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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT Downplay Seat-Sharing Dispute; MVA Decision Expected Today

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Mumbai: All talk of the camaraderie between the Congress and the Shiv Sena – partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi — has proved hollow, with both sides refusing to mend their respective ways, thereby delaying the announcement of the division of seats among the three partners. Finally, with the two allies having denied any major conflict over seat-sharing, an announcement is now likely to be made on Tuesday.

About The Ongoing Squabble

The ongoing squabble has revealed the cracks within, as it was being said that the MVA had reached consensus on 260 seats. But this figure came down to 210 on Monday. The Congress announced it had finalised its plan for 96 seats by Monday evening, and that the dispute with the Sena was over four or five seats. But Sena leaders say there were 12 seats in dispute.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders are reportedly trying to resolve the seat distribution dispute through discussions with NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. On Monday, news about the Sena planning to contest all the 288 seats on its own created a flutter in political circles but it was short-lived, as the party quickly denied any such move. The Congress high command is believed to have asked its leader Vijay Wadettiwar to make the party stand clear. Rejecting any Plan B, he said the MVA was going to finalise the deal by Tuesday in Mumbai. Wadettiwar told mediapersons in Delhi, “By tomorrow evening, we will finalise 17 seats. There are issues on six or seven seats in Vidarbha, and that too will be resolved. We are going to contest as Aghadi…Since there are three parties sharing 288 seats, it took a little time.”

The Congress election incharge for the assembly elections, Ramesh Chennithala, denied reports of differences among the INDIA bloc partners in Maharashtra in the MVA, claiming that they were united.

The Congress had two crucial meetings in Delhi – that of the screening committee and the central election committee, to finalise the list of the candidates. Speaking after the meetings, MPCC chief Nana Patole stated that discussions regarding 96 seats had been completed, and further talks will take place on Tuesday with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray.

Addressing rumours of the Shiv Sena leaving the alliance, he said, “There is no truth to that; the BJP is deliberately trying to spread misunderstanding about the opposition parties. Out of fear of defeat, the BJP is playing such games. The Congress has made no such statements. All our efforts are focused on bringing the Maha Vikas Aghadi to power in Maharashtra.”

About The Dispute

The dispute with Shiv Sena pertains to seat allocation in Vidarbha, where the Congress has an edge compared to its two allies. The party doesnʼt want to accommodate the Shiv Sena in the east Vidarbha region it is said. Incidentally, Patole belongs to Bhandara, from the same region. There are reports of disputes over nearly 12 seats in Vidarbha. Additionally, sources indicate that Congress is aggressively seeking certain seats in Mumbai.

On Monday afternoon, there was tension when electronic media channels ran reports of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis having a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut reportedly having met Home Minister Amit Shah. Both the Congress and Shiv Sena termed the reports as baseless, with some choice words from Raut. Both the parties blamed the BJP for spreading such ‘newsʼ.

Raut said these news items were just rumours being spread by the ruling sideʼs media machinery. “We know who is doing it and why. We too have our own small ‘Pegasus’ set-up which keeps us informed,’’ said the MP, referring to the Israeli spyware controversy

Crime

Navi Mumbai News: Raigad Police Bust Digital Arrest Racket Spanning 6 Countries, 11 Arrested

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Navi Mumbai: Investigations into a complaint of a ‘digital arrest’ scam in Raigad has now been found to be linked with an international cybercrime syndicate operating across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Canada, China, and Bangladesh. Acting on a complaint filed in May, the Raigad Cyber Police have arrested 11 individuals, including tech-savvy masterminds, telecom insiders, and marketing agents.

The investigation started after a local citizen reported receiving a threatening video call on May 5 from someone posing as an official from the Telecom Authority of India. The victim was told that his identity had been misused for illegal transactions and that a Supreme Court arrest warrant was issued against him. To ‘settle’ the matter, he was forced to transfer Rs 66 lakh in multiple installments. The fraud was cleverly masked as a ‘digital arrest’.

“What appeared to be a standalone scam quickly revealed deeper layers. The Raigad Cyber police station found that the scam was just the tip of a pan-India and cross-border telecom exploitation operation run using forged company documents, SIP lines, and cloud-based calling servers,” Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal said.

Abhay Santprakash Mishra, (29), a B.Tech Computer Science graduate from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh was found to be the mastermind. Mishra managed a network of five high-capacity telecom servers that placed over 62 lakh spoofed calls in 28 days, including 86,910 targeting Maharashtra alone.

Mishra was found to be in constant digital communication with foreign nationals from Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China, discussing the setup of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) lines, a telecom technology that allows voice and video communication over the internet — often without requiring user-level identification.

Using the alias ‘Alex,’ Mishra conducted encrypted conversations via Microsoft Teams, discussing fraud operations, lease line acquisitions, and telecom routing with international collaborators. “He was also preparing forged documentation to obtain permanent residency in Nepal,” Dalal said. Authorities have also identified properties linked to him in Nepal, Noida, and Hardoi, along with Rs 85 lakh in Bitcoin, as proceeds of crime.

Police found that the gang had created fake companies such as Nivi Cloud Pvt Ltd, Credil Info Pvt Ltd, Oxydeal, and others. These companies existed only on paper — supported by fraudulent documents, forged rubber stamps, and complicit telecom sales executives.

Two Jio Sales Managers, Balmori Vinaykumar Rao and Gangadhar Gangaram Muttan, played a crucial role by accepting these fake documents via WhatsApp, signing off as company directors, and approving telecom SIP lines. These telecom lines were then used to make fake calls in the guise of CBI, ED, police, and other agencies.

Police also arrested Mohsin Mia Khan (35) from Delhi, who possessed over 6,175 SIM cards from providers like Jio, Airtel, BSNL, VI, Idea, and 13 foreign numbers — along with 26 mobile handsets. These SIM cards were being used to rotate identities, mask call origins, and bypass traceability.

The network involved a team of document forgers identified as Abdus Salam Barbhuyan, Nadeem Ahmed, Lairab Khan, Shadan Khan, and Mohammad Faisal Khan, all of whom played roles in setting up fake firms and laundering funds. Fake bank accounts, dummy directors, and proxy communications were used to route money, with over 112 bank accounts identified and Rs 66 lakh frozen so far.

Shams Tahir Khan, an MBA graduate from Rajasthan, acted as the SIP marketing conduit, onboarding international players and travelling with Mishra to Nepal, which is emerging as a safe haven for such cyber operators due to weak extradition oversight, said police.

Authorities have invoked multiple charges under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, the Telegraph Act, and the IT Act. Assets across multiple states and countries are now under seizure proceedings.

Raigad SP Aanchal Dalal, who led the investigation, warned that ‘digital arrest’ is a fake concept. “Neither the CBI, ED, nor the Police call citizens through WhatsApp or ask for money to avoid legal action. Citizens are urged to immediately report such incidents to the Cyber Helpline 1930, 1945, or 14407, or visit the nearest police station,” she added.

Further investigations into the crime is being conducted by SP Dalal and Additional Superintendent of Police, Abhijit Shivthare, Inspector Rizwana Nadaf, Assistant Police Inspector Amol Jadhav, ASI Mohite, PN Tushar Gharat, PN Rahul Patil, PN Rajiv Zinjurte, PC Gurav, LHC Suchita Patil and LHC Puja Patil.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: Police Arrest 6 Individuals For Late-Night Gambling, Seize ₹4.45 Lakh In Cash

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Palghar, Maharashtra: The Palghar Police have arrested six individuals for gambling during a late-night raid conducted in the early hours of Wednesday. The operation was carried out following a tip-off and is part of the district police’s ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal trades.

Raid Conducted on SP’s Orders to Curb Illegal Activities

According to a press release issued by the office of Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh, all police stations and the Local Crime Branch in Palghar were directed to intensify surveillance and take strict action against unlawful activities.

Acting on these instructions, Police Inspector Anant Parad, in charge of Palghar Police Station, received confidential information that a group of individuals was engaged in gambling at a private residence on Morekuran Road, Palghar.

A police team was swiftly formed and dispatched to the location. During the raid, officers found six people actively gambling inside the home of Arun Sankhe.

Accused Include Local Residents of Palghar

The accused have been identified as, Parag Suresh Patil (47), Shanu Tahir Ansari (30), Amol Gangadhar Sankhe (45), Dharmshil Yashwant Jadhav (36), Rahul Satish Bade (31),and Akshay Sakharam Patil (33), all residents of Palghar.

Action Taken Under Maharashtra Gambling Act

The police seized gambling materials and cash totaling ₹4,45,000 from the scene. A FIR has been registered at Palghar Police Station under Sections 12 and 4(A) of the Maharashtra Gambling Act. Further investigation is underway.

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Maharashtra

‘Den Of Corruption’: Civic Activists, Ex-Corporators Slam Mismanagement At Kurla’s Bhabha Hospital In Mumbai

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Mumbai: The Khan Bahadur Bhabha Hospital in Kurla, a 90-year-old BMC-run facility, is under fire from local civic activists and former corporators who allege widespread corruption, mismanagement and systemic neglect.

Dilshad Ashraf Azmi, a former corporator and member of the civic Health Committee, claimed the hospital has been facing a severe shortage of medicines for the past one and a half years. “Medicines are being procured through spot quotations worth ₹25 lakh each time, but there is no regular or permanent supply,” she said. According to her, this has forced poor patients to purchase essential drugs from outside, often at the cost of skipping treatment.

Akil Khatik, a civic activist from the area, stated that the hospital, once known for quality care, has now turned into a “den of corruption.” “Patients rarely receive all the medicines prescribed by doctors. In most cases, they are forced to buy nearly half the medicines from outside pharmacies,” he said.

Although the hospital has four counters designated for free medicine distribution, only one remains open during OPD hours, leading to long queues. Khatik alleged that all counters are often shut in the evenings and at night, further burdening patients.

Operational inefficiencies are also being flagged. Toilets meant for OPD patients and their relatives are frequently kept locked, creating inconvenience, especially for women, as there are no public toilets outside the premises. Stray dogs have been spotted inside the X-ray and CT scan departments, and ongoing renovation work has left parts of the hospital littered with construction debris.

Attempts to reach the medical superintendent went unanswered. However, a senior hospital official claimed that there is no major shortage at present and that efforts are being made to streamline services.

Despite these claims, patients continue to report delayed doctor arrivals, non-functional equipment, and long wait times—raising questions over the true state of affairs at one of Mumbai’s oldest civic hospitals.

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