Mumbai: The Dahisar Police arrested retired assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sanjay Jagtap for his alleged role in clearing a forged passport application while serving in the passport verification branch in 2023. Jagtap, who retired on October 31, was taken into custody on November 5 after the arrest of three other accused, Satish Dhakane, Nilesh Tiwari and Pankaj Kumar Singh, in connection with the same case. After spending two days in police custody, he was remanded to judicial custody on November 7.

According to police officials, the case revolves around Rajendra alias Rajinder alias Jinder Guru Vachansingh, a notorious narcotics offender with cases registered against him in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Convicted in one of those cases, Vachansingh was released on medical grounds in 2023 and later shifted to Mumbai, where he began residing in Dahisar with his wife Baljit Kaur and their seven-year-old daughter in a rented flat.

Vachansingh, with the help of Dhakane, Tiwari and Singh, fabricated identity documents, including Aadhaar cards and supporting papers, to apply for passports for himself and his family. Despite the forged nature of these documents, which claimed to have been issued in 2021, when Vachansingh was actually in jail, ASI Jagtap approved the verification and forwarded the applications without proper scrutiny.

The fraud came to light only after Vachansingh managed to obtain his passport and flee the country. Later, the Haryana Police intercepted a four-kilogram heroin consignment and arrested two individuals connected to Vachansingh’s network. During interrogation, the accused revealed that Vachansingh had resumed his narcotics operations abroad and was supplying contraband from outside India.

Further investigation by the Haryana Police traced the passport used by Vachansingh back to Mumbai, leading them to alert their counterparts in Dahisar. Upon verification, it was confirmed that the passport had been cleared based on forged documents, implicating Jagtap and his accomplices.

Later, the Dahisar Police registered a case in March 2025 against the four accused under Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using forged documents) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 12 of the Passport Act, 1967.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up on Saturday morning to sunny skies masked by a thick layer of smog, leaving its iconic skyline blurred and hazy. From Marine Drive to Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), a grey veil hung over the city, signalling a return of pollution after a brief spell of cleaner air.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that although clear skies would persist through the day, visibility had dropped in the early hours due to the smog. Temperatures are expected to remain stable, with daytime highs around 31°C and minimums near 22°C.

Just earlier this week, Mumbaikars enjoyed crisp, cleaner air following a short but intense spell of rain, which had temporarily washed away pollutants and offered relief from humidity. However, the respite proved short-lived as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted dramatically, reaching an alarming 263 on Friday, categorised as unhealthy.

In a welcome shift, air quality showed improvement on Saturday, according to data from AQI.in. The city’s overall AQI dropped to 79, placing it in the moderate category. While haze remained visible, the reduced pollution levels brought some relief to residents after Friday’s severe smog.

Among monitoring stations, Colaba recorded the highest AQI at 98, followed by Bandra East (97) and Wadala Truck Terminal (95), all still in the moderate range. Other areas such as BKC (93) and Bhandup West (88) also reported readings that, while not ideal, marked a clear improvement from the previous day.

Relatively cleaner air was detected in a few western suburbs. Parel-Bhoiwada reported an AQI of 67, while Jogeshwari (70), Bandra (72), Juhu (72), and Malad West (72) all fell within the moderate bracket. This widespread dip in particulate matter levels suggests a temporary but positive change in local weather conditions and wind movement that helped disperse pollutants.

According to AQI.in’s classification, readings between 0–50 are considered “Good,” 51–100 “Moderate,” 101–150 “Poor,” 151–200 “Unhealthy,” and anything above 200 “Severe” or “Hazardous.”

Mumbai: Central Railway’s Mumbai Division will operate a Special Traffic and Power Block at four different locations between Kalyan and Badlapur to carry out essential maintenance work. The block will be implemented over two consecutive nights this weekend.

Dates: November 7/8 (Friday–Saturday night) and November 8/9 (Saturday–Sunday night)

Time: 1:50 a.m. to 3:20 a.m. (duration: 1 hour 30 minutes)

Section Affected: Up and Down South-East lines

Several UP Mail/Express trains will be diverted via Karjat–Panvel–Diva during the block period. These include:

Train No. 11020 Bhubaneswar–CSMT Konark Express

Train No. 18519 Visakhapatnam–LTT Express

Trains scheduled to halt at Kalyan will be provided alternate halts at Panvel and Thane to assist passengers boarding or alighting at Kalyan.

Train No. 12702 Hyderabad–CSMT Hussainsagar Express will be regulated at Vangani station from 3:13 a.m. to 3:20 a.m.

Mail, Express, and Holiday Special trains running late will be diverted as per operational requirements, Central Railway said.

Suburban train operations will also be affected during the maintenance period. Services will not be available between Kalyan and Karjat stations while the block is in force.

Cancelled:

CSMT–Ambernath local leaving CSMT at 12:02 a.m.

Ambernath–CSMT local leaving Ambernath at 10:15 p.m.

Short Terminated:

CSMT–Karjat local leaving CSMT at 12:12 a.m. will terminate at Thane.

Short Originated:

Karjat–CSMT local leaving Karjat at 2:30 a.m. will originate from Thane at 4:00 a.m.

Central Railway has urged passengers to take note of these temporary changes and plan their travel accordingly to avoid inconvenience.