Former Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, on October 11, spoke about the defamation case he has filed against Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. While speaking to news agency ANI, the former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer claimed that his family has been receiving hate messages from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh.

Wankhede said that his family has nothing to do with his profession or the case and asked, “Why are they feeling the brunt of these kinds of things?”

In addition, he also informed reporters that his sister and wife have been receiving threats. “Hate messages are coming from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh. I will not accept that because of me, they are facing the brunt of it,” he said.

He further added, “We have regularly informed the police about the threats that my sister and wife keep getting.”

Wankhede also said that he filed the case as it was about his self-respect, personal dignity, and honour, stating, “Whatever satire or parody you create, do it with your own people.”

He added that he would fight the legal battle as far as possible, saying, “I am a loyal soldier of the Government of India. There are numerous checks and balances in our system, and there is a proper rule book — the Constitution — according to which we work. One person does not make the decisions here. Everything has been done according to the rules and regulations. It is not about any publicity; it is about dignity. The kind of hate messages I have been getting, no self-respecting man will remain silent on it. I will fight this legal battle to whatever extent possible.”

Calling drug abuse a major issue for the nation, he further said, “By highlighting such things, you’re insulting not just one person but those who have worked with me, and others who fight against drug abuse.”

The case pertains to Aryan Khan’s web series, ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood’*. The former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer has claimed that a character in the series bears a striking resemblance to him and has alleged that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign his reputation.”

Wankhede has filed a ₹2 crore defamation case against Aryan Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan), and Netflix.

After filing the ₹2 crore defamation case, Wankhede told PTI, “I don’t want to comment on this. I will just say one thing — Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs).”

Mumbai: In an interesting turn to an alleged fraud case, a real estate contractor who approached the Khar police against his partner became an accused himself and was arrested. Notably, the sessions court recently refused to even grant him bail, observing that the investigation has revealed that he, in fact, cheated 35 people with fake documents.

The court said that if the contractor, Syed Abi Ahmed, 53, is released, the “prosecution will suffer a lot”. Ahmed was arrested on August 25 on the direction of the Bombay High Court. As per the prosecution case, he had filed a complaint against Peer Mohammad Shaikh alias Babu and Babu’s sister Karima Mujid Shaikh alias Lady Don. It was claimed that in 2014, Ahmed bought a property spanning 2,860 sq ft in Santacruz from one Vijay Dhule by sale agreement which was notarised.

Claiming financial problems, Ahmed did not develop the property into a residential complex. On April 12, 2024, Babu approached him to develop the plot but by June wanted to break the partnership claiming losses. Ahmed claimed he returned Babu’s share of Rs1.60 crore collected from the 35 persons who had booked houses. In June that year, Babu gave up his rights on the flats in writing, with his role limited to constructing the building and handing it over to Ahmed.

In August 2024, Ahmed claimed Babu demanded more money which led to a dispute and also a scuffle, landing Ahmed in hospital for four months. Ahmed claimed that, in his absence, Babu sold flats on the first floor. The Khar police began investigating and found that the sale agreement of the alleged plot was forged. The probe revealed that the advocate whose name appeared as notary had passed away and his signature was forged. Besides, the investigating officer found that Ahmed had entered into an agreement with 35 persons.

The MoUs were allegedly attested by one Advocate Mustari, who denied signing the documents. Advocate for Babu, Tariq Khan, pointed out these findings while arguing for bail for Babu during the hearing on August 18. The court later ordered to implicate Ahmed, following which he was arrested. Ahmed sought bail, claiming that the documents were genuine. He also raised medical grounds for the bail, which the court refused, noting that “there is prima facie case” against him.

Mumbai woke up to a hazy Saturday morning as the city’s air quality continued to worsen. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 139 at 5:30 am, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

Experts say that pollutants such as Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10—the city’s most harmful air contaminants—have been steadily increasing over the past few days.

The AQI is divided into six categories — Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400) and Severe (401-500).

The higher the AQI value, the worse the air quality and the greater the health risk. An AQI of 139 indicates that while the air is still breathable, it poses mild risks for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, and people with respiratory issues.

Among the city’s neighbourhoods, Colaba recorded the highest pollution levels with an AQI of 189, followed by Khedwadi Bandra East (180), Malad Fire Station (179), Vasai West (175), and Chembur (170).

Other areas showing elevated pollution include Bandra Traffic Junction (169), Kalamboli (164), Bhayandar West (163), Sanpada (157), Sion (135), and Kurla (130).

Environmental experts have attributed the rising pollution to ongoing construction work, vehicular emissions, and reduced wind movement.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the remaining parts of Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra. This transition period often leads to dry, dusty conditions that worsen air quality in coastal cities like Mumbai.

For Saturday, the IMD forecast predicted a maximum temperature of around 33°C and a minimum of about 23°C, with partly cloudy skies over Mumbai and its suburbs.

While light rain and thundershowers may occur in isolated parts of South Konkan-Goa and South Madhya Maharashtra, most regions, including Mumbai, are expected to remain dry.

Health officials have advised residents to limit outdoor activities during peak traffic hours and to keep windows closed during early morning and late evening when pollution levels spike.

With air quality fluctuating and winter approaching, environmentalists have urged authorities to step up efforts to curb vehicular emissions and dust pollution before conditions worsen further.