Navi Mumbai: Rabale Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for impersonating an IAS officer and posing as an Additional Commissioner in the Ministry of External Affairs. The accused, identified as Daniel David Waghmare, was nabbed in Airoli, where he had been projecting himself as a senior government official.

Forged Identity Cards And Visiting Cards Seized

Police seized forged identity cards of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Department, along with fake visiting cards. Authorities suspect he duped multiple people using these documents. “He is being interrogated thoroughly,” said Senior Police Inspector Balkrishna Sawant.

According to police, Waghmare, a resident of Saptrashrungi Apartments, Sector-15, Airoli, created a false impression of being an IAS officer and was frequently invited as a chief guest at school and community events, including flag-hoisting ceremonies.

The case came to light after Mayur Patil, Vice President of the Airoli Assembly (Shiv Sena – Shinde faction), cross-checked Waghmare’s credentials. Patil’s younger brother revealed that Waghmare had actually worked under him at a call center. Patil then lodged a complaint with the Rabale police.

Initially, Waghmare even misled the police by claiming to be a senior official. However, further verification proved his documents were fake, leading to his arrest on charges of forgery and cheating.

Investigators also found that Waghmare had promoted himself on social media, posting congratulatory messages on his ‘appointment,’ photographs in government offices and vehicles, and even a video suggesting he held a diplomatic passport. After the arrest, he deleted most of these posts.

Police are now probing the extent of his activities and whether he cheated more people under the guise of being a high-ranking officer.

Thane: A shocking act of violence erupted late Monday night in the Sainath Colony area of Ulhasnagar, where a long-standing family dispute turned dangerous. One person was seriously injured after being shot, while another was attacked with a sword.

The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of Hillline Police Station and has sparked fear among residents. Upon receiving the alert, the police rushed to the scene, conducted a panchnama, and launched an investigation. Special teams have been deployed to locate and apprehend the attackers.

According to reports, tensions between the accused and the victim’s family had been simmering for the past few days. On Monday night, the situation escalated drastically. The accused reportedly used firearms and a sword during the attack.

The victim injured in the firing has been admitted to a private hospital in Thane in critical condition. The second victim is also receiving medical treatment for sword-related injuries.

DCP Sachin Gore confirmed that the violence stemmed from a family dispute. He stated, We have identified the accused, and they will be arrested soon. Citizens are urged not to fall prey to any rumours, as reported.

A large police presence has been deployed in Ulhasnagar to maintain peace and ensure public safety. Hillline Police are also examining CCTV footage and continuing their investigation into the case.

Mumbai: Based on specific intelligence that a syndicate was fraudulently availing drawback and RoSCTL benefit by exporting misdeclared and highly overvalued garments to various African countries by using several dummy IECs from ICD Talegaon (Pune), officers of DRI intercepted two such live consignments.

DRI uncovers bogus IEC export scam

Examination of the said consignment revealed that misdeclared and inferior quality goods were being exported at grossly inflated values. Simultaneous searches were conducted at eight premises in Mumbai. Preliminary investigations revealed that 14 IECs, identified so far, were issued in the names of fictitious individuals and were non-existent/bogus.

All export documentation and invoices were prepared by a Mumbai-based mastermind. Crucial digital evidence, including fake invoices, were recovered during searches. In his voluntary statement, the mastermind admitted that the syndicate procured low-quality goods from local markets in Mumbai, Kolkata, and other cities without invoices or e-way bills, and exported them by overvaluing to the extent of five to six times their actual value. Using this modus operandi, they fraudulently availed drawback benefits of approximately Rs 18.74 crore and RoSCTL benefits of approximately Rs 96 crore.

The mastermind, who has orchestrated the whole scheme, was arrested along with the customs broker, who was a complicit in the fraud and received commission for processing such exports. Further investigation is under progress.