Navi Mumbai: After receiving several complaints from residents about non-functional streetlights, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) discovered that copper wires from dozens of streetlight poles along the Vashi Link Road and Thane-Belapur Highway had been stolen. The thefts had plunged several stretches into darkness, raising safety concerns among commuters.

During intensified inspection rounds, workers from M/s Chaitanya Electricals, the agency responsible for streetlight maintenance, caught two men red-handed on October 27 stealing copper wires from poles near Kokilaben Hospital on Thane-Belapur Road. While one suspect fled, the other was detained with 48 meters of stolen wire. A formal FIR was lodged at the Turbhe Police Station.

According to NMMC’s Electrical Department, each streetlight pole contains around 48 meters of copper wire. Preliminary checks revealed that wires had been stolen from about 60 poles—approximately 2,880 meters in total. The large-scale thefts had disrupted power supply to several streetlights, particularly under the Belapur Flyover and near bus stops in Vashi village, where citizens had frequently complained of poor lighting and unsafe conditions.

Taking the matter seriously, City Engineer Shirish Aradwad and Executive Engineer Pravin Gade directed teams to increase surveillance and carry out frequent patrols in vulnerable areas. The swift action helped in nabbing one of the culprits, who was handed over to the Turbhe Police. Further investigation is underway.

An NMMC official said, “Theft of copper wires not only causes huge financial losses but also endangers public safety. We have stepped up monitoring and appeal to citizens to immediately report any suspicious activity near streetlight poles.”

Residents have been urged to contact the civic body’s toll-free helplines 1800-222-309 or 1800-222-310 to report such incidents and assist in maintaining the city’s infrastructure.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police have recovered a pistol, petrol, inflammable rubber solution, and a lighter from the Powai studio where Rohit Arya held 17 children and two adults hostage on Thursday. The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation, registering a case under Sections 109(1), 140, and 287 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. A forensic analysis of the seized materials is currently underway, officials told Media on Friday.

Earlier on Friday morning, Arya’s body was brought to the JJ Hospital mortuary for postmortem by the Crime Branch team. The 50-year-old filmmaker from Pune was shot during the rescue operation and later declared dead at 5:15 pm on Thursday.

The three-hour hostage crisis unfolded around 1:30 pm at R A Studio, located in the Mahavir Classic building, Powai, when Powai police received an alert about a man holding children captive. The children, aged 10 to 12 years, had been attending auditions for a web series for the past two days.

Before police intervention, Arya released a video message explaining his motives. In the clip, he said he had chosen to take hostages instead of committing suicide, insisting he was ‘not a terrorist’ and had no demand for money. Arya claimed he only wanted to ask some moral and ethical questions and warned that any wrong move by the authorities could lead him to set the studio on fire, potentially harming the children.

“I want to speak to some people… I should not be held responsible if anything happens,” Arya said in the video, adding that after the conversation, he would walk out. His demands, however, remained vague.

The Mumbai Police swiftly mobilised teams from the Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, Fire Brigade, and negotiators. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X) Datta Nalawade, officers entered the building through a duct using a ladder to reach the first floor, where Arya was holding the hostages.

During the rescue, Arya reportedly lunged toward the officers with an air gun and was hit by a police bullet during the ensuing scuffle. “All 17 children and two adults were rescued safely,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan, confirming the operation’s success around 4:15 pm.

Mumbai: In the sensational fake BARC scientist case, fresh revelations have emerged linking the main accused, Akhtar Hussain Qutubuddin Ahmed alias Alexander Palmer (60), and his relatives to a sprawling forgery network that extended from Mumbai to Jharkhand and Delhi.

The Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Akhtar’s brother, Adil Hussaini alias Syed Adil Hussain (59 from the Seemapuri area of Delhi for allegedly procuring multiple fake passports and providing sensitive information to foreign entities.

According to sources, fake scientist Akhtar was arrested from Yari Road, Versova on October 17 and now he is in judicial custody. Following Akhtar’s interrogation accused Monazir Khan (34) was arrested from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand on October 25. Monazir is in police custody till November 1.

Akhtar’s Brother Adil possessed one genuine and two allegedly forged passports. His arrest came after crucial inputs from the Mumbai crime branch, which earlier nabbed Akhtar and his associate Monazir Nazimuddin Khan from Jamshedpur. Investigations suggest Adil played a key role in coordinating the fake identity network and arranging for forged documents through Monazir.

Police investigations revealed that Monazir had fabricated fake Aadhaar, PAN cards, and passports under the name Ali Reza Hoseini alias Alexander Palmer for Akhtar in 2016–17, charging ₹19,000 for the job.

These forged documents enabled Akhtar to travel to several countries between 2017 and 2025. Monazir also created fake academic certificates including 10th, 12th, BSc, BE (Mechanical), and MBA degrees allegedly to support Akhtar’s false credentials as a scientist.

Crime Branch officers recovered crucial evidence from Monazir’s office in Jamshedpur, including seven digital storage devices and multiple forged educational and identity documents of Akhtar and Adil.

It was also found that Monazir provided fake documents to other individuals, suggesting a wider racket in Jharkhand involving the sale of counterfeit educational certificates and IDs.

During Akhtar’s interrogation, he claimed that all three of his brothers Asif, Arif, and Adil were deceased. He said Asif died in Saudi Arabia, Arif in Prayagraj, and Adil in Jamshedpur. However, investigators later discovered that Adil was alive and residing in Delhi. He was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell on October 26.

The Investigation revealed that Adil had obtained passports under multiple identities Mohammad Adil Hussaini and Naseem Syed Adil Hussain and had travelled to several countries, including Pakistan. This raised suspicions of possible espionage activities or attempts to pass on sensitive nuclear-related information abroad.

Police sources confirmed that Monazir had used an incomplete address as Road No. 6, near Grace College, Jawahar Nagar, Jamshedpur — when applying for Akhtar’s passport under the name Alexander Palmer. He later admitted this was deliberate since the area had a predominantly Christian population, making the name “Alexander Palmer” appear genuine.

Despite the incomplete address, neither the passport office nor the local police flagged any objections during verification, raising serious concerns about administrative lapses.

Similarly, Adil’s forged passport also carried an incomplete address referring to the same sold Jamshedpur property once owned by the Akhtar’s family. Authorities are now investigating how such major discrepancies escaped detection during official scrutiny.

According to investigators, Akhtar and Adil used their fake identities to travel across at least five countries, mostly in the Gulf region. Akhtar, posing as “Alexander Palmer,” allegedly presented himself as a BARC scientist at various consulates, showing printed nuclear maps sourced from magazines and online material. He claimed to possess classified information in exchange for money.

Forensic analysis of Akhtar’s mobile phone revealed that he used the Super VPN Pro app to mask his IP location, helping him appear to be in another country while online. Investigators suspect this was used to communicate with foreign contacts undetected.

The Mumbai crime branch, Delhi Police special cell, and Jharkhand Police are now jointly investigating how the accused obtained multiple Indian passports and fake government IDs. Crime branch officers have also contacted Mumbai airport immigration authorities to verify how Akhtar managed to clear international travel checks using these forged identities.

The police have also confirmed that Adil may have been in touch with foreign nuclear agencies while in Delhi. The special cell is expected to seek Akhtar’s custody soon to interrogate both brothers face-to-face.

This case, which began with the arrest of a fake scientist from Versova, has now evolved into one of India’s most complex identity forgery and espionage investigations exposing deep administrative failures and a possible cross-border intelligence network.