Mumbai: A 43-year-old chief officer aboard an oil vessel died after collapsing inside an oil tank during a cleaning operation at sea, police said.

The deceased, Harsha Gopalan Rajan, a resident of Chennai, was working as the Chief Officer on the oil vessel Jag Aba. According to the Yellow Gate Police, the incident occurred on June 1 around 9.30am while the vessel was operating at sea.

Rajan had entered an oil tank in the vessel’s slop port area to supervise cleaning work when he reportedly felt dizzy and collapsed. Crew members immediately launched a rescue operation and pulled him out of the tank.

He was given first aid at the vessel’s onboard medical facility, but did not respond. The crew consulted company doctors through satellite communication, who informed them that Rajan showed no response and had no vital signs.

As the vessel was nearing Mumbai Port, the crew alerted the Yellow Gate Police. The vessel reached Bhaucha Dhakka on June 3, following which Rajan was taken to Sir J.J. Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

The police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) under Section 194 of the BNSS. No injuries or suspicious circumstances were found, and family members stated they had no suspicion regarding the death. Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: A high-level review meeting chaired by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar was convened on Thursday to assess progress on several pending demands concerning minority welfare, following a calling attention motion raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh in the state legislature.

The meeting reviewed the implementation of issues highlighted under Calling Attention Motion No. 1978 and focused on expediting measures aimed at improving educational, administrative and socio-economic opportunities for minority communities across the state.

Among the key decisions discussed was the early operationalisation of the Maharashtra Research and Training Institute (MRTI), along with efforts to fill vacant posts within the institution. Officials also examined proposals to strengthen the functioning of the Maharashtra State Waqf Board by appointing a permanent Chief Executive Officer and ensuring that the State Haj Committee receives the infrastructure and facilities due to it.

Education emerged as a major focus area during the meeting. Authorities were urged to launch the proposed Fatima Sheikh Scholarship scheme at the earliest to help curb school and college dropout rates among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Plans to establish an Urdu Ghar at University of Mumbai and an Urdu House in Bhiwandi were also reviewed as part of efforts to promote Urdu language and cultural activities.

The meeting further discussed implementation of recommendations contained in a socio-economic survey report prepared by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, with the objective of addressing developmental challenges faced by minority communities.

Another significant proposal concerns the development of a hostel for minority female students and a competitive examination training centre on the premises of Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari East.

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Mumbai Zonal Office conducted searches at 21 locations across Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar and Rajkot on May 2 and 3 in connection with the investigation against “Transferring Organised Company” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The searches and searches against Salim Ismail Dola and his associates have covered Salim Dola’s organised drug network, which includes persons involved in financial transactions from the top to the bottom of the syndicate, including precursor chemical suppliers, chemical traders, manufacturers/distributors of synthetic drug Mephedrone (MD), hawala operators and persons holding benami properties worth crores of rupees. Accordingly, the search operation targeted key links in the illicit supply chain and money laundering ecosystem to significantly disrupt the syndicate’s operational capabilities and financial infrastructure. The search resulted in the seizure and freezing of cash, foreign currency, gold ornaments, and bank balances worth approximately Rs 1.33 crore. USD 2,200 along with foreign currency. Furthermore, documents related to immovable properties worth several crores of rupees located in India and Dubai were recovered, indicating substantial investments made with the proceeds of the organised drug syndicate. The investigation into the matter was initiated by various law enforcement agencies in Mumbai on the basis of multiple FIRs registered against Salim Dola and others in offences related to illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Investigations to date have revealed the existence of a highly organised international criminal network engaged in the procurement of precursor chemicals, clandestine manufacture of Mephedrone (MD), international transport and distribution of drugs, international trafficking of narcotics, collection and disposal of proceeds of crime through viable channels. There are also assets in the names of associates and other individuals. Further investigation is ongoing.