In a shocking case from Mumbai, an 18-year-old girl, found to be eight months pregnant during a medical examination at Cama Hospital, initially gave a false statement to police to protect her boyfriend. The matter came to light after doctors, suspecting she was underage, informed the police, prompting an investigation.

According to the initial report, the victim claimed that while on a trip to Matheran with friends, she was sexually assaulted by an unknown man. She alleged that the man, despite knowing she was underage, forced himself on her at a lodge. Based on this account, the Matheran Police began investigating the case.

The investigation took a turn when police interrogated the victim’s close friend. The friend confirmed that she and another friend had gone to Matheran in July, but the victim had not accompanied them. This directly contradicted the victim’s earlier story.

Confronted with this evidence, the victim admitted in a supplementary statement recorded on September 25 that her initial account was fabricated.

The victim revealed that her 17-year-old boyfriend was responsible for her pregnancy. She stated that he repeatedly engaged in sexual relations with her when she was still a minor, around January or February 2024, at his maternal uncle’s residence.

Based on the revised statements and corroboration from her friends, investigators established that the offence occurred within the jurisdiction of the Wadala TT Police Station. Consequently, the Matheran Police have officially transferred the case to Wadala TT Police for further investigation. The 17-year-old boyfriend has been booked under relevant sections, and further inquiries are underway.

Mumbai: A joint operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) on Friday led to the arrest of a habitual stone-pelter who had been terrorising Mumbai’s suburban rail commuters with repeated attacks.

The accused, Naushad Ali Abdul Wahid Sheikh, a footpath dweller from Mohammed Ali Road, Bhendi Bazaar, was nabbed near Sewri railway station following a tip-off. His arrest was the result of a coordinated effort involving RPF units from Vadala Road, Dadar, Kurla, and the RPF Crime Branch, along with GRP Vadala Road.

Authorities used CCTV footage and past records to confirm Sheikh’s involvement in multiple stone-pelting cases, with women commuters being the main victims.

During interrogation, Sheikh confessed to several incidents, including a major attack on September 26, 2025, where he hurled a stone at the women’s compartment of a Panvel-bound train, injuring a passenger. He admitted to similar assaults on September 22 and September 18, targeting women’s coaches near Sewri and Vadala Road.

In another shocking case two months ago, he allegedly threw a steel seat frame from a moving train after an altercation with a passenger.

This is not Sheikh’s first arrest. He was earlier booked by RPF Vadala in 2023 and 2024 for stone-pelting and vandalising an Automatic Ticket Vending Machine (ATVM). He had already served jail terms for those offences.

Following his confession in the latest cases, Sheikh was formally arrested under the Railways Act and produced before the 35th Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Railway Court, CSMT on October 3, 2025. He has been remanded to judicial custody and sent to byculla Jail.

Confirming the arrest, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner of Mumbai Division (Central Railway), Rishi Shukla, assured that security measures have been intensified.

“We are fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all passengers. In light of recent incidents, we have intensified patrolling and surveillance across the suburban network of Mumbai division. Strict action will continue to be taken against those who endanger public safety,” he said.

Gadchiroli: Police recently destroyed two Maoist-erected monuments and arrested a Naxal supporter actively involved in violent activities against security forces. Officials said both actions were part of ongoing anti-Maoist operations aimed at eliminating fear from local communities.

On September 30, a police team from Poste Katezari, along with SRPF personnel, was conducting a search operation in the Katezari and Marma forest areas of Mauja Katezari. During the operation, they found two Maoist monuments, erected two to three years ago, intended to spread fear and show Maoist presence in the region.

After inspection by the bomb disposal team, both monuments were demolished and destroyed. Police said that, with the cooperation of local citizens, trees were planted at the site as a symbol of peace.

Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli, Nilotpal, said: “The Gadchiroli police is trying to free citizens from the terror of the Maoists. Such memorials have no place in society, and people are urged not to participate in such illegal constructions.”

In a separate incident on September 29, while security forces were conducting an anti-Maoist operation in the Bhamragad area, they received information about a suspicious person allegedly conducting reconnaissance of security forces.

The man was detained and later identified as Sainu alias Sannu Amlu Mattami (38), a resident of Poyarkothi, Bhamragad. Investigations revealed he was a staunch Naxal supporter involved in violent activities, including an encounter between police and Maoists in the Koparshi-Phulnar jungle area on August 27, 2025.

Mattami was arrested on September 30.

According to officials, since January 2022, Gadchiroli police have arrested a total of 110 Maoists, a result of sustained anti-Maoist operations in the district.