Mumbai: In an interesting turn to an alleged fraud case, a real estate contractor who approached the Khar police against his partner became an accused himself and was arrested. Notably, the sessions court recently refused to even grant him bail, observing that the investigation has revealed that he, in fact, cheated 35 people with fake documents.

The court said that if the contractor, Syed Abi Ahmed, 53, is released, the “prosecution will suffer a lot”. Ahmed was arrested on August 25 on the direction of the Bombay High Court. As per the prosecution case, he had filed a complaint against Peer Mohammad Shaikh alias Babu and Babu’s sister Karima Mujid Shaikh alias Lady Don. It was claimed that in 2014, Ahmed bought a property spanning 2,860 sq ft in Santacruz from one Vijay Dhule by sale agreement which was notarised.

Claiming financial problems, Ahmed did not develop the property into a residential complex. On April 12, 2024, Babu approached him to develop the plot but by June wanted to break the partnership claiming losses. Ahmed claimed he returned Babu’s share of Rs1.60 crore collected from the 35 persons who had booked houses. In June that year, Babu gave up his rights on the flats in writing, with his role limited to constructing the building and handing it over to Ahmed.

In August 2024, Ahmed claimed Babu demanded more money which led to a dispute and also a scuffle, landing Ahmed in hospital for four months. Ahmed claimed that, in his absence, Babu sold flats on the first floor. The Khar police began investigating and found that the sale agreement of the alleged plot was forged. The probe revealed that the advocate whose name appeared as notary had passed away and his signature was forged. Besides, the investigating officer found that Ahmed had entered into an agreement with 35 persons.

The MoUs were allegedly attested by one Advocate Mustari, who denied signing the documents. Advocate for Babu, Tariq Khan, pointed out these findings while arguing for bail for Babu during the hearing on August 18. The court later ordered to implicate Ahmed, following which he was arrested. Ahmed sought bail, claiming that the documents were genuine. He also raised medical grounds for the bail, which the court refused, noting that “there is prima facie case” against him.

Mumbai woke up to a hazy Saturday morning as the city’s air quality continued to worsen. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 139 at 5:30 am, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

Experts say that pollutants such as Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10—the city’s most harmful air contaminants—have been steadily increasing over the past few days.

The AQI is divided into six categories — Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400) and Severe (401-500).

The higher the AQI value, the worse the air quality and the greater the health risk. An AQI of 139 indicates that while the air is still breathable, it poses mild risks for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, and people with respiratory issues.

Among the city’s neighbourhoods, Colaba recorded the highest pollution levels with an AQI of 189, followed by Khedwadi Bandra East (180), Malad Fire Station (179), Vasai West (175), and Chembur (170).

Other areas showing elevated pollution include Bandra Traffic Junction (169), Kalamboli (164), Bhayandar West (163), Sanpada (157), Sion (135), and Kurla (130).

Environmental experts have attributed the rising pollution to ongoing construction work, vehicular emissions, and reduced wind movement.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the remaining parts of Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra. This transition period often leads to dry, dusty conditions that worsen air quality in coastal cities like Mumbai.

For Saturday, the IMD forecast predicted a maximum temperature of around 33°C and a minimum of about 23°C, with partly cloudy skies over Mumbai and its suburbs.

While light rain and thundershowers may occur in isolated parts of South Konkan-Goa and South Madhya Maharashtra, most regions, including Mumbai, are expected to remain dry.

Health officials have advised residents to limit outdoor activities during peak traffic hours and to keep windows closed during early morning and late evening when pollution levels spike.

With air quality fluctuating and winter approaching, environmentalists have urged authorities to step up efforts to curb vehicular emissions and dust pollution before conditions worsen further.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Ashok Pal, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Reliance Power Ltd, for his alleged role in a money laundering case linked to the Anil Ambani Group.

Pal was taken into custody in Delhi late last night after hours of questioning. He is expected to be produced before a special court in the capital, where the agency will seek his custody for further interrogation.

In its official statement, the ED stated that Ashok Pal ‘played a crucial role in the diversion of funds from a public-listed company.’ The agency claimed that a board resolution had empowered him and other senior executives to finalise, sign and execute all documents related to SECI’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) tender using Reliance Power’s financial credentials.

According to the ED, Pal was instrumental in submitting a bogus bank guarantee worth over ₹68 crore to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) ‘with the intention to cheat a public sector undertaking.’

Fake Guarantee from Non-Existent Bank Branch

Investigators revealed that Reliance Power submitted a forged guarantee purportedly issued by FirstRand Bank’s Manila branch—despite the fact that the bank has no presence in the Philippines. The ED said this highlights the “degree of fraud” involved in the scheme.

Pal allegedly selected Odisha-based Biswal Tradelink Pvt Ltd (BTPL) to issue the fake guarantee, despite it being a small firm operating from a residential address with no credible background. BTPL’s director, Partha Sarathi Biswal, is already in judicial custody.

The ED added that the fake BG racket operated through lookalike domains of major Indian banks—such as s-bi.co.in instead of sbi.co.in—to impersonate legitimate communications. These spoofed domains mimicked banks like SBI, PNB, Indian Bank, and IndusInd Bank by altering a single character to deceive recipients.

According to the ED, Pal also played a key role in diverting funds through fake transport invoices running into crores. He allegedly approved payments and documentation outside the company’s official SAP and vendor systems, often using Telegram and WhatsApp to facilitate communication and approvals.

The agency emphasised that the fraud, orchestrated through a public-listed company where over 75 per cent of shares are held by the public, “directly affects public interest.”

The ED maintains that Pal’s arrest marks a significant step in unearthing a larger network of financial irregularities linked to the Anil Ambani Group’s business entities.