Mumbai: A tragic landslide reported in the early hours of Saturday at Jankalyan Society in Varsha Nagar area of Mumbai’s Vikhroli (West), resulted in the death of two residents. The incident occurred at around 2:39 am when soil and stones loosened from a hilly patch amid heavy rains and collapsed onto a hut situated at the base of the slope. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), which received the first report, immediately mobilised rescue teams along with local police and ward staff to the site.

2 Dead Among 4 Trapped In Debris

The hut, belonging to a family in the area, was badly crushed under the debris. Four members of the Mishra family were trapped and later rushed to Rajawadi Hospital by emergency responders. According to hospital authorities, two of the victims succumbed to their injuries before admission.

The deceased were identified as 19-year-old Shalu Mishra and 50-year-old Suresh Mishra. Two others, 45-year-old Aarti Mishra and 20-year-old Ruturaj Mishra, sustained serious injuries but were reported to be stable after being admitted to the trauma ward.

The tragic incident has once again brought focus on the vulnerability of informal settlements located at the base of hills and slopes across Mumbai, particularly during the monsoon season. Civic officials confirmed that the land where the incident occurred belongs to the collector and is classified as high-risk for landslides. Each year, warnings are issued for residents in these zones, but relocation remains a persistent challenge due to population density and housing shortages in the city.

Mumbai Lashed By Heavy Rains, Red Alert Issued

Meanwhile, heavy and relentless rainfall lashed Mumbai overnight and continued into the morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an red alert for Mumbai on August 16, forecasting heavy to very heavy showers at isolated places. The neighbouring Raigad district has also been placed under a red alert, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in some areas.

As the city braced itself for a wet weekend, the overnight rain led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas, including Sion, Kings Circle, Bandra, Vile Parle and Andheri. However, train and road movement remained mostly functional with delays.

Mumbai: The ‘maximum city’ is experiencing intense rainfall from the night of August 15 into the early hours of August 16, marking one of the heaviest monsoon spells this season.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that rainfall exceeded 200mm in several regions, with Vikhroli receiving the highest at 248.5 mm, followed by Santacruz with 232.5 mm and Sion at 221 mm.

Other areas such as Juhu, Bandra, and Byculla also recorded significant amounts. Civic authorities compiled rainfall data showing averages of 99.61 mm in the city division, 142.80 mm in eastern suburbs, and 144.57 mm in western suburbs between 8 am on August 15 and 4 am on August 16. Some areas experienced extreme rainfall intensity, with Ghatkopar’s Ramabai Municipal School recording 49 mm in just one hour.

Visuals: Waterlogging In City

Despite the heavy downpour, Mumbai’s suburban train services remained largely operational with minimal delays, and road traffic disruptions were manageable, although waterlogging affected low-lying areas like Sion and Andheri.

The Mumbai police advised residents to avoid non-essential travel due to waterlogging and poor visibility, ensuring citizens could reach emergency services if needed. With more rain expected, officials warned residents, particularly in flood-prone zones, to remain vigilant as the city prepared for ongoing wet weather conditions.

IMD Issues Red Alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Ratnagiri, Raigad, Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, and Palghar, forecasting moderate to intense rain for the next three to four hours. Heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging in parts of Mumbai, notably Gandhi Nagar, Kings Circle, and Sion Railway Station.

Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani directed BMC officials to coordinate emergency measures. A landslide in Vikhroli resulted in two fatalities and two injuries. In Himachal Pradesh, the monsoon death toll has reached 257, with 133 rain-related deaths. Many roads remain blocked, and numerous electricity and water supply services are disrupted due to weather conditions.

Mumbai, Aug 14: In a multi-city crackdown against a Cyprus-based illegal online betting platform, the ED has frozen Rs 110 crore parked in mule bank accounts as part of a Rs 3,000 crore fraud, an official said on Thursday.

Celebrities Linked to Promotion

Cricket stars Sunil Narine and Nicholas Pooran, a Bollywood actress and an Indian rap star were among the brand ambassadors of the platform Parimatch.

The ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Police Station, Mumbai, against Parimatch.com on complaints that it defrauded investors by luring them with high returns, generating over Rs 3,000 crore in a year.

Rejected Payment Aggregators Aided Transactions

The probe also uncovered that payment companies whose applications for Payment Aggregator licenses were rejected by the RBI, offered their services to Parimatch in the garb of technology service providers (TSPs) and offered their API (Application Programming Interface) to facilitate user fund collections, said an ED statement.

ED Seizes Evidence Across Multiple Cities

During the multicity searches, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, seized incriminating documents and digital devices on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 from 17 locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Jaipur, Surat, Madurai, Kanpur and Hyderabad.

The probe against Parimatch revealed that the platform gained visibility through aggressive marketing, including sponsorship of sports tournaments and partnerships with well-known celebrities

The ED said the platform also set up Indian entities to run surrogate advertisements under the names “Parimatch Sports” and “Parimatch News”. Payments to these agencies were made via foreign inward remittances.

Searches revealed that Parimatch routed users’ funds through mule accounts using different strategies across the country.

Complex Money Laundering Network Exposed

In one case, funds deposited by users into mule accounts were withdrawn in cash in a specific locality in Tamil Nadu. This cash was handed over to hawala operators, who used it to recharge virtual wallets of a UK-based company.

These wallets were then used to buy USDT cryptocurrency in the name of mule crypto accounts, operated by Parimatch agents.