National News
Mumbai Weather Update For Jan 21, 2026: City Wakes Up To Sunny Skies With Thick Layer Of Smog; AQI Jumps To Severe Category At 303
Mumbai: Low temperatures were recorded under a sunny sky in the morning on Wednesday, 21st January 2026 in Mumbai. Yet, this did not last long as a heavy layer of smog soon covered different parts of the city, which reduced visibility for those commuting in the morning. This further raises concerns about the overall air quality of the city and its impact on the people’s health.
According to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the city will see clear skies today, with temperatures ranging from 19°C to 31°C, which is almost similar to the previous day. Despite the IMD predicting clear skies, heavy smog engulfed the city.
As per data from AQI.in, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) is 303, which is a huge jump from 224 on the previous day. A huge jump like this can be harmful to people, especially for children, senior citizens and people suffering from respiratory or heart-related ailments. Citizens were advised to avoid staying outdoors for a prolonged period of time.
Dust and fine particulate matter from ongoing construction work in various parts of the city are the main contributing factors to the high AQI levels. Ongoing infrastructure development projects such as metro lines, flyovers, road works and coastal road construction, along with private real estate development, have significantly increased dust in the air. Another contributing factor is the emissions from vehicles.
The AQI levels of certain parts of the city are nearly reaching the 400 mark, with Shell Colony reporting an AQI of 398 and Wadala East recording 395. Sewri West, Yagna Nagar and Chembur are not far behind with 368, 359 and 355, respectively.
Some regions show a better AQI, with Vidya Nagar at 60 (moderate), Gamdevi Station 1 at 123 (poor) and Thakur village at 170 (poor). Khindipada Bhandup West and Louis Wadi recorded an ‘unhealthy’ AQI of 237 and 240 respectively.
As per standard air quality classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’ and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.
Crime
Rs 734 crore GST scam: Jharkhand businessman, son arrested by ED sent to judicial custody

Ranchi, Oct 2: A Special PMLA Court sent a Jamshedpur businessman and his son to judicial custody after they were arrested by the ED in a case related to a GST fraud involving approximately Rs 734 crore, said an official on Friday.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Gyanchand Jaiswal, alias Bablu Jaiswal, and his son, Raj Jaiswal, in connection with the GST fraud on September 30, an official said.
The ED interrogated the two arrested accused to gather information about the alleged fraudulent GST transactions and the associated money flow before producing them before the Special Court for custody proceedings on Thursday, an official said in a statement.
They were arrested after the ED raided several locations in Jamshedpur, Adityapur, Gamharia, and Kolkata. After conducting medical examinations, the ED team brought them to Ranchi.
The ED said that this case involves the alleged use of fake invoices to obtain input tax credit (ITC) without any actual purchase or sale of goods.
The agency is also investigating transactions made through shell companies and the associated money flow. During Wednesday’s operation, the ED searched premises linked to Gyanchand Jaiswal, as well as the premises of his auditor, Sanjay Parekh, and other individuals, officials said.
They further mentioned that the investigating team examined business documents, GST-related records, banking and financial transaction documents, and electronic devices.
This ED action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.
The investigating agency suspects that large-scale misuse of ITC was allegedly carried out through shell companies and paper transactions. The initial investigation into the case was conducted by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Jamshedpur.
The investigation revealed the misuse of ITC through shell companies and fake invoices.
According to a 2024 order of the Jharkhand High Court, Gyanchand Jaiswal was arrested in June 2024 in a case registered under the GST Act and was subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
The ED investigation has reportedly uncovered several companies and fraudulent transactions linked to this network.
The agency also took action against several other businessmen from Jamshedpur and Kolkata in connection with this case in 2025.
Crime
Delhi Crime Branch arrests active member of Takkar gang in attempt-to-murder case

New Delhi, Oct 2: The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested an active member of the Takkar Gang, who had also been declared a proclaimed offender, in connection with an attempt to murder case, officials said.
The accused, identified as 30-year-old Gulam Khawaza alias Aaley, a resident of Delhi’s Dabri, was arrested by a team of the NDR/Crime Branch. He was wanted in connection with FIR No. 594/2023 registered under Sections 307 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Sagarpur Police Station.
According to police, in November 2023, Irfan was operating a Satta business in the Raghu Nagar area. Kunal, who was involved in betting with Irfan, suffered losses and was asked to clear the outstanding amount. He subsequently contacted Vicky alias Takkar, who was in jail at the time, and sought his assistance.
Police said Vicky alias Takkar then contacted his associate Gulam Khawaza alias Aaley and directed him to go to Irfan’s betting premises. Khawaza allegedly arranged a pistol and handed it over to Aman, instructing him to fire at Irfan.
On December 3, 2023, at around 8 p.m., Gulam, along with Kunal, Hemu and Aman, reached Irfan’s betting premises. Aman allegedly fired two rounds at Irfan, one of which hit his leg, while the other missed. The accused persons then fled the spot. During the investigation, all four accused were arrested by the local police and the pistol was recovered from Aman.
Police said Khawaza was granted interim bail for 14 days on medical grounds on March 25. However, he failed to surrender after the bail period expired and absconded. He subsequently left Delhi and evaded arrest by frequently changing his hideouts and concealing his identity and movements. He was declared a proclaimed offender by the court on August 5.
The Crime Branch constituted a dedicated team comprising SI Dipender Singh and Head Constables Rajbir, Ram Niwas, Parmanand, Kuldeep, and Anchal Kumar under the supervision of Inspectors Yogesh Kumar and Vinod Yadav and overall supervision of ACP Umesh Barthwal.
Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence, the team received information that Khawaza would arrive in Delhi and proceed to Anand Vihar Railway Station before going to the residence of gang leader Takkar in Sitapuri. Acting on the information, the team laid a trap at Anand Vihar Railway Station and apprehended him.
During interrogation, Khawaza disclosed his association with the Takkar Gang and its activities in Dwarka, Dabri, Uttam Nagar and adjoining areas of Haryana. He was formally arrested under Section 35(1)(D) of the BNSS and is being produced before the concerned court.
Police said Khawaza, a Delhi University graduate, has previously been involved in 11 criminal cases, including cases under the Arms Act and an attempt to murder. According to the Crime Branch, he joined the Takkar Gang after the alleged killing of his close friend Gaurav alias Kaku in 2019 and subsequently became involved in criminal activities.
National News
Gujarat: Man held in two cyber fraud cases; bank account linked to Rs 7 cr cheating

Surat, Oct 2: The Surat Cyber Crime Cell has arrested a 28-year-old man allegedly involved in providing a bank account used in two online investment fraud cases, with police finding transactions worth Rs 2.72 crore through the account and 37 complaints linked to it across different states.
The accused, identified as Ashwin Gohil, a resident of Vav in Bhavnagar district, was arrested after a technical investigation into two cases registered by the Surat Cyber Crime Police Station, the police said on Friday.
According to police, the fraudsters allegedly approached the complainants’ son through WhatsApp groups and lured him with returns of up to 390 per cent on investments in the share market and a programme named “Brp Fund 100 Day Wealth Leap Program”.
In the first case, the accused allegedly used a WhatsApp group named “Brp Fund104 – Grow Together” and directed the victim to a fake website, brp5.com.
Police said the website displayed fabricated profits, and the victim was induced to transfer Rs 5.99 lakh to various bank accounts.
In the second case, a WhatsApp group named “BRP Fund-Grow Together-008” was allegedly used to gain the victim’s trust before directing him to another fake website, app.toloyyi.com. Police said Rs 19.60 lakh was transferred to different bank accounts in this case.
Separate cases were registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5), as well as Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008.
Police said Gohil allegedly received an ICICI Bank current account from previously arrested accused Satyajit Manjariya in return for commission.
Gohil subsequently passed the account to Pankajkumar Ramani for Rs 3,000, while Ramani allegedly handed it to another accused, Vivek Beldiya, for Rs 5,000.
Beldiya allegedly provided the account to the absconding accused for Rs 26,000 for use in cyber fraud.
According to the police, transactions totalling Rs 2,72,97,899.50 were carried out through the ICICI Bank current account.
“A check of the account on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) also revealed 37 complaints from different states, involving alleged fraud of Rs 7,01,47,845,” police said.
The three previously arrested accused were identified as Satyajit Manjariya, 28, of Ahmedabad and originally from Amreli; Pankajkumar Ramani, 39, of Surat and originally from Rajkot district; and Vivek Beldiya, 30, of Surat and originally from Bhavnagar district.
The Cyber Crime Cell appealed to people not to hand over their bank accounts to others for commissions, warning that such accounts could be used for cyber fraud and that account holders could face legal action for transactions conducted through them.
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