In a major development in the shooting incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Mumbai’s Juhu, Mumbai Police has arrested the 15th accused in the case. The accused has been identified as Pradeep Kumar, a shooter associated with the Shubham Lonkar gang, the mastermind and wanted in connection with the shooting outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence. He was arrested from Agra in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) and the Mumbai Crime Branch. According to investigators, the recently arrested accused Golu Pandit, who allegedly recruited the shooters, had received funds through an illegal hawala network. The money was allegedly sent via Nepal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh before being used to commit the crime. The arrest of Pradeep Kumar has been confirmed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. He was the one who helped the other shooters in the Rohit Shetty shooting and identified the crime scene. The operation was carried out by Joint Police Commissioner Crime Lakshmi Gautam and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. The case is being investigated by the Anti-Money Laundering Squad. So far, 15 accused of the Bishnoi gang have been arrested. All of them were in contact with Shubham Lonkar and used to take instructions from him.

Nashik: The controversy surrounding alleged religious coercion at the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has intensified, with the father of one of the accused strongly denying all charges, even as serious allegations by employees continue to surface.

Bilal Fakir Mohammad Attar, father of the accused Tausif Attar, has claimed that his son has been falsely implicated in a pre-planned manner. “We are well-educated. I am a graduate, and my son has completed his BCA. Whatever is happening is wrong. It is not the fault of my son or any other child. All allegations against them are false,” he said, defending his son amid mounting scrutiny.

Meanwhile, allegations of religious coercion have emerged as the central issue in the case. A male employee has alleged that staff were forced to wear skullcaps, recite the Kalma and offer namaz as part of a pattern of workplace harassment. The complainant, who worked under Taushif Attar and Danish Sheikh, claimed that refusal to comply often resulted in intimidation, isolation, and excessive workload.

Describing his ordeal, the employee alleged a deeply hostile work environment where personal boundaries were routinely violated. he claimed that senior officials mocked employees’ personal lives. In a particularly disturbing allegation, he said he was asked to ‘send his wife’ to management while the couple was undergoing fertility treatment.

The case has widened with multiple complaints, including from women employees who alleged they were pressured to observe fasts during Ramzan, cover their heads, and, in some instances, were subjected to sexual exploitation. The complaints indicate that the accused group allegedly targeted young women employees between 18 and 25 years of age.

Police have so far registered at least nine FIRs in connection with the case, including one by a male employee citing religious harassment and attempted conversion. The FIRs detail allegations such as verbal abuse, coercion to consume non-vegetarian food, and insults directed at religious beliefs.

Eight individuals have been arrested so far, including Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Asif Aftab Ansar and Shahrukh Sheikh, along with one woman. Investigations are ongoing to establish the full extent of the alleged misconduct and determine accountability.

Thane: Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have registered a case after a businessman alleged that veterinary raw material worth about Rs 45 lakh was pilfered from his consignment, an official said on Friday.

According to the complaint, the incident took place between January and April, during which unidentified persons allegedly stole Amprolium HCL, a veterinary raw material in powdered form.

A police official said that the businessman had dispatched a consignment to a company in Dehradun in January through a transporter from Bhiwandi in Thane district.

During transit, someone allegedly stole 41 drums of the material, weighing around 1,025 kg, and replaced them with fake substances of similar appearance.

The matter came to light when the receiver informed the supplier regarding discrepancies in the consignment.

The value of the stolen material has been estimated at Rs 44.85 lakh, police said, adding that a probe into the matter was underway.