Mumbai: In a major breakthrough in the drug case linked to the deaths of two youths at a concert in NESCO Centre, police have arrested the main accused from Poladpur in Raigad district while he was allegedly attempting to flee towards Goa.

According to officials, the accused is suspected of distributing Ecstasy (MDMA) at the concert held on April 11, where two attendees died due to suspected drug overdose. He was intercepted and later handed over to the Vanrai Police for further investigation.

The arrest comes amid an ongoing crackdown on a suspected drug supply network operating around high-profile music events in Mumbai. A video released by Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) showed the accused being escorted by police personnel following his detention.

Earlier, the Vanrai Police had arrested 21-year-old MBA student Shubh Agarwal from Kalyan, marking the eighth arrest in the case. Agarwal was produced before the Borivali Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which remanded him to police custody till April 20.

The case was registered after the deaths of Shreya Rai (24) and Bismaad Bhasin (28), both of whom are suspected to have consumed a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. Another attendee, Seetal Salvi (25), remains under treatment at Bombay Hospital.

Cops have also flagged multiple violations at the event, including the concert allegedly continuing beyond the permitted time of 10 pm till around 12:30 am. Additionally, alcohol was reportedly served to individuals below the legal age of 25.

Police said several of the accused were regular attendees at events held at the NESCO Centre, indicating the possible existence of a broader drug distribution network targeting such gatherings.

So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case. Seven of them are scheduled to be produced in court today as the investigation continues.

New Delhi, April 18: The Delhi Police Special Cell on Saturday revealed that it had arrested four youths from three states for online radicalising and recruiting others with the aim to establish an Islamic state through ‘jihad’, officials said. According to police, a connection to the Red Fort blast was also established, which had claimed 11 lives and injured several others.

One of the accused had visited various sensitive installations including the Red Fort in Delhi in December 2025. He also posted a photo of the historical place with a black flag atop it to radicalise others, police said.

The official statement highlighted that the youths were radicalised into joining terrorism-related activities. Police have also recovered material used for preparation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) from one of them. Along with this, the mobile phones of the accused were also seized.

A team of Delhi Police Special Cell, led by Inspectors Vinay Pal and Manoj Kumar, including ACP Ashish Kumar, arrested the four accused persons from Maharashtra, Odisha and Bihar. An FIR was registered under relevant Sections of BNS, 2023.

Among the arrested youths, Mosaib Ahmad, Jalaluddin Siddiqui and Mohammad Hammad were residents of Maharashtra. While Sheikh Imran belonged to Odisha and Mohammad Sohail hailed from Bihar.

Police confirmed that the accused were part of various closed groups on encrypted social media platforms. They were allegedly engaged in radicalising and recruiting others for establishing Islamic state through ‘jihad’.

The investigation revealed that two members of the module were in the process of collecting locally-sourced material for preparing a remote-controlled IED which could be used for a terrorist attack at an opportune time.

Revealing their modus operandi, officials said that one member of the module was exhorting others to collect weapons and explosives for participating in ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. He shared his bank account details on his social media channel for crowd funding in support of ‘jihad’.

Another accused promised to arrange arms training for the members of the module and asked other members to send money for the same.

One of the accused, Mosaib Ahmad, was a part of multiple online radicalised groups. Police said that he assisted co-accused Mohammad Hammad by opening the circuit of a remote-controlled toy car for IED making and sharing its image within a closed group.

Hammad, in turn, shared pictures of ball bearings, nails, remote-controlled toy cars and boxes as material for preparation of IEDs in a closed group. He handed them over to co-accused Mosaib Ahmad, who, being a mechanic by profession, was tasked with assembling the IED.

Born in Bhubaneswar, Sheikh Imran worked as a security guard and delivery boy. In year 2024, he began listening to lectures (takreers) of Tareeq Jameel, Israr Ahmed, Zakir Naik etc. and gradually developed radical beliefs. He joined his associates through social media. Investigators found that Imran discussed targeting Ram Mandir, Parliament and military installations. He was the one who recced the Red Fort.

A plumber by profession, Mohammad Sohail was also influenced by Israr Ahmed. He created multiple social media accounts and exhorted youth in the name of ‘jihad’. In March 2026, he incited followers of his channel to collect weapons and explosives for ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ and even shared bank details to collect money.

Nashik: The controversy surrounding alleged religious coercion at the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has intensified, with the father of one of the accused strongly denying all charges, even as serious allegations by employees continue to surface.

Bilal Fakir Mohammad Attar, father of the accused Tausif Attar, has claimed that his son has been falsely implicated in a pre-planned manner. “We are well-educated. I am a graduate, and my son has completed his BCA. Whatever is happening is wrong. It is not the fault of my son or any other child. All allegations against them are false,” he said, defending his son amid mounting scrutiny.

Meanwhile, allegations of religious coercion have emerged as the central issue in the case. A male employee has alleged that staff were forced to wear skullcaps, recite the Kalma and offer namaz as part of a pattern of workplace harassment. The complainant, who worked under Taushif Attar and Danish Sheikh, claimed that refusal to comply often resulted in intimidation, isolation, and excessive workload.

Describing his ordeal, the employee alleged a deeply hostile work environment where personal boundaries were routinely violated. he claimed that senior officials mocked employees’ personal lives. In a particularly disturbing allegation, he said he was asked to ‘send his wife’ to management while the couple was undergoing fertility treatment.

The case has widened with multiple complaints, including from women employees who alleged they were pressured to observe fasts during Ramzan, cover their heads, and, in some instances, were subjected to sexual exploitation. The complaints indicate that the accused group allegedly targeted young women employees between 18 and 25 years of age.

Police have so far registered at least nine FIRs in connection with the case, including one by a male employee citing religious harassment and attempted conversion. The FIRs detail allegations such as verbal abuse, coercion to consume non-vegetarian food, and insults directed at religious beliefs.

Eight individuals have been arrested so far, including Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Asif Aftab Ansar and Shahrukh Sheikh, along with one woman. Investigations are ongoing to establish the full extent of the alleged misconduct and determine accountability.