Palghar, Maharashtra, Dec 25: Pelhar Police have arrested one accused involved in an ATM card swapping fraud and recovered cash and a vehicle used in the crime, successfully cracking the case within 24 hours of its registration.

The incident occurred on December 21, 2025, around 5:00 pm, when the complainant, Ramashankar Devkinandan Tiwari (53), a resident of Nalasopara East, visited an Axis Bank ATM at Vasai Phata to withdraw cash.

According to police, three unidentified men entered the ATM booth and engaged the complainant in conversation, claiming that their transaction had failed. Taking advantage of the distraction, the accused allegedly swapped the complainant’s ATM card through sleight of hand and handed him a different Canara Bank ATM card before leaving the spot.

The accused later used the complainant’s ATM card at another location to withdraw ₹50,000 from his bank account, thereby committing financial fraud.

Following a complaint lodged by the victim, Pelhar Police registered a case on December 22, 2025, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

During the investigation, the Crime Detection Unit examined CCTV footage from the ATM and nearby areas, which revealed that the accused used a Maruti Suzuki WagonR car.

Tracing the vehicle’s ownership and conducting technical analysis led the police to apprehend the accused, identified as Mohammad Afzal Mohammad Aslam (25), a resident of Ulwe, Navi Mumbai.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing the offence along with two accomplices. Police recovered ₹40,000 in cash from the accused, part of the defrauded amount, and seized the car used in the crime. The case was solved within 24 hours of registration.

The search for the remaining two absconding accused is ongoing. The arrested accused has been remanded to police custody until December 27, 2025.

Mumbai: Abu Asim Azmi, a Samajwadi Party leader and MLA from Maharashtra, while commenting on the statement of state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said, “Does Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis even know the meaning of jihad?” If issues like Hindu-Muslim, temple-mosque are removed from BJP, will it be able to contest elections? If I contest elections from their constituency, I may lose, but if the people they are oppressing do not vote for them, it will be called “vote jihad”. And I do not believe that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam or any other reputable Muslim organization has ever supported those who spread hatred in the name of mosque or language, while the hate agenda of BJP creates division between Hindus and Muslims so that there is chaos in votes and BJP wins elections on the basis of caste. Muslims have never spread hate messages, but when a Muslim does not vote for such a extremist leader, it is attributed to vote jihad. Jihad is a sacred word, its term is being presented incorrectly. The term jihad is struggle and sacrificing for a good cause and country is jihad, but the communalists and the crits Soumya and Nitish Rane, including BJP leaders, have changed the definition of jihad, which is completely wrong. It is wrong and this kind of statement reveals their hostility towards Muslims. If despite this, if someone does not vote for them, they say that voting is jihad. If you work on a hateful agenda, who will vote for you?

Bhayandar: Following the long-awaited confirmation of the alliance between the Thackeray brothers, which had the entire state of Maharashtra watching, an atmosphere of intense enthusiasm was seen among Shiv Sena and MNS workers in the Mira-Bhayandar area. The reunion of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray after nearly two decades has triggered a wave of joy among party activists.

Against the backdrop of this historic development, Shiv Sena and MNS workers celebrated at the Golden Nest Circle in Bhayandar by distributing sweets, bursting firecrackers, and cheering in jubilation. The area resonated with slogans of “Thackeray Brothers Together.” Workers were seen dancing to the traditional beats of Dhol-Tasha.

Speaking on the occasion, activists stated that the alliance of the Thackeray brothers is a victory for Marathi pride (Asmita) and will have a significant impact on upcoming elections. They expressed confidence that the coming together of both parties would increase organizational strength and help address local issues more effectively.

Meanwhile, the political ripples of this alliance are being felt across Maharashtra, including Mira-Bhayandar. This partnership is being viewed as a crucial turning point for the upcoming Municipal Corporation and other elections. The reunion of the Thackeray brothers clearly signals the emergence of new equations in state politics.