The Mumbai Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has claimed the arrest of a drug dealer involved in MD smuggling, charging him under Sections 8(c) and 22(c) of the NDPS Act. The accused was apprehended in Jogeshwari after being spotted under suspicious circumstances. The following items were seized from his possession:
1) Three MDMA pills weighing a total of 2.04 grams (estimated value: ₹88,000)
2) MD (Mephedrone) weighing a total of 417 grams (estimated value: ₹1,25,10,000)
3) Fifty Indian currency notes of ₹500 denomination (total cash: ₹25,000)
4) One used Apple iPhone 15 (estimated value: ₹20,000)
*The total estimated value of the seized items is ₹1,26,43,000. On September 11, the Azad Maidan Unit of the ANC (Crime Branch) was patrolling the Jogeshwari area when they received credible information that an individual was selling drugs from his residence. Acting on this tip-off, the ANC team raided the suspect’s home and recovered the aforementioned contraband. Case property recovered during the personal search of the said individual: 1) Three “MDMA tablets” weighing a total of 2.04 grams (estimated value: Rs. 88,000); 2) “MD” drug weighing 210 grams (estimated value: Rs. 6,300,000); 3) One used Apple iPhone 15 (estimated value: Rs. 20,000). Case property recovered during the search of the said individual’s residence: 4) “MD” drug weighing 207 grams (estimated value: Rs. 6,210,000); 5) Fifty Indian currency notes of Rs. 500 denomination (total cash: Rs. 25,000). The total estimated value of the recovered case property is Rs. 12,643,000. The ANC squad (Azad Maidan Unit) has arrested the said individual and registered a case (Case No. 85/2026) under Sections 8(c) and 21(c) of the NDPS Act, 1985. This successful operation was carried out by Deven Bharti (Police Commissioner, Mumbai), Anil Kumbhare (Joint Commissioner of Police – Crime), Krishnakant Upadhyay (Additional Commissioner of Police – Crime), and Poornima Chougule-Shringi (Deputy Commissioner of Police, ANC Squad, Crime Branch).

Antarwali Sarati (Jalna), Sep 12: Entering the 15th day of his hunger strike, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Saturday announced a march to Mumbai to launch an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan.

Addressing a gathering at Antarwali Sarati, Jarange Patil gave the detailed route for the march and urged the police administration and Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to stop them.

Jarange Patil will leave Antarwali Sarati on September 15 and start an indefinite strike at Azad Maidan Mumbai from September 19.

Jarange Patil stated that the march represents the pride and existence of the Maratha community. He appealed to supporters along the route to step out and offer their blessings, even if they are unable to travel all the way to Mumbai. He also called on community members to halt work and join the movement on the specified dates.

According to Jarange Patil, the march will proceed along the Antarwali – Shahagad – Gevrai – Beed – Manjarsumbha – Limba Ganesh – Patoda route towards Mumbai.

Due to the massive convoy of vehicles moving at low speeds, the journey will be completed in stages. The first halt will be at Patoda (Beed district), second halt at Shrigonda (Ahilyanagar district), third halt at Hadapsar (Pune district) and fourth halt at Khopoli (Raigad district) / Koparkhairane (Navi Mumbai) (Khopoli currently finalised). The final destination will be Azad Maidan, Mumbai.

Addressing requests from various regions, Jarange Patil explained that the route via Hadapsar was selected to include supporters from Pune and Western Maharashtra who felt left out during previous marches. He reiterated his appeal to state authorities, urging Devendra Fadnavis and the police not to erect barricades or obstruct the peaceful rally.

“We want to conduct a peaceful, democratic hunger strike to claim our rights. If the police block us anywhere along the highway, we will not push barricades or clash with authorities. We will simply sit down peacefully on the road wherever we are stopped,” Jarange Patil stated.

He further instructed all participants in the convoy to maintain strict discipline, avoid overtaking, ensure no member of the public is harmed, and stay on the designated route.

Reflecting on his health on day 15 of the strike, Jarange Patil noted that he was able to speak only due to IV fluids. Calling this the “final battle” for the community’s cause, he put the decision to the crowd, asking whether they should stay in Antarwali or march to Mumbai.

The crowd responded with overwhelming chants of “Mumbai, Mumbai!”

“Our goal is to reach Mumbai peacefully and return victorious,” Jarange Patil declared, finalising the march to the state capital.

Mumbai, Sep 12: India has become the fourth largest holder of foreign exchange reserves in the world after the record surge in dollar inflows triggered by the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) foreign currency non-resident (bank) (FCNR(B) deposits scheme, according to data.

With the $44.9 billion increase in its forex kitty to a record $785.7 billion during the week ended September 4, India has dislodged Russia from the fourth spot and is now ranked only behind China, Japan, and Switzerland, the data compiled by Bloomberg showed.

The record increase in the foreign exchange reserves has taken place despite a decline in the gold reserves component by $2.59 billion to $113.81 billion during the week as gold prices fell.

An increase in the foreign exchange reserves reflects strong fundamentals of the economy and gives the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) more headroom to stabilise the rupee when it turns volatile.

A strong forex kitty enables the RBI to intervene in the spot and forward currency markets by releasing more dollars to prevent the rupee from going into a free fall.

Meanwhile, the RBI has announced a Rs 1 lakh crore open market operation (OMO) sale of government bonds to mop up the excess liquidity in the banking system that has resulted from the strong inflow of foreign currency.

The RBI will sell government securities worth Rs 1 lakh crore in three tranches — Rs 50,000 crore on September 17, Rs 25,000 crore on September 21, and another Rs 25,000 crore on September 28. The auctions will be conducted through the multiple-price method using a multi-security auction.

Earlier, the Reserve Bank had raised over Rs 3.53 lakh crore through an overnight Variable Rate Reverse Repo (VRRR) auction with a 1-day tenor on Monday, to absorb surplus cash from the banking system.

A VRRR auction is a monetary policy tool used by a central bank to absorb excess cash from the banking system and ensure financial stability in the economy.

The RBI has stepped up liquidity absorption operations as the banking system has been flooded with funds following large inflows through the special FCNR(B) deposit scheme.

RBI’s special dollar-rupee forex swap facility for FCNR(B) deposits, Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings (OFCB) and External Commercial Borrowings (ECB), launched on June 8 this year, has driven an unprecedented surge in foreign exchange inflows into the country to the tune of $73 billion in less than 11 weeks of the launch.

The response was strong enough for the RBI to advance the closure of the FCNR(B) window itself, from September 30 to August 31, having already achieved its objective ahead of schedule.