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Maharashtra

Eknath Shinde Birthday: 10 fascinating facts about the Maharashtra CM

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Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena President Eknath Shinde was born on 9 February 1964 in Satara.

Shinde became the CM on 30 June 2022 after having led the rebellion against former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MLA Niranjan Dawkhare on Thursday met Shinde at his residence in Thane to extend birthday greetings.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also extended wishes to the Maharshtra CM.

“Birthday greetings to Maharashtra’s dynamic Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde Ji. A hardworking grassroots leader, he is making numerous efforts for Maharashtra’s progress. I pray for his long and healthy life in service of the people,” PM Modi wrote.

“A warm birthday greetings to Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri @mieknathshinde ji. May this year bring him abundant blessings and continued growth of Maharashtra. I pray for his good health and long life,” Rijiju wrote.

As a treat on his birthday, Shinde inaugurated the Kopri bridge in Thane today.

On the occasion of Maharashtra CM’s birthday, here are some interesting facts about him.

Born on February 9, 1964, Shinde completed his Bachelor of Arts from Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University.

Before entering politics, Shinde, 58, worked as a rickshaw driver in Thane, having moved there from Satara.

Growing under the shadows of Anand Dighe, he became his deputy and strengthened the party after the sudden death of the Shiv Sena stalwart in 2001.

His influence in the Shiv Sena grew after party founder Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj resigned and founded the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

In 1997, he was elected to the Thane Municipal Corporation. The Shiv Sena assigned him to work in Thane, which allowed him to establish a presence in the area.

In 2004, Shinde was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly. Since then, he has been a legislator for four consecutive terms- 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.

In 2005, Shinde was appointed Thane district chief of the Shiv Sena.

The CM’s son Dr Shrikant Shinde is the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan in the district.

Crime

Navi Mumbai News: Raigad Police Bust Digital Arrest Racket Spanning 6 Countries, 11 Arrested

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Navi Mumbai: Investigations into a complaint of a ‘digital arrest’ scam in Raigad has now been found to be linked with an international cybercrime syndicate operating across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Canada, China, and Bangladesh. Acting on a complaint filed in May, the Raigad Cyber Police have arrested 11 individuals, including tech-savvy masterminds, telecom insiders, and marketing agents.

The investigation started after a local citizen reported receiving a threatening video call on May 5 from someone posing as an official from the Telecom Authority of India. The victim was told that his identity had been misused for illegal transactions and that a Supreme Court arrest warrant was issued against him. To ‘settle’ the matter, he was forced to transfer Rs 66 lakh in multiple installments. The fraud was cleverly masked as a ‘digital arrest’.

“What appeared to be a standalone scam quickly revealed deeper layers. The Raigad Cyber police station found that the scam was just the tip of a pan-India and cross-border telecom exploitation operation run using forged company documents, SIP lines, and cloud-based calling servers,” Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal said.

Abhay Santprakash Mishra, (29), a B.Tech Computer Science graduate from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh was found to be the mastermind. Mishra managed a network of five high-capacity telecom servers that placed over 62 lakh spoofed calls in 28 days, including 86,910 targeting Maharashtra alone.

Mishra was found to be in constant digital communication with foreign nationals from Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China, discussing the setup of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) lines, a telecom technology that allows voice and video communication over the internet — often without requiring user-level identification.

Using the alias ‘Alex,’ Mishra conducted encrypted conversations via Microsoft Teams, discussing fraud operations, lease line acquisitions, and telecom routing with international collaborators. “He was also preparing forged documentation to obtain permanent residency in Nepal,” Dalal said. Authorities have also identified properties linked to him in Nepal, Noida, and Hardoi, along with Rs 85 lakh in Bitcoin, as proceeds of crime.

Police found that the gang had created fake companies such as Nivi Cloud Pvt Ltd, Credil Info Pvt Ltd, Oxydeal, and others. These companies existed only on paper — supported by fraudulent documents, forged rubber stamps, and complicit telecom sales executives.

Two Jio Sales Managers, Balmori Vinaykumar Rao and Gangadhar Gangaram Muttan, played a crucial role by accepting these fake documents via WhatsApp, signing off as company directors, and approving telecom SIP lines. These telecom lines were then used to make fake calls in the guise of CBI, ED, police, and other agencies.

Police also arrested Mohsin Mia Khan (35) from Delhi, who possessed over 6,175 SIM cards from providers like Jio, Airtel, BSNL, VI, Idea, and 13 foreign numbers — along with 26 mobile handsets. These SIM cards were being used to rotate identities, mask call origins, and bypass traceability.

The network involved a team of document forgers identified as Abdus Salam Barbhuyan, Nadeem Ahmed, Lairab Khan, Shadan Khan, and Mohammad Faisal Khan, all of whom played roles in setting up fake firms and laundering funds. Fake bank accounts, dummy directors, and proxy communications were used to route money, with over 112 bank accounts identified and Rs 66 lakh frozen so far.

Shams Tahir Khan, an MBA graduate from Rajasthan, acted as the SIP marketing conduit, onboarding international players and travelling with Mishra to Nepal, which is emerging as a safe haven for such cyber operators due to weak extradition oversight, said police.

Authorities have invoked multiple charges under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, the Telegraph Act, and the IT Act. Assets across multiple states and countries are now under seizure proceedings.

Raigad SP Aanchal Dalal, who led the investigation, warned that ‘digital arrest’ is a fake concept. “Neither the CBI, ED, nor the Police call citizens through WhatsApp or ask for money to avoid legal action. Citizens are urged to immediately report such incidents to the Cyber Helpline 1930, 1945, or 14407, or visit the nearest police station,” she added.

Further investigations into the crime is being conducted by SP Dalal and Additional Superintendent of Police, Abhijit Shivthare, Inspector Rizwana Nadaf, Assistant Police Inspector Amol Jadhav, ASI Mohite, PN Tushar Gharat, PN Rahul Patil, PN Rajiv Zinjurte, PC Gurav, LHC Suchita Patil and LHC Puja Patil.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: Police Arrest 6 Individuals For Late-Night Gambling, Seize ₹4.45 Lakh In Cash

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Palghar, Maharashtra: The Palghar Police have arrested six individuals for gambling during a late-night raid conducted in the early hours of Wednesday. The operation was carried out following a tip-off and is part of the district police’s ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal trades.

Raid Conducted on SP’s Orders to Curb Illegal Activities

According to a press release issued by the office of Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh, all police stations and the Local Crime Branch in Palghar were directed to intensify surveillance and take strict action against unlawful activities.

Acting on these instructions, Police Inspector Anant Parad, in charge of Palghar Police Station, received confidential information that a group of individuals was engaged in gambling at a private residence on Morekuran Road, Palghar.

A police team was swiftly formed and dispatched to the location. During the raid, officers found six people actively gambling inside the home of Arun Sankhe.

Accused Include Local Residents of Palghar

The accused have been identified as, Parag Suresh Patil (47), Shanu Tahir Ansari (30), Amol Gangadhar Sankhe (45), Dharmshil Yashwant Jadhav (36), Rahul Satish Bade (31),and Akshay Sakharam Patil (33), all residents of Palghar.

Action Taken Under Maharashtra Gambling Act

The police seized gambling materials and cash totaling ₹4,45,000 from the scene. A FIR has been registered at Palghar Police Station under Sections 12 and 4(A) of the Maharashtra Gambling Act. Further investigation is underway.

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Maharashtra

‘Den Of Corruption’: Civic Activists, Ex-Corporators Slam Mismanagement At Kurla’s Bhabha Hospital In Mumbai

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Mumbai: The Khan Bahadur Bhabha Hospital in Kurla, a 90-year-old BMC-run facility, is under fire from local civic activists and former corporators who allege widespread corruption, mismanagement and systemic neglect.

Dilshad Ashraf Azmi, a former corporator and member of the civic Health Committee, claimed the hospital has been facing a severe shortage of medicines for the past one and a half years. “Medicines are being procured through spot quotations worth ₹25 lakh each time, but there is no regular or permanent supply,” she said. According to her, this has forced poor patients to purchase essential drugs from outside, often at the cost of skipping treatment.

Akil Khatik, a civic activist from the area, stated that the hospital, once known for quality care, has now turned into a “den of corruption.” “Patients rarely receive all the medicines prescribed by doctors. In most cases, they are forced to buy nearly half the medicines from outside pharmacies,” he said.

Although the hospital has four counters designated for free medicine distribution, only one remains open during OPD hours, leading to long queues. Khatik alleged that all counters are often shut in the evenings and at night, further burdening patients.

Operational inefficiencies are also being flagged. Toilets meant for OPD patients and their relatives are frequently kept locked, creating inconvenience, especially for women, as there are no public toilets outside the premises. Stray dogs have been spotted inside the X-ray and CT scan departments, and ongoing renovation work has left parts of the hospital littered with construction debris.

Attempts to reach the medical superintendent went unanswered. However, a senior hospital official claimed that there is no major shortage at present and that efforts are being made to streamline services.

Despite these claims, patients continue to report delayed doctor arrivals, non-functional equipment, and long wait times—raising questions over the true state of affairs at one of Mumbai’s oldest civic hospitals.

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