Crime
Khabari: The Unsung Heroes Of Mumbai Police Intelligence
The term “Khabari” means informer, an indispensable part of every police force. While technology has transformed policing in today’s digital age, the importance of khabaris remains as strong as ever.
Some may question whether informers still hold the same relevance when advanced surveillance systems, digital forensics, and artificial intelligence are helping the police solve crimes faster. However, despite these technological breakthroughs, the role of human intelligence can never be replaced.
A khabari serves as the police’s eyes and ears on the ground. They provide crucial information about criminal activities, gangs, and suspicious movements, insights that no digital system can fully capture. Their tips often lead to major breakthroughs in investigations, especially in complex or sensitive cases where trust and human connections matter more than data. The khabaris as the backbone of crime control and investigation. From tracking drug networks to preventing gang wars, these informers quietly contribute to maintaining law and order.
There is a common phrase often seen in police press notes, “acting on a tip-off from a secret informer.” These “secret informers” are none other than khabaris. Within the Mumbai Police, there exists an entire world of informers, mysterious yet essential. The general public often forms its image of an informer from Bollywood films — a shady figure calling the police from a dark alley. In reality, the truth is far more complex and grounded.
Many khabaris come from ordinary walks of life, street vendors, rickshaw pullers, small businessmen, or paan stall owners. They share information about suspicious or criminal activity in their areas. They may not receive direct financial benefits, but being known to the police gives them credibility and a sense of security. Sometimes, it ensures that the police do not unnecessarily trouble their businesses. Some people even share information as a form of social service, though they are not considered professional informers.
However, those who provide information from within the criminal world are the true police informers. These individuals may have once been part of gangs, may have fallen out with their former associates, or may be ex-convicts trying to rebuild their lives. Some are even active criminals who maintain links with the police. In prisons, so-called ‘raw prisoners’ also serve as informants, passing on valuable details about criminal networks or planned activities. Sometimes, in certain matters, the informer is connected to politicians, businessmen, and the criminal world as well.
The identity of an informer is always kept strictly confidential for their safety. The police never reveal their names, even in successful operations or encounter reports.
Sudhakar Suradkar, a former IPS officer, stated, “Technology or machines can never replace human intelligence. In the digital era, these tools are only helpful, but ultimately, human intelligence remains the most important. For instance, the atomic tests conducted by India in 1998, during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, were not detected by American intelligence agencies despite their advanced technology. Another key point is that an informer must be a credible individual. Some people accept money and provide information, but the police must identify their vested interests. Human beings can lie, which is why I never trusted petty informers; I always relied on credible ones. In the police force, the importance of informers will always remain, despite the growth of digital innovations.”
The history of informers in the Mumbai Police goes back decades. Smuggling was rampant in the 1960s, and rival operators would secretly tip off the police to catch competitors’ boats. That marked the beginning of the informer system. Over the years, informants have become an integral part of policing. During the 1980s and 1990s, when gang wars gripped Mumbai, khabaris played a crucial role. Their tips helped the police conduct encounters and dismantle underworld networks. Many of these informers risked their lives to assist the police during those violent times.
If informers provide information, what do they get in return? The answer lies in the economics of intelligence. Many informers are professionals; they earn their living by supplying credible information. The bigger and more valuable the information, the greater the reward. Some informers are even said to be on the police’s ‘payroll.’
In addition to monetary rewards, police departments often extend quiet support to informers and their families. If an informer is imprisoned or injured, officers may help their family financially. Such payments are made through a ‘secret fund’, an officially sanctioned fund used specifically to compensate informers for their services.
While technology has made policing faster and more scientific, the khabari continues to bridge the gap between street-level reality and official intelligence. Behind every major breakthrough lies a whisper from an unseen source, a khabari who risks everything to keep the city safe.
Street / Criminal Circle → Khabari → Police Officer → Action / Raid / Arrest
Former gang members
Street vendors / small business owners
Ex-convicts or prison contacts
Active criminals turned informants
Others (auto drivers, bar employees, etc.)
Police maintain a “secret fund” to pay informers.
The amount depends on the value of the information.
Payments are kept confidential to protect identities.
1960s: Start of informer culture during smuggling era
1980s–1990s: Rise of gang wars — informers vital in encounters
2000s: Informers track drug trade and organised crime
2020s: Digital policing + human intelligence = stronger results
Crime
NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Delhi days before re-exam

New Delhi, June 17: Days before lakhs of students are set to appear for the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21, a NEET aspirant allegedly died by suicide in Delhi.
The deceased, identified as Renu, lived with her family in the Palam area of South-West Delhi. According to reports, she had appeared for the NEET examination on May 3 and had reportedly been suffering from depression after the examination was cancelled.
Police said that on June 13, Renu’s father had gone to his in-laws’ residence following the death of his father-in-law. Renu was alone at home when the incident occurred. She allegedly died by hanging herself on the evening of June 13.
A suicide note recovered from the spot revealed her emotional distress. In the note, she apologised to her parents and wrote that she had been unable to fulfil their aspirations. The family is originally from Rajasthan.
The incident comes amid growing concern over the mental well-being of students preparing for highly competitive examinations, particularly after the controversy surrounding the NEET examination and allegations of paper leaks.
Earlier this week, a 22-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The student, identified as Umesh Mali, was preparing for his third attempt at the NEET examination, which is scheduled to be held on June 21.
This was the second case of a NEET aspirant dying by suicide in Sikar, highlighting the mounting pressure faced by students preparing for competitive entrance examinations.
According to police, Umesh was a native of Nawalgarh in Jhunjhunu district. His father works as a tile contractor in Mumbai. Umesh had been residing in a flat in the Udyog Nagar police station area of Sikar along with his mother, elder sister, and younger brother while preparing for the examination.
In another similar incident reported on Tuesday, a 23-year-old woman in Dehradun allegedly ended her life after reportedly struggling to clear the NEET examination. She left behind a note addressed to her parents that read, “Mummy-Papa, I love you.”
According to investigators, preliminary findings suggest that she had been preparing for the NEET examination for a long time and aspired to pursue a career in medicine.
Meanwhile, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh on Tuesday assured aspirants that the re-examination would be conducted in a secure and error-free manner, while cautioning students and parents against social media rackets claiming to sell “leaked papers” for hefty sums.
In a video message, Singh said there was “no leaked paper for the re-exam” and warned candidates against falling prey to fraudsters operating through Telegram channels.
He said the temporary suspension of the Telegram application till June 22 was aimed at curbing fake news and misleading claims relating to the examination.
Crime
CISF foils smuggling bid at IGI Airport; seizes 1.21 kg gold, unaccounted cash

New Delhi, June 17: The CISF personnel at Terminal-1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday intercepted a passenger bound for Kolkata after noticing suspicious behaviour during security screening. A detailed frisking led to the recovery of 1.210 kg of gold concealed in the passenger’s clothing, along with Rs 1,97,200 in unaccounted cash. Upon questioning, the passenger failed to produce any valid documents or provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the recovered items.
During the proceedings, the passenger allegedly attempted to influence the on-duty CISF personnel to avoid legal action. However, the CISF staff displayed exemplary integrity by rejecting the offer and promptly reporting the matter to senior authorities.
The passenger, along with the seized gold and cash, was subsequently handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation and legal action.
The successful interception highlights the vigilance, professionalism, and unwavering integrity of CISF personnel in safeguarding the nation’s civil aviation sector and reinforces their commitment to the motto of ensuring “Safe Airports, Secure Nation”.
Earlier on June 4, the CISF personnel intercepted a foreign national at the Mumbai airport and recovered illicit foreign currency worth Rs 1.39 crore, being carried by him in his luggage.
The foreign national was subsequently taken into custody and handed over to the Customs officials at the airport for further interrogation and action.
According to CISF officials, the said passenger was travelling from Mumbai to Addis Ababa with the unaccounted cash.
The foreign national, while checking in for the scheduled flight, came under the scanner of vigilant officials after the latter observed some suspicious objects in his baggage during screening at the X-BIS system. The X-ray image of his belongings created some suspicion, prompting the CISF officials to carry out a detailed examination of his hand luggage.
It was during baggage screening that the CISF personnel stumbled upon a suspicious bag, belonging to a traveller of foreign origin, and then dug deeper into the scanned image. An uncleared foreign currency amounting to USD 145,000 (approx Rs 1.39 crore) was found in his bag and subsequently seized by the authorities.
Crime
Accused in Rs 2 crore Pune embezzlement case arrested in Nashik

Nashik (Maharashtra), June 16: An absconding accused in a Rs 2 crore embezzlement case registered in Pune was arrested in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Tuesday, police said.
According to a complaint filed by Kiran Dadasaheb Shinde, 38, with Pune police, the responsibility for flat sales and related activities across four buildings (A, B, C, and D) of the ‘Ganga Fernhill’ project had been entrusted to Senior Sales Manager Simon Ronnie Peter, 42, but he allegedly, instead of depositing the proceeds from flat sales into the company’s account, transferred the funds to a fraudulent private bank account belonging to his associate, B. Chandrashekhar, thereby embezzling approximately Rs 2 crore collected from 32 customers.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Pune’s Kalepadal Police Station on June 9 (Crime No. 257/2026), under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
However, following the registration of the case, Peter went absconding and even switched off his mobile phone to evade arrest.
During the course of the investigation, Pune police received information that the accused was hiding in Nashik city and officials from Kalepadal Police Station contacted Senior Police Inspector Ashok Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station and sought assistance in tracing and apprehending Peter.
Acting on credible intelligence, Sharmale learned that the accused Peter had arrived in Nashik in a car and was staying in Room No. 301 of Hotel Treebo Sapphire in Kalenagar on Gangapur Road.
Upon receiving the information, Crime Investigation Team officer Ghanshyam Bhoye and his team were immediately dispatched to the location. Acting swiftly, the police team detained the accused and subsequently handed him over to the Pune police for further legal proceedings.
The operation was successfully carried out under the leadership of Senior Police Inspector Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station, and his team, including Assistant Sub-Inspector Tushar Deore and Police Head Constables Ravindra Mohite, Girish Mahale, Bhagwat Thavil, Ghanshyam Bhoye, Pravin Kedare, Gorakh Salunke, Sujit Jadhav, and Tulshidas Chaudhary.
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