Crime
New India Cooperative Bank Scam: Dharmesh Paun Claims He Received ₹2 Crore From Hitesh Mehta, Returned ₹1.50 Crore

Mumbai: In a fresh twist to the New India Cooperative Bank ₹122 crore scam, accused Dharmesh Paun has claimed that he received ₹2 crore from main accused Hitesh Mehta, but later returned ₹1.50 crore. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) suspects that Paun misappropriated ₹70 crore for an SRA project in Kandivali’s Charkop area.
Investigators have raised concerns as Paun’s ₹300 crore SRA project is on collector’s land, and he has not secured a bank loan due to land ownership restrictions. Typically, builders take loans for such projects, but EOW has found no loan-related documents in Paun’s possession.
In December 2016, Paun registered his company Dharmesh LLP and began the Charkop SRA project in 2018. In 2016, Paun sold a flat to Mehta, who later resold it to a third party. This marked the beginning of their association. Hitesh Mehta joined New India Cooperative Bank in 1988 as an accountant and has two children, one of whom is preparing for CA exams.
A senior EOW official has revealed that they plan to summon the bank’s internal and concurrent auditors. Eow has seized CCTV footage of last three weeks. The key question: How did Mehta siphon off ₹122 crore in small amounts over five years without auditors noticing?
Further suspicions arose when, on February 12, RBI officials conducted an inspection and discovered that ₹122 crore was missing from the bank’s locker.
However, instead of filing a complaint, the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Devarsi Ghosh, lodged the FIR at Dadar Police Station. If RBI officials found discrepancies in the locker funds, why didn’t they file the complaint themselves? The investigation continues.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police is investigating the scam, which involves siphoning off ₹122 crore from the bank’s funds. Hitesh Mehta, the former General Manager and Head of Accounts, was arrested earlier for his alleged role in diverting the money to multiple beneficiaries.
In the ongoing probe into the ₹122 crore fraud at New India Cooperative Bank, key accused Hitesh Mehta has admitted to diverting ₹70 crore to Dharmesh Paun and ₹40 crore to Arunbhai. During interrogation, Mehta revealed that he had funded Paun’s SRA project in Charkop with ₹70 crore.
However, no official documentation exists to support this transaction. So EOW officer will retrieve the WhatsApp message history of both accused.
Meanwhile, Dharmesh Paun has denied receiving such a large sum and has instead claimed that he only took ₹2 crore from Mehta, out of which he returned ₹1.50 crore. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is investigating this conflicting narrative and verifying the financial trail.
Crime
CBI arrests two CGST officers in Mumbai for accepting Rs 25,000 bribe

Mumbai, Oct 8: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said it has arrested a Superintendent and an Inspector of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) in Mumbai, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a businessman.
According to a CBI statement, the arrested officials have been identified as Superintendent Vikram and Inspector Lav Kumar Chittoria, both posted in the CGST Santacruz Division.
The case was registered on Tuesday following a complaint from a textile trader who had applied online for GST registration of his firm on September 24, the statement said.
The complainant alleged that during a field inspection on October 3, Chittoria demanded Rs 25,000 as illegal gratification for himself and his superior officer.
The officers allegedly warned that the GST registration certificate would not be issued unless the bribe was paid.
Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught both the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe amount inside the CGST West Mumbai Office on Tuesday.
The bribe money was recovered from their possession. Following the arrests, searches were carried out at the offices and residences of both officials, during which several incriminating documents were also seized.
A CBI spokesperson said that both officers were taken into custody for interrogation and will be produced before a competent court in Mumbai later in the day.
“Further investigation is underway to determine whether other officials were involved in the bribery racket and to trace possible links with similar cases,” the official added.
The agency reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption in government departments and urged citizens to report any instance of demand for bribes through its dedicated helpline and online portal.
Just a few days ago, in its crackdown on bribery in government offices, the CBI arrested two senior government officials of the Ministry of Defence and a railway hospital, in two separate cases of bribery.
Crime
Mumbai Hit-And-Run Case: 21-Year-Old Ruia College Student Dies After Being Abandoned On Road Following Accident At Sion

Mumbai: A 21-year-old college student, Mayur Kishor Rai, pursuing his undergraduate studies at Ruia College in Matunga, tragically died in a hit-and-run accident on the evening of October 4. The incident occurred near the Sion Bridge incline on Dr. B.A. Road, Sion East. The Sion Police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
According to the FIR, Mayur, a resident of Lallubhai Compound in Mankhurd, lived with his family and used to commute to college on a KTM Duke 250 motorcycle (MH-03-EJ-5365) registered in his sister Deepa’s name. On the day of the incident, Mayur left for college on the bike and informed his mother, Sunita Rai,45, a social worker, around 6:30 PM that he was on his way home.
However, at around 8:15 PM, Sunita received a call from an unknown person using Mayur’s mobile, informing her that his bike had met with an accident near Sion Bridge.
The family rushed to the location by taxi but could not find Mayur at the spot. While on their way to Sion Hospital, they spotted his motorcycle near the zebra crossing on Dr. B.A. Road, where police were already present. Upon getting down from the taxi, the family found Mayur lying unconscious beside a small tempo.
An ambulance called by the police arrived shortly, and Mayur was rushed to Sion Hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
According to traffic police patrolling the area, some bystanders had informed them about the accident and mentioned that an injured person was being taken to the hospital in a tempo. The tempo in question bore the registration number MH-48-CB-3469.
Investigations revealed that after the accident, local bystanders had placed the injured Mayur in the tempo for transportation. However, when no one accompanied him to the hospital, the frightened tempo driver allegedly offloaded Mayur near the zebra crossing and left him there unattended.
Police have filed a case against the unknown vehicle driver for causing death by negligent and rash driving, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act. Efforts are ongoing to identify the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run.
Crime
Mumbai Crime: RCF And Tilak Nagar Police Bust Illegal Prostitution Racket At Chembur Bar; Manager, Owner And Customer Arrested

Mumbai: The Mumbai police have uncovered an illegal prostitution racket being run under the guise of a bar and restaurant at Pramila Bar and Restaurant located on RC Marg, Chembur. The RCF police, acting on a tip-off, raided the premises and apprehended the bar manager, bar owner, and a customer during the operation.
According to the complaint filed by Police Constable Amol Khatke,36, attached to the Crime Detection Unit of the RCF police station, the raid was carried out on the evening of October 4 at 6:45 PM by a joint team from RCF and Tilak Nagar police stations.
Police Inspector Mausami Patil of RCF police station had received credible information that prostitution activities were being conducted at the bar. Inspector Manisha Kulkarni from Tilak Nagar Police Station, designated as a Special Police Officer under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) and Government Resolution dated March 14, 2006, participated in the joint operation.
To confirm the illegal activities, police deployed a decoy customer, a 32-year-old man residing near Atop Hill Church, Kokari Agar, Mumbai, to the bar. Upon approaching bar manager Nishikant Sadanand Sahu,43, a resident of Chembur Camp, the decoy was informed that the charge for sexual services was Rs 1,000.
The decoy agreed and was directed to the first floor of the establishment where he ordered a drink. When a female bartender approached and engaged in inappropriate conduct, the police team raided the premises immediately. The woman, aged 41 and a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Mankhurd, was caught accepting Rs1,000 from the decoy. The money was seized as evidence.
In total, eight adult women were found working at the bar, allegedly involved in prostitution. These women hailed from various localities, including Chembur, Tilak Nagar, Mankhurd and Ulhasnagar in Thane.
During interrogation, the women revealed that their involvement was facilitated through acquaintances engaged in prostitution from their residential areas.
They claimed they were introduced to the bar manager, Nishikant Sahu, who in turn confessed to operating the prostitution racket in collaboration with bar owner Vasant Chandrashekhar Shetty.
Police have registered a case against the accused under Section 144(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Further investigation into the racket is currently underway.
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