Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested five accused, including uncle Momani, on charges of kidnapping a five-year-old girl. The gang had planned to kidnap and sell the girl. A case of kidnapping of a minor girl was registered on November 22 under the limits of Vakola police station. Several teams were formed in Zones 8 and 7. During the investigation, it was revealed that a suspicious rickshaw had gone to Panvel and returned. A man, a woman, a rickshaw driver and the girl were in the rickshaw between 2 and 3 am. The kidnappers were identified as the girl’s uncle Lawrence Niconelis Fernandes, 42, and his wife Momani, who is a Mangal degree, both of them had gone to Panvel by rickshaw and were going to sell the kidnapped girl. The kidnapped girl was recovered from the possession of their acquaintance Sans. The Sans gave details about the wanted accused during the investigation, after which Windra Dinesh Chavan, 60, and Anjali Ajit Korgaokar, 57, were arrested from New Panvel, Raigad. The kidnapped girl was sold for Rs 1,80,000 and Vrinda Chavan was taken into custody from her house and the girl was safely brought to Vakola. This operation was carried out by DCP Manish Kalwaniya on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and the girl was recovered safely. In this case, the police have arrested rickshaw driver Latif Abdul Majeed Sheikh, 52, a resident of Santa Cruz, Lawrence Nicholas Fernandes, 42, a laborer from Raigarh, Mangal Dagra Jadhav, 38, from Raigarh, Kiran Maruti Sons, 38, from Panvel, Vrinda Vanish Chavan, 60, from Raigarh and the investigation is underway.

Palghar: The Maharashtra government has initiated a major push toward strengthening economic prospects for women in rural and tribal regions, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that women’s economic empowerment remains the administration’s top priority.

On Monday, the Umed–Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) under the Rural Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Raah Foundation to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across the state.

Fadnavis said the collaboration would play a crucial role in enhancing income-generation avenues for women in remote and tribal regions. “This MoU will significantly help in expanding livelihood opportunities for women by tapping into their inherent skills and local resources,” he said, highlighting ongoing efforts to create economic development pathways across rural Maharashtra.

The agreement aims to empower women in Palghar, Nashik, and Raigad districts—regions with a large tribal and rural population—by integrating climate-resilient practices, smart agriculture, water security initiatives, and nature-based livelihood programmes.

The partnership will combine the technical expertise of the Raah Foundation with Umed’s extensive network of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), enabling rural women to access training, resources, and market linkages.

Under the collaboration, two nursery development and bio-production centres will be set up in each of the three districts, expected to benefit more than 5,000 women and farmers. Additionally, a women-led Food Forest Project will be launched, with each participant expected to earn up to ₹1 lakh annually.

The initiative will also integrate multiple government schemes—including the Van Dhan Scheme, PMFME, NHM, and RSETI—to ensure women farmers receive support in the form of credit, insurance, training, and market access.

Officials said the collaboration aligns with Maharashtra’s Vision 2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and India’s National Climate Commitments (NDCs), positioning the project as a scalable model for women-led, sustainable economic growth.

The government expects the initiative to create measurable improvements in income, resilience, and financial autonomy for thousands of rural women—ushering in a transformative shift in livelihood opportunities across the state.

Kannur (Kerala), Nov 25: V.K. Nishad, the CPI-M candidate contesting from Ward 46 of Kerala’s Payyannur Municipality, now faces a serious legal roadblock to becoming a people’s representative after a court here on Tuesday sentenced him to 20 years in prison in an over-decade-old bomb attack case.

If he wins the upcoming local body polls, his ability to assume office will be severely restricted due to this conviction.

The Thaliparamba Additional District Sessions Court sentenced Nishad and fellow CPI-M worker T.C.V. Nandakumar to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh each.

However, the court observed that serving 10 years would be sufficient to execute the sentence.

The verdict has sent shockwaves through local political circles, particularly as Nishad is actively campaigning as the CPI-M-backed LDF nominee.

The case dates back to August 1, 2012, when police personnel were reportedly targeted with country-made bombs in Payyannur town.

The attack occurred following heightened tensions over the arrest of senior CPI-M leader P. Jayarajan in connection with the Shuhaib murder case.

According to the prosecution, Nishad and his associates hurled bombs at the police with the intent to kill, prompting charges under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act.

The court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge K.N. Prashanth, held both accused guilty of attempted murder and illegal use of explosive materials.

The judge noted that the attack was not merely an act of protest, but a deliberate attempt to cause grievous harm to law enforcement officers.

With the local elections approaching, the ruling has thrown up a serious dilemma for the LDF camp.

If Nishad secures a win, legal and procedural challenges could prevent him from officially taking charge as a municipal councillor due to disqualification norms linked to criminal convictions.

As the political and legal ramifications unfold, Payyannur and Kerala watch closely.