Mumbai: After BJP leader Kirit Somaiya allegations of fake and forged birth certificates being issued to alleged Bangladeshis in Mumbai city, Mumbai Police has now handed over the investigation of fake birth certificates to a Mumbai Crime Branch team and SIT. Mumbai Crime will investigate the birth certificate case. The investigation into crimes related to the purchase of false registration certificates of birth on the basis of fake documents has been handed over to Crime Branch Mumbai. During the investigation and from other complaints received, it has come to light that a large number of birth registration certificates have been obtained through similar fraudulent means. Keeping in view the vast scope and seriousness of the matter, the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a thorough and effective investigation into these crimes and the complaints received. The said Special Investigation Team is headed by the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) and includes the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Mumbai, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Mumbai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Crime Branch, Mumbai and other officers. In Mumbai, now the investigation of birth certificates through fake documents will be carried out by the SIT of Mumbai Crime Branch. This SIT has also included expert officers and others.

Mumbai: Following the loss of two Royal Bengal tigers within six months, Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo, popularly known as Byculla Zoo, is set to bring in a fresh pair of tigers from Nagpur’s Gorewada International Zoo to revive its big cat population.

The zoo, operated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has already approached Gorewada authorities, who have agreed in principle to transfer the animals. a formal proposal has now been submitted to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), whose approval is mandatory for the relocation and exchange process.

According to a senior civic official, the proposal is currently under review, and final clearance may take some time before the transfer is executed. As part of the proposed arrangement, the BMC has offered to send a few bird species from Byculla Zoo to Gorewada in exchange for the tiger pair.

The move is aimed at strengthening the zoo’s conservation and breeding programme, which has been impacted by recent losses. At present, the facility houses only two tigers, female Karishma and her cub Jay, after its population declined sharply.

The zoo faced a major setback on November 17, 2025, when Shakti, a nine-year-old male Royal Bengal tiger, died due to respiratory failure caused by pneumonia. Earlier, on October 29, 2025, Rudra, the three-year-old cub of Shakti and Karishma, also died.

Rudra had been born at the Byculla facility after Shakti and Karishma were brought to Mumbai in February 2020 from Siddhartha Garden and Zoo. Their arrival had been seen as a major step toward boosting the zoo’s tiger population and enhancing its appeal to visitors.

With the proposed addition of a new tiger pair, authorities are hopeful of restoring the strength of the tiger population and continuing conservation efforts at one of Mumbai’s oldest and most prominent zoological parks. The final decision now rests with the Central Zoo Authority.

Mumbai: The investigation into offences involving the procurement of incorrect birth registration certificates in Mumbai on the basis of forged documents is being carried out by the Crime Branch, Mumbai.

Raj Tilak Raushan, deputy commissioner of police, Crime Branch, stated, “During the course of investigation, as well as from other complaints received, it has come to light that a large number of such birth registration certificates have been obtained through similar fraudulent means.”

Considering the wide scope and seriousness of the matter, the Hon’ble Commissioner of Police, Brihanmumbai, has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough and effective investigation into these offences and the complaints received, Raushan added.

The said Special Investigation Team is headed by the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) and comprises the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mumbai, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), Mumbai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection), Crime Branch, Mumbai, along with other officers.

In the wake of a BMC probe uncovering irregularities in over 87,000 birth and death records, Mumbai BJP president MLA Ameet Satam has demanded the immediate suspension of the officials involved and the registration of FIRs against them.

Last week, a shocking probe by the BMC Health Department exposed a massive racket in Mumbai’s civic system, with 87,347 bogus birth certificates allegedly issued to Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya residents, pointing to deep-rooted manipulation of official records.