Navi Mumbai: In a major breakthrough, Kharghar Police have arrested a 24-year-old man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old minor girl and impregnating her, after tracking him down near the India-Nepal border. The accused, identified as Vishal Babu alias Anwar Ali Imtiaz Ansari, had been on the run since the case was registered earlier this month. A court has remanded him to police custody till April 1.

According to police, the accused worked at ‘Jagdish Autoparts’ garage in Kharghar, where he allegedly lured the minor to the premises in October 2025 and raped her. He continued to sexually assault her multiple times, threatening to kill her if she disclosed the incidents. The crime came to light after the girl was found to be pregnant.

Following a complaint lodged by the victim’s parents on March 7 at Kharghar Police Station, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023), including Sections 65(1) and 351 (3), along with Sections 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

However, the accused fled Kharghar soon after sensing police action and escaped to his native place in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Acting under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Joshi, a team led by Police Sub-Inspector Suraj Jadhav camped in Uttar Pradesh to trace him. The accused had switched off his mobile phone, creating hurdles in the technical investigation.

“We faced significant challenges due to the ongoing Ramzan period and lack of cooperation from the accused’s relatives. However, after taking them into confidence, the we carried out a continuous 13-day search operation across Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, and areas along the Nepal border,” a police officer said.

Finally, on March 25, the police apprehended Vishal Babu near the Nepal border. He was subsequently brought to Navi Mumbai on transit remand. The operation was carried out by PSI Suraj Jadhav, along with Police Naik Khedkar and Constable Kadam, under the supervision of Senior Inspector Sanjay Joshi.

Mumbai: A former Mumbai Under-19 cricketer, Balwant Singh Swaroop Singh Sodha, was arrested by the DB Marg police for his alleged involvement in black marketing tickets for the T20 World Cup semi-final match between India and England.

According to police officials, Sodha, 26, is the seventh accused in the case, which has exposed a wider racket involved in the illegal resale of match tickets at inflated prices. Authorities have seized his mobile phone and its data is currently being analysed to trace the source of the tickets and identify other individuals linked to the network.

Sodha allegedly sold two tickets priced at Rs 25,000 each. However, he has not yet disclosed how he procured them. “We are examining his call data records to trace further links in the racket,” a police officer said as quoted by media.

The incident came to light earlier this month after police received a tip-off about a man selling match tickets at exorbitant rates. Acting on the information, officers conducted a sting operation and posed as buyers. They apprehended Aditya Raorane at a coffee shop in Vile Parle when he agreed to sell two tickets at Rs 25,000 each.

During interrogation, Raorane told police that he had sourced the tickets from Siddharth Sabhapati. Following this lead, police asked Raorane to contact Sabhapati for additional tickets. Sabhapati allegedly sent two more tickets through another accomplice, Meghan Sandesh Pradhan, who was later arrested at the same location. A total of four tickets were seized during this operation.

Police said the accused were part of a conspiracy to resell complimentary and subsidised tickets issued by the Mumbai Cricket Association at much higher prices. So far, 24 tickets have been seized and officials have written to the association seeking details about their distribution.

A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act. Prior to Sodha’s arrest, six other accused, including Raorane and his associates, had already been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the racket and identify additional suspects involved.

Mumbai: A 29-year-old woman from Thane’s Mumbra was cheated of Rs 6.75 lakh by a man posing as an NRI on a matrimonial site and an unknown woman who helped him. An FIR has been registered against the man and an unidentified woman who is believed to have assisted in the fraud.

The fraud reportedly took place between January and March 2026. the woman connected with the accused, identified as Adnan Ahmed, on a matrimonial site. The man claimed he was a resident of the UK and also intended to marry the victim, saying that he would be in India in three months. Their conversations moved to WhatsApp, where their connection grew, and he gained her trust.

However, suddenly on January 27, the accused allegedly contacted the woman, claiming he was in India and the customs officials at Delhi airport had seized his gold and foreign currency. Not just this, a woman posing as an immigration officer also called the victim.

The accused claimed that he needed urgent funds to pay the ‘fines and clearances’ to retrieve his belongings. The victim transferred Rs 6.75 lakh between February 2 and March 12 from her accounts to various bank accounts provided by the accused.

But to her shock, the accused stopped responding to her calls and messages, and she filed a complaint. Based on a complaint, the Mumbra police on March 26 registered an FIR against Adnan Ahmed and an unidentified woman.