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Mumbai: Trial To Begin In Arsenic-Thallium Double Murder Of Businessman, Mother After Court Frames Charges

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Mumbai: In the alleged arsenic and thallium poisoning deaths of businessman Kamalkant Shah and his mother Sarladevi in August-September 2022, the court has framed murder and conspiracy charges in the case, paving way for the trial to commence.

About The Case

The deceased’s wife Kavita Shah and her alleged partner Hitesh Jain pleaded ‘not guilty’ on Monday. The two are accused of lacing the food of the deceased with poisonous metals, causing slow, painful death. While framing the charges, the court said that it heard arguments from the prosecution and defence, and is “of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that Shah and Jain have committed an offence punishable under Section 302 (murder), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, which are exclusively triable by the sessions court”.

The court read over the charges to the two accused and also explained them. As per the case, Kavita was in a relationship with Jain, who too is an accused in the crime. Kamalkant became seriously ill and died on September 19, 2022, while his mother, Sarla, passed away earlier on August 13 the same year.

The postmortem revealed metal poisoning as the cause of the deaths. Subsequently, the complaint was filed by Kamalakant’s sister, and the ensuing investigation revealed the modus operandi. The prosecution argued that both victims exhibited poisoning symptoms and that the medical reports detected arsenic and thallium in their bodies. This counts as established evidence to hold Kavita and Jain responsible for the crime, the prosecution argued.

It further argued that Kavita was the only one insisting on not carrying out the blood tests. Earlier, the prosecution had said that Jain was Kamalkant’s friend as the duo was in the garment business and stayed in Vile Parle. Jain and Kavita were in a relationship for over a decade during which there were frequent fights between the latter and her husband. The prosecution claimed that Kavita and Jain both wanted to get married and also usurp Kamalkant’s property, hence they conspired to kill him.

Maharashtra

Mumbai : There is no solution to the problem of landslides in the last 15 years, 22,483 families live in dangerous areas in the city and suburbs

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Mumbai: Hill collapses are not new to Mumbai, but the state government has failed to take serious steps to address the problem in the last 15 years. In the last 34 years, 340 people have lost their lives and over 300 have been injured in landslides.

In 25 of Mumbai’s 36 assembly constituencies, 257 places in hilly areas have been classified as dangerous. RTI activist Anil Gilgali said that the Mumbai Slum Improvement Board had recommended the relocation of 9,657 out of 22,483 identified slums on priority basis. It had also proposed to make the remaining slums safe by building protective walls around the hills. Gilgali had earlier warned the Maharashtra government about the risk of landslides at 327 places during the monsoon season.

Between 1992 and 2026, 340 people died and over 300 were injured in landslides. The Mumbai Slum Improvement Board had recommended relocation. A comprehensive survey was conducted in 2010. If action had been taken then, the deaths of the residents of these hilly areas could have been prevented. Following the board’s report and Anil Gilgali’s correspondence, the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan ordered the Urban Development Department to prepare an action plan on September 1, 2011. However, 15 years have passed since then, and the Urban Development Department is yet to start working on it. In other words, no one has prepared an ‘Action Taken Plan’ (ATP) as directed by the Chief Minister,

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Maharashtra

Robbery in Mumbai Saki Naka, 4 arrested, stolen goods recovered

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Mumbai: The Sakinaka police have claimed to have solved the mystery of the robbery at the junk shop of the complainant, Mohammed Hussain Abdul Karim, and arrested the accused. 22 kg of silver and cash worth a total of Rs 44 lakh were stolen from the junk shop. The shop was located in Anise Compound. The police had registered a complaint regarding this. On this basis, the Mumbai Police’s detection team tracked down the thieves and arrested four accused and claimed to have seized silver worth Rs 44 lakh and a mobile phone. The accused have been identified as Maqsood Shah, 20, a resident of Sakinaka in Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Zeeshan Abdul Subhan, 20, a resident of Mumbra, Daighar, Akhbar Hussain Ghulam Murtaza, 27, Mumbra, and Irfan Noorullah Khan, 26, Siddharth Nagar, UP. The four accused have been arrested and the stolen goods have been recovered. This operation was carried out by DCP Dutta Nalawade on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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Maharashtra

37 unauthorized shops removed from footpaths in Vakola area, action taken by BMC ‘H East’ ward under ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign to ensure that pedestrians can walk on the footpaths with ease. As part of this initiative, action was taken to remove 37 unauthorised shops obstructing the footpaths along Rajendra Kamble Marg in Vakola area yesterday (August 11, 2026). The operation was carried out by the ‘H East’ ward of BMC. As per the directions of the High Court and under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide. BMC is effectively implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ campaign to clear the footpaths of unauthorised hawkers and encroachments, thus making them free from obstructions. In this backdrop, the footpaths along Rajendra Kamble Marg in Vakola were cleared during an operation led by Assistant Commissioner (H East Ward) Smt. Mr. Mridula Ande, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-3) under the guidance of Shri Vishwas Mote. During this drive, 37 unauthorized shops erected on footpaths were removed, and materials obstructing the walkways were seized.

The operation was carried out with the support of about 31 officers and staff members using 4 vehicles, 2 dumpers, 1 JCB and other machinery. Adequate police security was deployed during the drive.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation continues to implement measures to ensure the availability of accessible footpaths for pedestrians. Therefore, unauthorized constructions or placement of materials obstructing footpaths are prohibited. The Municipal Corporation administration has said that strict action will be taken if such incidents are found.

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