Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has granted pre-arrest bail to a Tamil Nadu-based scrap trader accused of cheating a Pune sugar factory of nearly Rs 3 crore by allegedly tampering with weighing machines used to measure scrap material.

Justice Farhan Dubash, on Wednesday, granted pre-arrest protection to Surya Prakash, proprietor of Winmin Metals, while hearing his anticipatory bail plea in connection with an FIR registered at Daund Police Station.

According to the prosecution, Daund Sugar Pvt. Ltd. had awarded scrap disposal contracts to Winmin Metals. The company allegedly lifted scrap material from the factory between April and December 2025. Later, the factory suspected that the weighing scales had been manipulated, causing substantial financial losses.

The FIR alleges that electronic chips were secretly installed in weighing machines and operated through a remote device. This allegedly resulted in lower weights being displayed, enabling the accused to pay less than the actual value of the scrap material lifted from the factory.

The complainant claimed that the alleged fraud came to light after receiving information from another sugar mill in Satara, where a similar case had been registered against the applicant.

Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution argued that three separate complaints involving a similar modus operandi had been filed against the applicant in Satara, Osmanabad and Pune districts. The State contended that custodial interrogation was necessary to investigate the alleged conspiracy and recover evidence.

However, the defence argued that the allegations were based largely on information received from a third party and that no direct proof had been produced. It also pointed out that the applicant had already received interim protection in two similar cases and had cooperated with investigators.

While granting relief, the HC observed that the transactions were commercial in nature and that Winmin Metals had paid over Rs 1.22 crore to the factory under the contract. The court noted that no specific material had been placed on record to show why custodial interrogation was indispensable.

“Custodial interrogation of the Applicant is not warranted at this stage,” Justice Dubash said.

The court directed the applicant to cooperate with the investigation, appear before police as required, and refrain from influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.

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.