Mumbai: An incident has come to light from a renowned school in Govandi, where a 45-year-old peon has been arrested for inappropriately touching a 6-year-old student.

The accused, identified as Rajesh Mahakal, had allegedly been misbehaving with the child for the past year. He allegedly took the child to an empty room inside the school premises and touched him inappropriately.

The matter came to light after the child informed his family about the incident. Following this, the family immediately approached the Govandi police station and lodged a complaint against the accused.

Taking serious note of the complaint, the police registered a case against the peon and arrested him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police officials told Media that they have launched a further investigation into the matter by reviewing CCTV and interrogating staff.

This comes a few months after the Malad police arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly molesting a 4-year-old student at a private school in Malad West. The incident occurred on January 12, and the police arrested the accused on February 6.

The accused, who worked as a peon at the school, was booked under the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) for allegedly inappropriately touching the child. The minor shared the ordeal with her parents, who then approached the police. After registering the case, the police subsequently arrested the man.

The court has remanded him to police custody for one day. Meanwhile, the police asked the school trustee for CCTV footage, but the trustee denied the request and had not informed the police in time. Subsequently, the police registered a case against the trustee as well. 

Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday attacked the Mahayuti government after the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report showed a sharp rise in crimes registered in Mumbai during 2024.

Sharing the NCRB data on social media, the former Shiv Sena UBT Rajya Sabha MP said Mumbai had become the second-highest metro city in several categories of crime, including offences against women, senior citizens and cyber crimes.

“Mumbai at number 2 in crimes — against women, against senior citizens & in cyber crimes. Thank you Mahayuti sarkar,” Chaturvedi posted on X while sharing a graphic highlighting the NCRB figures.

According to a media report citing the NCRB data, Mumbai registered 70,054 offences in 2024 compared to 65,441 cases in 2023, marking a 7.1 per cent increase. While several major metropolitan cities witnessed a decline in crime, Mumbai recorded a notable rise.

The NCRB data showed that in the category of crimes against women, Mumbai recorded 6,358 cases in 2024 against 6,025 in 2023, an increase of 5.5 per cent. The city ranked second after Delhi, which recorded 13,396 such cases.

The report also highlighted a sharp rise in crimes against senior citizens in Mumbai. Cases increased from 518 in 2023 to 791 in 2024, registering a massive 52.7 per cent jump, one of the highest among metro cities. Cops believe many of these cases were linked to cyber fraud and financial scams targeting elderly citizens.

Cybercrime cases in Mumbai also rose significantly. The city registered 5,087 cybercrime cases in 2024 compared to 4,169 in 2023, reflecting a 22 per cent increase. Mumbai ranked second after Bengaluru in cybercrime registrations.

While traditional offences such as murder, robbery, chain snatching, extortion, and house break-ins reportedly declined, serious offences including molestation, rape, sexual harassment and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) saw an increase.

Mumbai: A property owner from Pydhonie has alleged that two tenants submitted forged rent receipts to the electricity department to obtain benefits and falsely establish tenancy rights, following which a criminal case was registered at Colaba Police Station.

According to FIR, Complainant Mohammed Ali Abdul Kadar Patel (51), a businessman residing at Nakida Street, Motiwala Building, Pydhonie, he has been engaged in the property business.

Patel stated that on February 12, 2026, PSI Rohini Dhere contacted him on his mobile phone and called him to Colaba Police Station in connection with an inquiry regarding a complaint filed by him against Anis Umar Wadia and his mother Ruksana Umar Wadia.

Patel said that in November 2021, he had purchased the property located at “13/15, Motiwala Manzil, Kolsa Street, opposite Pydhonie Police Station, Mumbai” from Ajay Hiralal Parakh and others. At the time of purchase, the previous owners allegedly handed over tenant lists and other relevant documents to him. After the transaction, the previous owners issued a “Letter of Attornment” dated November 18, 2021, informing all tenants that Patel had become the new landlord of the property.

Patel further stated that in December 2021, he sent letters by post to all tenants seeking Know Your Tenant (KYT) details. In response, Anis Wadia, son of late tenant Umar Hasan Wadia, visited his office and submitted a written application along with supporting documents. Anis allegedly informed Patel that their surname was “Wadia” and not “Wadhwa” as reflected in the tenant records, and requested correction in the tenant list.

The documents submitted allegedly included old rent receipts from 2020, Aadhaar card and death certificate of Umar Hasan Wadia, ration card copies, electricity bills, Aadhaar cards of Ruksana Wadia, Anis Wadia, and his brother Yunus Wadia, along with a list of family members residing in the premises.

During verification of the documents, Patel claimed he noticed discrepancies as the Wadia family was occupying Room Nos. 13 and 14, whereas their electricity bill and ration card mentioned Room No. 7. When questioned about the discrepancy, Anis allegedly replied that the room number had been reflected in that manner since earlier times. Patel stated that he had instructed him to get the records corrected at the earliest.

Patel also stated that after taking over the building, he renamed “Motiwala Manzil” as “Patel Mansion” and from May 2022 onwards started issuing printed rent receipts to all tenants under the new building name. He said rent receipts for Rooms 13 and 14 continued to be issued in the name of late Umar Hasan Wadia.

According to Patel, he later corresponded with the office of the Divisional Engineer, Consumer Service, B-Ward, Electric House, Colaba, regarding consumer records linked to the premises. He alleged that Ruksana Umar Wadia and Anis Umar Wadia prepared forged and fabricated rent receipts for their wrongful gain and submitted the same before the electricity department authorities. Based on his complaint, an FIR has been registered against 

Ruksana Umar Wadia and Anis Umar Wadia Colaba Police Station and further investigation is underway.