Maharashtra
In UP Shiv Sena rejig, Muslim woman named GS in 46-strong top body

Nearly seven weeks after losing power in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has revamped the party in Uttar Pradesh — its second biggest unit outside the home state, officials said here on Friday.
A sparkling new 46-member Uttar Pradesh Shiv Sena (UPSS) team has been formed, incorporating a first — a Muslim woman Nazia Khan appointed as General Secretary (GS) — along with two other women leaders, Sonu Singh Thakur and Savita Shrivastav.
According to UPSS Chief Spokesperson and office head Vishvjeet Singh, the 46-member apex body comprises the state President Anil Singh Thakur, 10 Vice Presidents, 6 GS, 11 Secretaries, 6 State Organisers, a 3-member panel of spokespersons, and 8 state executive committee members.
“These appointments have been made with the approval of the Party President Thackeray with immediate effect, and now we shall plunge full-fledged into preparations for ensuing Uttar Pradesh civic polls, the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2027 UP Assembly elections,” said Singh.
The Sena plans to contest all the upcoming civic elections in Uttar Pradesh putting up a maximum number of candidates with possibility of local alliances, as decided by the central leadership, said a party leader in Mumbai.
The Uttar Pradesh leaders are also likely to be deployed for the ensuing Maharashtra civic elections to woo the north Indian voters, particularly in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and certain other regions where they are in significant numbers, he added.
Singh said the new body will launch a state-wide membership drive with a target of over 100,000 people who will be enrolled by December.
“Thereafter, in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, we shall launch an intensive membership drive with at least 100,000 enrolments per district before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” said the Chief Spokesperson.
Shiv Sena, which has been on the fringes in Uttar Pradesh since 30 years, almost equivalent to its rule over the country’s biggest and richest civic body, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), now plans to spread wings in a big way in that state.
It broke the ice with the electorate when a party nominee, Pawan Pandey was elected from Akbarpur to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 1991, and later he was among those accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
“The situation today in Uttar Pradesh is very differenta People are now weary of the Ram Temple issue and are demanding the basics of life like jobs, education, health facilities, curbing inflation, end to communal and caste politics,” claimed Singh.
Referring to the collapse of the Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress’s MVA regime headed by Thackeray on June 29, he said that the Uttar Pradesh masses are “disturbed” by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) blatant misuse of central agencies to topple state governments.
The MVA experiment of November 2019 dealt a blow to the party even in Uttar Pradesh, and Singh claimed that the BJP adopted vindictive tactics against Shiv Sena candidates in the March 2022 Assembly polls in which Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi swept to power for a second consecutive term.
“In the 75th year of Independence, our strategy will be to create Hindu-Muslim amity, all-inclusive growth and development of Uttar Pradesh, with job creations at all levels, improved infrastructure, health and education for the entire population,” said Singh.
After contesting around two dozen seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 100 in 2022 Assembly polls, the Sena plans to at least double its candidates for both these elections after approval from the central leadership in Mumbai.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Fraud: Raigad CGST Officials Bust ₹9 Crore Fake Input Tax Credit Racket; 2 Arrested In Panvel And Dombivli

Mumbai: A team of officers of Anti-Evasion, CGST & Central Excise Raigad Commissionerate, Mumbai Zone have arrested two persons involved in generating and passing on fake input tax credit (ITC) of more than Rs 9 crore by creating fictitious firms and issuing invoices without actual supply of goods/services.
Fake ITC Passed Using Fictitious Firms, Say Raigad CGST Officials
Acting upon intelligence, the team identified the fake firms being operated by the accused to avail and pass on fake ITC. The accused firm availed ineligible credit passed on by non-existent firms registered based on forged documents.
No Actual Goods Supplied, Yet Invoices Issued
The accused firm was found non-operational at the registered principal place of business evidencing no goods received or supplied. Thus, the firm had fraudulently availed/ passed on ITC in violation of CGST Act, 2017.
Panvel and Dombivli Residents Nabbed for Tax Evasion
The investigation revealed that the Directors of the firm, a resident of New Panvel and a resident of Dombivli (W) were actively involved in the fraud of government revenue.
Two Arrested for ₹9 Crore GST Fraud in Maharashtra
Both were arrested under section 69(1) of CGST Act, 2017 for offences punishable under Section 132(1)(b)/132(1)(c) of CGST Act, 2017 and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panvel. The Court has sent them to judicial custody.
Further investigation is in progress to identify other beneficiaries and operators of this fake invoice racket.
Maharashtra
Good News For Mumbaikars! Now Book Mumbai Local Train Tickets Through WhatsApp; Ticketing Process Made Easier

Mumbai: The Railways aims to improve the local ticketing system’s convenience and is exploring the possibility of launching a ticketing system via a chat-based app such as WhatsApp. Recently, a meeting took place with organisations that are interested in this matter. Officials mentioned that the tender process will be evaluated once all the details are finalised.
Within the framework of the Digital India initiative, the Indian Railways is emphasising on transforming the ticketing system through digital means. As a result, passengers are being offered fast tickets that are cashless. The shift to digital At present, 25 per cent of travellers are reserving tickets via digital methods, and its adoption is growing daily.
In addition to the current digital ticketing system, the Railways is working on a chat-based ticketing solution to enhance convenience in ticketing. Metro travellers favor using WhatsApp for ticket bookings in the metro. Upon scanning the QR code at the ticket window, a chat interface appears.
Upon sending a Hi message, you are presented with options for ticket booking, and afterward, digital tickets can be obtained upon making the payment. 67 percent of metro fares are being reserved in this manner. What difficulties are there? Several factors need to be addressed during the creation of the WhatsApp ticketing system.
Due to the current misuse of the QR-based ticketing system via UTS, caution must be exercised in developing the new system to avoid similar vulnerabilities. We aim to create a system that will be easy for the travelers. Several alternatives are under consideration for this, including the chat-based ticketing system, Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer.
Crime
Mumbai Drug Bust: 24-Year-Old Arrested In Byculla With Mephedrone, Charas Worth ₹3.46 Crore In Car

Mumbai: In a major anti-drug operation, the Mumbai Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the early hours of Wednesday and recovered a large quantity of narcotics valued at over Rs 3.46 crore. The accused, identified as Sahil Junaid Ansari, a resident of Bhiwandi in Thane district, was intercepted while driving through the Byculla area of South Mumbai.
Accused Found Driving Suspiciously In Byculla Area
The incident occurred around 4 am when a team of patrolling constables, Bhabad, Bhoye and Gangurde, spotted a Maruti Ertiga car moving suspiciously near Hume Church on B.A. Road. The team flagged down the vehicle and questioned the driver about his presence at that odd hour. Ansari, however, failed to give a satisfactory response, raising the officers’ suspicions.
Alerted by constable Bhabad, night duty in-charge Police Inspector Anup Dange immediately reached the location with PSI Kolekar, PSI Asade from the Anti-Terror Cell and other detection personnel.
Details On Drugs Found In Car
A detailed search of the vehicle was conducted, during which the police found 1,710 grams of Mephedrone, commonly known as MD, concealed inside. The street value of the seized MD is estimated at Rs 3.42 crore. Additionally, 17 grams of charas worth Rs 4.5 lakh were also recovered from the car.
Police officials confirmed that Ansari has been taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The contraband was seized and sent for forensic examination.
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