Mumbai: Indian stock markets opened flat with a slight negative trend on Wednesday as mixed global cues and a lack of major domestic triggers kept investor sentiment muted. With the Q2 FY26 earnings season coming to an end, traders showed limited enthusiasm, leaving the indices stuck in a narrow range.

The Sensex slipped 81 points, or 0.10 per cent, to 84,592 in early trade. The Nifty also declined, dropping 34 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 25,877. “The broader benchmark Nifty 50 remains range-bound after the prior session, with resistance seen around 26,000–26,050 and near-term support in the 25,800–25,750 band — a potential accumulation zone for positional traders,” experts said. “Given this setup, a selective buy-on-dips strategy remains appropriate — apply tight trailing stop-losses, and book partial profits on rallies,” analysts mentioned.

Tata Motors PV, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Eternal and Sun Pharma were among the major drags on the Sensex. However, gains in HUL, Infosys, TCS, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra, and Trent helped cushion the fall and prevented a deeper decline. In the broader market, the trend remained weak. The Nifty MidCap index slipped 0.06 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index fell 0.23 per cent. Sector-wise, the Nifty IT index was the only notable performer, rising 0.62 per cent as technology stocks saw selective buying.

On the other hand, real estate stocks struggled, with the Nifty Realty index emerging as the biggest loser, down 0.5 per cent. Analysts said markets may continue to remain rangebound in the absence of fresh triggers and ahead of global macroeconomic developments expected later this week. “Investors should prioritise safety at this juncture. Safety is in large caps. Large segments of the mid and small cap space are overvalued having been driven up only by liquidity flows from exuberant investors,” analysts said.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to a crisp, pleasantly cool morning on Wednesday, offering residents a brief but refreshing break from the city’s usual warm and humid conditions. Clear skies, gentle winds and early-morning temperatures hovering around the mild winter range provided an almost unexpected touch of seasonal comfort rarely felt in November.

The coolness was noticeable enough for many Mumbaikars to step out into a light chill, a welcome shift after weeks of sticky weather. However, this ideal start was dimmed by a thin but persistent layer of smog that settled over the skyline, softening visibility and reminding the city of its ongoing pollution challenge.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the day is expected to stay clear and moderately warm, with maximum temperatures likely to touch around 33°C. The pleasant pattern is set to continue overnight as well, with minimum temperatures expected to drop to nearly 18°C during late night and pre-dawn hours. While the weather brought some respite, the haze that lingered in several parts of Mumbai through the early hours muted what could have otherwise been a picture-perfect November morning.

This rise in pollution comes shortly after a spell of intense rainfall that had briefly washed the atmosphere clean. The downpour had flushed out suspended dust and particulate matter, leading to a short-lived phase of clear skies, crisp visibility and improved air quality. But as soon as the rains receded, pollutants once again began to accumulate rapidly. Without the natural cleansing effect of showers, Mumbai slipped back into deteriorating air conditions, undoing recent gains.

By Wednesday morning, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) had surged to 275, placing it firmly in the ‘unhealthy’ category and marking a major jump from the moderate levels seen earlier in the month.

Several locations registered particularly alarming readings. The Wadala Truck Terminal recorded an AQI of 394, falling into the severe category and emerging as one of the city’s worst-affected spots. Deonar (329) and Malad (323) also clocked severe pollution levels, with Colaba (320) and Worli (318) close behind.

Suburban areas, though comparatively better, remained far from satisfactory. Kandivali East logged an AQI of 123, Borivali East 187, both in the poor bracket, while Mankhurd (197), Bhandup West (210) and Jogeshwari (220) recorded poor to unhealthy air, underscoring the widespread impact.

As per AQI standards, 0–50 is Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Poor, 151–200 Unhealthy, and anything above 200 qualifies as Severe or Hazardous.

Mumbai, Nov 18: The Mumbai Police have detained three individuals linked to the accused in the Delhi car blast attack case, officials said on Tuesday. They are now being sent to Delhi for further interrogration.

These three individuals were detained from different locations in a secret operation carried out by a special team of the Mumbai Police and are currently being questioned.

According to the officials, the detained people were in contact with the accused through a social media application.

The police have also mentioned that these people are from well-to-do families, just like Dr Umar Muhammad and Dr Muzammil, two key accused in the terror module linked to the Delhi blast.

Similar investigations are being conducted in various districts across the state, officials.

Earlier on Monday, sources said that investigators have found encrypted conversations and the movement of weapons has revealed a tightly organised inner circle within the terror module linked to Dr Umar Muhammad, the driver of the i20 car that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing at least 13 and injuring over a dozen people.

According to official sources, Umar created an encrypted Signal group nearly three months ago, using a name marked with special characters to avoid surveillance.

He reportedly added Muzammil, Adil Rather, Muzaffar Rather and Maulvi Irfan Ahmad Waghe to this channel, which functioned as the primary hub for internal coordination.

A major turning point in the probe came after an assault rifle and a pistol were recovered from the car of Dr Shaheen Shahid. Investigators believe Umar had procured these weapons and handed them to Irfan sometime in 2024.

Shaheen had previously seen the same weapons during a visit to Irfan’s room along with Muzammil, and is suspected to have contributed the largest share of funds used to sustain the module’s operations.

Sources said the evidence so far points to a clear hierarchy and division of roles. Financial support was primarily managed by the three doctors, with Dr Muzammil playing a central role.

Recruitment of Kashmiri youths was handled by Irfan, who is believed to have brought in two arrested recruits — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil and Yasir ul Ashraf.

Investigators have also documented several instances of weapon movement. In October 2023, Adil and Umar visited Irfan at a Kashmir mosque, carrying a rifle hidden in a bag, and later left after cleaning its barrel.

A month later, Adil again arrived at Irfan’s residence with a rifle. Muzammil and Shaheen also reached the location that same day. The weapon was reportedly kept with Irfan, and Adil returned the next morning to collect it, sources said.

The findings indicate a coordinated network operating through encrypted platforms, involving systematic fundraising, targeted recruitment and careful handling of weapons, they added.

The network is linked to the Faridabad terror module, which was exposed on November 9 after police seized 2,900 kg of explosives and ammunition from rented rooms linked to Muzammil, a doctor associated with the Al Falah University.

Umar, another doctor associated with Al Falah University, was driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10, triggering a massive investigation into the module’s operations. Police have since intensified the hunt for all individuals connected to the network.

Further investigations are underway.