Two men have allegedly cheated a 39-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Palghar district of her valuables of Rs 17 lakh under the guise of keeping them safe, police said on Tuesday.

The woman’s husband is currently lodged at the Taloja Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai in connection with a case registered in Mumbai.

Two of his acquaintances had approached the woman, a resident of Virar in Palghar, under the pretext of helping her.

The accused, hailing from Mira Road in neighbouring Thane district, allegedly created fear by telling her that a police raid was imminent at her residence.

Under the guise of keeping her valuables safe, they took away her gold ornaments, two mobile phones and a car, collectively valued at Rs 17.03 lakh, over the last one month, an official from Virar police station said.

They also took away the woman’s ATM cards, he said.

Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR against the two men on Sunday under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and were searching for them, the official said.

Mumbai: A social media post featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a red saree triggered political drama in Dombivali, where BJP workers retaliated by making a Congress leader wear a saree in public. The incident followed a viral morphed video of the Prime Minister, shared on Facebook by senior Congress leader Prakash alias ‘Mama’ Pagare.

Pagare, a veteran Congress functionary from Dombivali, had posted the edited video on Monday with the caption, “Sorry girls, I too want to stay in trend.” The clip was set to a popular Marathi song “Mi Kashala Arshaat Pahu Ga,” showing a morphed image of Modi draped in a saree. The post quickly drew sharp reactions from the BJP’s Kalyan district unit, which accused Pagare of insulting the Prime Minister.

Determined to give a ‘fitting reply,’ local BJP leaders devised their own symbolic protest. Acting on a tip-off that Pagare usually spends mornings near Manpada Road in Dombivali (East), district BJP chief Nandu Parab, mandal president Karan Jadhav, and party functionaries, including Sandeep Mali and Datta Malekar, confronted him on Tuesday morning.

Pagare, dressed in a white kurta, pyjamas and polished black shoes, was caught off guard when BJP workers surrounded him. They forcibly draped him with a brand-new ornate saree (shaloo), worth Rs 5,000, purchased earlier that day from a local cloth shop.

“What are you doing?” Pagare reportedly shouted, but BJP workers completed the act, warning him against repeating such actions. One party member even patted him on the cheek in a sarcastic gesture before the group dispersed.

Speaking to the press later, BJP’s Kalyan district president Nandu Parab justified the act, saying, “If anyone attempts to malign our senior leaders on social media, we will respond in kind. Today, Pagare had to face this in public because he disrespected the Prime Minister. Let this be a warning.

Mumbai: Protests are continuing in Maharashtra and Mumbai in response to the case filed in Kanpur for writing “I Love Muhammad.” Following the controversy surrounding the removal of an “I Love Muhammad” banner in Mumbai, police in Mumbai are now monitoring social media. Additionally, to address the banner controversy, police have appealed to Muslims to refrain from displaying banners in public places, fearing the potential for law and order problems. Police sources have not ruled out the risk of damage to the banners or unrest in Mumbai due to incitement by miscreants against the banners, but the police are monitoring all aspects. “Come to Muhammad (PBUH)” banners are being displayed not only in Mumbai but throughout Maharashtra. Processions are being held under the “Come to Muhammad” banner in all districts of Maharashtra, including Beed, Parbhani, Nanded, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Malegaon, Aurangabad, Osmanabad, Bhiwandi, and Thane. Last night, a protest was held in Ahlia Nagar, Ahmednagar, against the case filed in Kanpur for writing “Come to Muhammad.” During the protest in Ahlia Nagar, Ahmednagar, devotees of the Prophet (PBUH) carried placards reading “Come to Muhammad.” Between 1,000 and 1,200 protesters participated. Slogans such as “La ilaha Allah, I have fulfilled my intentions,” “I am a slave, I am a slave to the Prophet,” “Look, O Prophet,” “Look, O Prophet,” and “Look, my child is sacrificed for the Prophet’s honor” were also raised. Police made tight security arrangements for the event. Protests are also being held in Maharashtra and Mumbai, with banners displaying “Come to Muhammad.” Controversy erupted over the display of banners in Mumbai’s Byculla, Sakinaka, and Govindpur. A case was also filed in Byculla for protesting with placards reading “Come to Muhammad.” Police said the case was filed for holding a procession without permission.