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Mumbai: De-Addiction Cases At KEM Hospital Rise By 15-20% In 2024

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Mumbai: The increasing number of young people falling prey to addiction has worried psychiatrists as the de-addiction centre run by KEM Hospital Parel has witnessed a 15% to 20% surge in new cases this year. According to the doctors running the centre, most of the patients seeking treatment are between the ages of 18 and 30.

Data from January to May this year reveals that 75 young patients in this age range are currently undergoing treatment, making it the largest demographic at the centre. There are 47 patients aged 31 to 45, nine patients under 18, and seven patients aged 46 to 60.

Dr Sangeeta Ravat, Dean Of The Hospital On The Reason For The Rise

Dr Sangeeta Ravat, dean of the hospital, said one reason for the rise is increased awareness about the centre. “Overall surge in addiction rates can be a reason behind the rising trend we are seeing at our centre. It can also be because they are more aware of seeking help at the centre. Our doctors are also visiting schools and counselling, sensitising parents and students about the harmful effects of addiction and the services available,” he said.

Dr Shilpa Adarkar, additional professor, psychiatry department of KEM Hospital, said addiction among school and college-going teenagers and young adults is a growing concern. Adarkar, who has been working at the centre for the past 30 years, said, they are now seeing children with MDMA (MD) drugs and marijuana addiction too.

“Earlier, we used to see most addictions related to marijuana, sleeping pills, tobacco, cough syrup, brown sugar, inhalation of nail polish or adhesives, and alcoholism,” she said.

Dr Adarkar added that patients coming to KEM Hospital are from economically weaker backgrounds and it is a cause for concern to see an increased accessibility to high-value drugs such as MDMA among children from poor economic backgrounds.

About KEM’s De-Addiction OPD Unit

KEM, the only civic hospital in Mumbai with a dedicated de-addiction OPD unit, expanded its services last year, adding 45 beds as part of a revamp to meet rising demand. On average, 1,000 to 1,200 new patients visit the OPD each year, while thousands more attend followups. Last year alone, 680 patients sought help for alcohol addiction, with another 270 seeking treatment for dependencies on other substances such as brown sugar, marijuana and sedatives. Alcohol addiction remains the most pervasive, affecting about 70% of patients.

Doctors cite various triggers for addiction, including peer pressure, mental stress, relationship problems, academic and personal challenges, as well as curiosity and the influence of media.

“Advertisements and movies that glamourise substance use can heavily impact vulnerable youth,” said Dr Adarkar, who stressed the importance of recognising these triggers to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies.

On Risk On Unproven Home Treatments

KEM doctors also warn against the risk of unproven home treatments promoted in de-addiction advertisements. Dr Ajita Nayak, head of psychiatry, cautions families against using such methods, which could harm patients further, and instead urges families to consult a trained psychiatrist.

Dr Nayak emphasised the role of families and society in addressing addiction. “Parents need to monitor their children’s social circles, media consumption, and spending habits,” she advised, adding that spending quality time and fostering open communication are vital preventive measures.

Maharashtra

Rain started in Mumbai

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Mumbai: Heavy rains have been continuing in Mumbai since last night. Mumbai city has recorded 20.93 mm of rain, East 23.40 mm and West 20.10 mm of rain. Despite the rain continuing in the city and suburbs, life is normal. Train and bus services are normal. Due to rain in the city, there have also been complaints of water accumulation on the roads due to lack of cleaning of drains in low-lying areas. According to BMC, rain will continue in the city and the rain will be intermittent. Therefore, BMC has claimed to make all the arrangements, but due to lack of repair of roads in the city, citizens are facing a lot of problems.

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Maharashtra

Bihar’s crores thief Aamir Kabir arrested from Mumbai

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Mumbai: Mumbai Malad Police has arrested a clever prince thief who used to disguise himself as a woman to escape from the police and used railway tracks to avoid CCTV cameras. Malad Police has seized a gold melting machine, 36 tolas of gold and silver jewellery, women’s clothes and cash from the thief. Police investigation has revealed that the accused thief has many bungalows and flats. He was committing such thefts for a long time, but was not caught yet. However, he has committed dozens of such thefts so far. Malad Police has arrested Prince Aamir Kabir thief after a lot of hard work and further investigation is on.

According to ACP Hemant Sawant of Malad Division, the clever accused Ranjeet Kumar Upendra alias Munna (44) is a resident of Babuganj in Bihar. He was arrested from Malad Malwani area. To escape from the police, the accused used to steal by disguising himself as a woman and sometimes used to walk on the railway track in the guise of a beggar to steal. According to senior Malad police officer Vijay Panhale, property worth about 57 lakhs has been seized from the accused, which includes 16 lakh cash deposited in the bank and jewelry and goods worth 41 lakhs. So far 8 cases have been registered against this clever thief, but he has not been arrested anywhere.

This disclosure has been made after the team of Malad Police Station’s investigating officer Tushar Sukhdev, Santosh Satwase, Amit Govind, Avinash Jadhav, constable Mahesh Doifode examined more than 150 CCTV cameras from the railway track and other places. The police is expecting more such serious revelations as the accused has been cleverly escaping from the spot while committing countless such crimes for the last 10 years and has become the owner of flats, land and bungalows worth crores.

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Mumbai: 3 arrested for fraud in the name of providing gold at cheap price

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has busted a gang that claimed to import gold from abroad and provide gold to people at cheap prices by becoming a self-styled police. The police have claimed to have arrested three members of this gang – according to the details, they gained the trust of the complainant by promising to import pure gold from abroad and sell it at a low price. It may be noted that the accused cheated the complainant by calling him Rs 2 lakh in cash and disguising himself as a police officer on May 27, 2025 at around 3:30 pm at BMW Showroom, CST Road, Kalina, Santa Cruz East Mumbai and not giving the gold to the complainant. The police have registered a case of cheating in this case.

During the search for the accused in this crime, information was received from technical investigation and confidential informant that the said accused was going to come to CST Road, Kalina, Santa Cruz Mumbai on June 2. Accordingly, the BKC Police Station Crime Detection Team had laid a trap at the said place. When the accused CST reached there around 4 pm, the police team identified the accused and kept an eye on him. However, as soon as they suspected the matter, the accused fled from Kurla and got into his motor car parked in front of the BMW showroom. The said motor car and the accused were chased by the police team. At that time, the said accused and his accomplices fled the car leaving the car on the road. The police team chased the accused who had snatched the motor car and out of the 04 accused who were riding in the motor car, 3 accused were arrested and arrested at different places.

The arrested 3 accused are criminals and criminal cases are registered against them in different police stations.
The identity of the accused whom the police have arrested in this case is, Muhammad Mohsin Abu Bilal Chaudhary, 33 years old, against him, Other cases including cheating are registered in BKC, Nowghar, Ghatkopar.
Cases have been registered against Tabrez Younis Qureshi, 39, at BKC, Gujrat, and Nowghar police stations. Cases have been registered against Pradeep Dadaram Thorat, 37, at BKC, Parghar police stations, including cases of assault and violence. DCP Manish Kalaniya has not ruled out further arrests in this case and the police are hopeful of more revelations in the investigation. DCP Manish said that this group used to cheat under the guise of providing gold. The investigation is also underway to find out how many people this group has fooled and cheated through this method so far and the investigation is underway under the guidance of senior officers.

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