections in the state including the TMC.

After the incident, Awhad hit back by tweeting a video wherein Aher was allegedly counting bundles of bribe money, and also submitted a written complaint to the Vartak Nagar Police Station against the TMC official, but there had been no movement on it, said an aide.

“The TMC’s AMC has admitted to giving a contract to a mafia don to kill my daughter and son-in-law. This is not politics. It’s way beyond that. My supporters who are charged with assaulting Aher merely wanted to scare him. We have also lodged a complaint against Aher based on the audio clip and now the police should act,” Awhad said grimly.

It may be recalled that in November 2022, Awhad was booked in two different cases by Thane Police, which sparked off a major political row as he cried foul and termed it as a plot to finish off his political career.

The first case pertains to forcibly stopping the screening of a film show of “Har Har Mahadev” which allegedly distorted the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and assaulting some patrons in the cinema hall.

A week after that, in another incident, Awhad was booked in an alleged molestation case following a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Party woman activist while he was trying to negotiate a large crowd in Thane.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Fraud: Raigad CGST Officials Bust ₹9 Crore Fake Input Tax Credit Racket; 2 Arrested In Panvel And Dombivli

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Mumbai: A team of officers of Anti-Evasion, CGST & Central Excise Raigad Commissionerate, Mumbai Zone have arrested two persons involved in generating and passing on fake input tax credit (ITC) of more than Rs 9 crore by creating fictitious firms and issuing invoices without actual supply of goods/services.

Fake ITC Passed Using Fictitious Firms, Say Raigad CGST Officials

Acting upon intelligence, the team identified the fake firms being operated by the accused to avail and pass on fake ITC. The accused firm availed ineligible credit passed on by non-existent firms registered based on forged documents.

No Actual Goods Supplied, Yet Invoices Issued

The accused firm was found non-operational at the registered principal place of business evidencing no goods received or supplied. Thus, the firm had fraudulently availed/ passed on ITC in violation of CGST Act, 2017.

Panvel and Dombivli Residents Nabbed for Tax Evasion

The investigation revealed that the Directors of the firm, a resident of New Panvel and a resident of Dombivli (W) were actively involved in the fraud of government revenue.

Two Arrested for ₹9 Crore GST Fraud in Maharashtra

Both were arrested under section 69(1) of CGST Act, 2017 for offences punishable under Section 132(1)(b)/132(1)(c) of CGST Act, 2017 and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panvel. The Court has sent them to judicial custody.

Further investigation is in progress to identify other beneficiaries and operators of this fake invoice racket.

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Maharashtra

Good News For Mumbaikars! Now Book Mumbai Local Train Tickets Through WhatsApp; Ticketing Process Made Easier

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Mumbai: The Railways aims to improve the local ticketing system’s convenience and is exploring the possibility of launching a ticketing system via a chat-based app such as WhatsApp. Recently, a meeting took place with organisations that are interested in this matter. Officials mentioned that the tender process will be evaluated once all the details are finalised.

Within the framework of the Digital India initiative, the Indian Railways is emphasising on transforming the ticketing system through digital means. As a result, passengers are being offered fast tickets that are cashless. The shift to digital At present, 25 per cent of travellers are reserving tickets via digital methods, and its adoption is growing daily.

In addition to the current digital ticketing system, the Railways is working on a chat-based ticketing solution to enhance convenience in ticketing. Metro travellers favor using WhatsApp for ticket bookings in the metro. Upon scanning the QR code at the ticket window, a chat interface appears.

Upon sending a Hi message, you are presented with options for ticket booking, and afterward, digital tickets can be obtained upon making the payment. 67 percent of metro fares are being reserved in this manner. What difficulties are there? Several factors need to be addressed during the creation of the WhatsApp ticketing system.

Due to the current misuse of the QR-based ticketing system via UTS, caution must be exercised in developing the new system to avoid similar vulnerabilities. We aim to create a system that will be easy for the travelers. Several alternatives are under consideration for this, including the chat-based ticketing system, Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer.

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Crime

Mumbai Drug Bust: 24-Year-Old Arrested In Byculla With Mephedrone, Charas Worth ₹3.46 Crore In Car

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Mumbai: In a major anti-drug operation, the Mumbai Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the early hours of Wednesday and recovered a large quantity of narcotics valued at over Rs 3.46 crore. The accused, identified as Sahil Junaid Ansari, a resident of Bhiwandi in Thane district, was intercepted while driving through the Byculla area of South Mumbai.

Accused Found Driving Suspiciously In Byculla Area

The incident occurred around 4 am when a team of patrolling constables, Bhabad, Bhoye and Gangurde, spotted a Maruti Ertiga car moving suspiciously near Hume Church on B.A. Road. The team flagged down the vehicle and questioned the driver about his presence at that odd hour. Ansari, however, failed to give a satisfactory response, raising the officers’ suspicions.

Alerted by constable Bhabad, night duty in-charge Police Inspector Anup Dange immediately reached the location with PSI Kolekar, PSI Asade from the Anti-Terror Cell and other detection personnel.

Details On Drugs Found In Car

A detailed search of the vehicle was conducted, during which the police found 1,710 grams of Mephedrone, commonly known as MD, concealed inside. The street value of the seized MD is estimated at Rs 3.42 crore. Additionally, 17 grams of charas worth Rs 4.5 lakh were also recovered from the car.

Police officials confirmed that Ansari has been taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The contraband was seized and sent for forensic examination.

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