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NCB lets off Aryan: MVA feels ‘vindicated’, says its a ‘slap’ for BJP

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The ruling 3-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government on Friday said it stands ‘vindicated’ after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) gave ‘clean chit’ to Aryan Khan and five other accused in the sensational raids on a cruiser in October 2021.

The MVA allies — Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress — had slammed the NCB from day one for the swoop carried out by the agency’s then Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

NCP Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik — currently in custody of the ED — had run a major expose-campaign against the NCB city head Wankhede and termed the Cordelia Cruise ship raid as a “farjiwada (fraud)” perpetrated in collaboration with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

NCP Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that Malik’s observations of how the entire raid was conducted and selection of witnesses having ‘close affinity with BJP’ was valid and now is laid bare by the NCB.

“We have always maintained that NCB is a very credible organisation with an impeccable track record, but recent actions put a question mark on its reputation. Malik’s serious allegations against Wankhede earned the ire of some powerful people in New Delhi and he is now paying the price for speaking the truth,” said Tapase.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said the cruiser raid and subsequent happenings were part of the “huge conspiracy by the BJP government misusing the central probe agencies to discredit and topple the MVA government” which have failed.

“Now, they have got a slap on their face… Instead of continuing to indulge in such tactics, it will be better if the BJP learns now that it works for the welfare of the people,” Londhe said, terming the development as ‘Satyameva Jayate’.

Sena’s MoS Kishore Tiwari said that his statements in the PIL filed by him stand ‘fully vindicated” that the entire raids was a ‘fake’ perpetrated by Wankhede and his BJP supporters to tarnish the MVA regime and hog publicity.

“I will pursue the PIL and seek criminal proceedings against Wankhede, all the BJP men who were exposed later by Minister Malik, how innocents like Aryan Khan were trapped in their extortion rackets and the fake raids, etc., till its logical conclusion,” said a grim Tiwari.

Following the NCB’s statement giving a ‘clean chit’ to Aryan and others, Malik’s Team demanded to know: “Will the NCB take action against Wankhede, his team and the private army, or will it shield the culprits.”

An NCB official said that it will prosecute only the 14 against whom solid evidence along with circumstantial evidence has been found, and charges will be dropped against the remaining (six).

He also said there was no evidence of any ‘conspiracy’, ‘international drug syndicate’, ‘common intent’, based on WhatsApp chats, etc., as claimed by the previous team led by Wankhede which probed the case.

The matter started a furious debate on social media with the NCB coming under fire for the ship raids and how its credibility lay shattered, though no prominent BJP leaders have reacted so far.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Govt To Commemorate Partition Horrors, Urges Mass Participation Across Public Venues

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Mumbai: The BJP-led Mahayuti government will commemorate Partition Horrors Remembrance Day across the state today (August 14). Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors have been asked to host various events to “create awareness about the poignant memories and sufferings of people during Partition”.

In another development, the department of skills, employment and innovation, led by the BJP minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, will celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram. Lodha will head a 7member committee for this.

Remembrance to Be Marked Across Public Spaces

As per a circular, the commemoration of the remembrance should be organised in banks, post offices, railway stations, airports, shopping malls, educational institutes, petrol pumps, skill development centres and vocational training institutes, to name a few. The administration should make efforts for the participation of maximum people besides hosting programmes where freedom fighters, eminent senior citizens and public representatives are to be invited. People who have suffered the partition ordeal should also be invited, the state circular states.

Significantly, the circular directs the government machinery to take precautions so that the feelings of sections/groups in society are not hurt. The cautionary advice appears twice in the two-page circular. The event is about the tragedy of partition and the woes of people, hence it should not hurt the feelings of any community, it states.

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Crime

Jalgaon Tragedy: 8 Suspects Arrested For Kidnapping, Mob Lynching And Killing 21-Year-Old Suleman Khan

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Jalgaon: Suleman Rahim Khan Pathan, a 21-year-old man, was killed through beating in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. The incident occurred on Monday when Suleman traveled to Jamner to complete online applications for police recruitment. In the afternoon, as he sat in a cafe with a girl, 8 to 10 men grabbed his mobile phone and unexpectedly assaulted him.

They pulled Suleman to his village and violently assaulted him, making him lose consciousness. When his relatives attempted to rescue him, the assailants reacted with violence towards them as well. Suleman’s 80-year-old grandfather was also affected. The assailants showcased him on the street and struck him with wooden clubs.

Suleman was taken to the hospital by his villagers, where he was pronounced dead by doctors. His father stated that his son was not dating any girl, and during the confrontation, the villagers were unable to assist because of their fear.

According to Suleman’s father, Rahim Khan, on the day of the incident Suleman was working with his father, when around 11 am Suleman told his father he is going to fill up a Police recruitment form after which the people kidnapped and beat him. The people was brought to his home at around 4pm. When the father tried to intervene the mob started attacking him and other members of the family.

Police Arrests 8 Suspects

The authorities have apprehended 8 suspects related to this case up to now. The initial four suspects were apprehended on Tuesday: Abhishek Rajkumar Rajput (22), Ghanshyam also known as Suraj Biharilal Sharma (25), Deepak Bajirao (20), and Ranjan also referred to as Ranjit Ramakrishna Matade (48).

While the other four were taken into custody on Wednesday. All the defendants have been placed in police detention until August 18. The arrests were confirmed by the inspector of the Jamner police station.

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Maharashtra

Shilpa Shetty, Husband Raj Kundra Booked By Mumbai Police For Allegedly Cheating Businessman Of ₹60 Crore In Loan-Cum-Investment Deal Fraud

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Mumbai: Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra have been booked by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for allegedly cheating a city-based businessman of over Rs.60 crore under the pretext of a business investment.

About The Case

The FIR, registered at Juhu Police Station, is based on a complaint by Deepak Kothari (60), director of Lotus Capital Financial Services. Kothari alleged that between 2015 and 2023, he transferred Rs.60.48 crore to the couple’s company, Best Deal TV Pvt. Ltd., for business expansion. However, the funds were allegedly diverted for personal expenses.

According to police, Kothari was introduced to Raj Kundra through a mutual friend. At the time, Kundra and Shetty jointly held 87.6% shares in Best Deal TV, an online shopping and retail platform. The accused allegedly promised him a monthly return along with repayment of the principal investment.

Kothari claimed that Shetty resigned from the company in 2016, and he later learned that insolvency proceedings had been initiated against the firm for allegedly cheating another investor.

After conducting a preliminary inquiry, EOW registered the case under IPC sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 34 (common intention) against Shetty, Kundra, and another person.

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