Thane: The Thane crime branch has arrested a 36-year-old man and seized 638 kg of marijuana worth about ₹2.04 crore during an operation on December 30.

The accused has been identified as Chinna Tagur Laxman Nayak, a resident of Mehabubnagar district in Telangana, who would often ferry the drugs from Odisha and Telangana to the city.

Acting on a tip-off, the property cell of the crime branch learned that a large drug consignment was being brought to Thane. A trap was laid at Kharegaon toll naka in Kalwa on the Mumbai–Nashik highway, and the police intercepted an Innova and found 638 kg of ganja hidden inside the vehicle. The drugs are estimated to be worth ₹2.04 crore in the illicit market.

The accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He was produced before a local court and has been remanded to police custody till January 3.

We suspect that an entire gang is operating in the region, and we will soon trace the remaining members- Amarsinh Jadhav

Amarsinh Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police (Crime), said , “Our team is investigating further to identify the source of the contraband and the individual to whom the consignment was to be delivered. We suspect that an entire gang is operating in the region, and we will soon trace the remaining members.”

Mumbai: Ramakant Gore, 45, a resident of Khar West who works as a recovery agent with a reputed bank, was shocked after receiving notices in the names of his wife and daughter from the Karnataka GST department, demanding payment of outstanding dues amounting to Rs. 47.36 lakh. The Gore family claims they have never conducted any business in Karnataka and suspects that their PAN card details were misused to register fake firms. Following a complaint, the Khar police registered an FIR on December 31.

According to the FIR, a GST arrears notice dated January 19, 2024, was received in the name of the complainant’s wife, Savita Gore, under the firm name M/s Gore Traders. Subsequently, on February 26, 2024, action was initiated against her SBI bank account due to the pending dues, leading to the freezing of her fixed deposit of Rs.6 lakh along with the remaining account balance. After the Gore family approached the Karnataka GST office, the account was later defrozen.

However, in September 2024, another notice was received in the names of M/s Vasant Traders and M/s Gore Traders. The notice bore Savita Gore’s purported signature, following which the account was once again frozen by the Karnataka GST department. In November 2025, the bank account of their daughter, Dhanashree Gore, was also frozen, and in December 2025, the family received a summons from the Income Tax Department. The Gore family has since submitted all relevant documents to the Income Tax authorities.

The family has alleged that neither they nor any of their family members have ever started or operated any business under the names Gore Traders or Vasant Traders. They claim that unknown persons misused their PAN card details to fraudulently register fake companies in Bengaluru. The family stated that they are undergoing severe financial and mental distress due to the incident and have demanded a thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible.

Based on the complaint, the Khar police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person under Section 318(4) (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections of the Information Technology Act.

Srinagar, Jan 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch on Thursday said it has filed a chargesheet against the accused in a case involving fake appointment orders in the Agriculture Department.

A statement mentioned that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a chargesheet before the Court of Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Chadoora, Budgam, against two accused persons in a case related to forged and fake appointment orders in the Agriculture Department, in an alleged attempt to cheat aspirants of government employment.

The statement said the Economic Offences Wing has submitted the chargesheet in connection with FIR No. 43/2021 registered under Sections 420/511, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.

The chargesheet has been filed against Showkat Ahmad Hajam, son of Mohd Akbar Hajam, resident of Wagoora, Tehsil Chadoora, District Budgam, and Irshad Ahmad Ahanger, son of Ghulam Mohd Ahanger, resident of Ratnipora, District Pulwama.

According to the statement, the case originated from a communication received from the Deputy Director, Agriculture, alleging that a woman had attempted to join the Directorate on the basis of a fake and invalid appointment order.

It was reported that on November 30, 2019, the woman visited the Agriculture Department office with a photocopy of a purported official communication bearing No. Agri/ESstt-NG/2018-19/8451-53 dated November 22, 2019.

On verification, the communication was found to be fake and fictitious, as it had not been issued by the Directorate. Further scrutiny revealed that the appointment orders referred to in the communication — Order No. 385/Estt. of 2019 dated April 26, 2019, and Order No. 16/Estt. of 2019 dated January 29, 2019 — were also forged.

During the course of investigation, it was established that accused Irshad Ahmad Ahanger had obtained the forged communication from co-accused Showkat Ahmad Hajam.

The forged order falsely showed three persons as selected and appointed as orderlies in the Agriculture Department, Kashmir Division.

On the basis of the fake appointment order, one woman from Pathan area of Pulwama district was cheated and induced to believe that she had been legitimately appointed. Acting on this belief, she attempted to join the Agriculture Department, Kashmir, at Srinagar on November 30, 2019.

The investigation further revealed that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy to prepare and use forged appointment orders with the intention of cheating aspirants seeking government employment. Although no monetary transaction or wrongful gain or loss could be established during the investigation, the act constituted an attempt to cheat, thereby attracting Section 511 of the IPC, the statement said.

Accordingly, upon completion of the investigation, the chargesheet has been filed before the competent court of law for judicial determination, the statement added.