Mumbai: The Mumbai State Urdu Sahitya Academy is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year and the Mahayuti government has not kept its promise by providing only Rs 1.2 crore in the Golden Jubilee year. Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has alleged that the state government is deliberately discriminating against minority institutions. MLA Sheikh has also demanded Rs 50 crore from Minority Affairs Minister Manekrao Kokate.

Giving details in this regard, MLA Raees Sheikh said that under the government decision on Thursday, a minor fund of Rs 1 crore 20 lakh has been distributed to the Urdu Sahitya Academy for organizing the Golden Jubilee program and a minor fund of Rs 11 lakh 76 thousand for the establishment of the academy.

I had a meeting with the then Minority Affairs Minister Dattatreya Bhar on July 8, in which a permanent fund of Rs 50 crore will be kept for the academy for a period of 50 years. It was also assured that the academy would be given a grant of Rs 5 crore every year. A letter was sent to the current Minority Affairs Minister Manikrao Kokate in August, demanding a fund of Rs 50 crore for organizing various programs for the golden jubilee year of the academy.

The state government has violated all the provisions of the meeting by providing meager funds in the government decision published yesterday. The number of Urdu speakers in Maharashtra is 75 lakh and 25 Urdu dailies are published. Urdu is an Indian language. While the Urdu Sahitya Academy is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, it has once again highlighted that the Mahayoti government is treating the minority community with contempt by providing meager funds. MLA Rais Sheikh said that in this regard, we will seek cooperation from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Mumbai: In a swift operation carried out by the Thane railway police, a two-year-old boy, kidnapped from nearby KEM Hospital, was rescued in several hours from the clutches of the abductor, while he was fleeing on the Tutari Express. The accused, Amol Udalekar, 42, had befriended the child’s family during their stay outside the hospital and later took the boy along on the pretext of a stroll, said the police.

According to the FIR, the child’s mother Antima was admitted to the ICU of KEM Hospital due to respiratory issues. Her husband, Ajaykumar Harijan, 25, who hails from Shastrinagar, Surat, and currently resides in Bhiwandi, was staying with his mother and two children, in an open area near the hospital’s old building.

On the night of September 16 around 9.30pm, Harijan discovered that his two-yearold son was missing when he returned after visiting his wife. His mother informed him that a man, who had been frequently playing with the child over the past few days, had offered them a food parcel and taken the child away on the pretext of a stroll. Despite searching the hospital and surrounding areas, the child could not be located, prompting Harijan to file a complaint at the Bhoiwada police station.

According to the police, Udalekar was nabbed following a tip-off – received by the railway control room at CSMT – reporting a suspicious man traveling with a child in S-2 coach of the Tutari Express, which runs between Dadar and Sawantwadi. Acting promptly under the guidance of senior inspector Archana Dusane, a team, comprising officers Dhumale, Tajne, head constable Gopal, and constable Tichkule, apprehended the suspect late night at the Thane station.

During interrogation, it was confirmed that the child had been kidnapped from the premises of KEM Hospital earlier that evening. A case had already been registered against Udalekar under section 137(2) [related to kidnapping] of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and he has been handed over to the Bhoiwada police for further probe. Following the rescue, the child underwent a medical examination and was then placed under the care of the Janani Ashish Charitable Trust in Dombivli.

Investigation revealed that Udalekar had planned to flee to his native village in Sindhudurg. Police are currently probing his background and motive behind the abduction.

Mumbai: The Bangur Nagar police booked an employee of Bajaj Allianz for allegedly cheating a 69-year-old customer out of Rs. 6.94 lakh on the pretext of offering her a pension scheme. The case was registered on September 17. The accused has been identified as Ashish Tiwari, 34, a representative of the firm who resides in Vikhroli West.

According to the FIR, the complainant, Lalita Malhotra, 69, resides in Malad West and teaches classes from second to eighth standard. Her daughter is married and also resides in Malad West, while her son lives abroad. In December 2023, she purchased a five-year policy from Bajaj Allianz Finance. The insurance office is located in Sion. She visited the office and paid her first instalment of Rs. 61,350 via cheque.

In January 2024, Ashish Tiwari called her from the insurance company and requested her to pay the second instalment. She told him that she wanted to close the policy and asked for her money to be returned. Tiwari told her that the policy bonus was due and that her policy value had increased. He further assured her that if she paid the remaining instalments, she would start receiving a pension from November 2024. Trusting him, she was provided a demand letter and transferred a total of Rs. 7.94 lakh to the Google Pay number he provided, in various instalments from May 2024 to February 2025.

Later, she, along with her daughter, visited the insurance office at Andheri East and discovered that while Tiwari was an employee of the company, he had taken the money into his personal account. He returned a small portion of the amount but did not return Rs. 6.94 lakh. She subsequently filed a complaint with the Bangur Nagar police. The police registered the case under Sections 316(2), 316(5) (criminal breach of trust), and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.