Mumbai: A 62-year-old retired government employee has been duped of ₹1.68 crore in an elaborate online share trading scam that promised lucrative returns on investments. The Mumbai Cyber Police have launched a detailed investigation after the victim lodged a complaint on November 2, 2025.

According to the complaint, the victim who retired as a Senior Administrative Assistant in July 2025  invested his and his wife’s life savings in what turned out to be a bogus trading scheme. With his wife’s pension being their only source of income, the fraud has left the couple financially distressed.

The incident began on June 24, 2025, when the complainant was added to a WhatsApp group named “M4 Wealth Creator.” The group, allegedly managed by two individuals  Karan Singh and Alok  introduced him to stock trading. They presented forged documents claiming that their firm, Conifer Wealth Management, was registered with SEBI.

Encouraged by the false assurances, the victim opened an account on a trading app sent via a registration link on September 29 and made an initial investment of ₹50,000 through Google Pay. Over the next month, between October 1 and October 31, following the suspects’ instructions, the complainant transferred large sums through UPI, RTGS, and IMPS to multiple accounts.

The fraud was exposed when the victim attempted to withdraw ₹80 lakh from the trading app on October 23 but failed. When questioned, Alok told him the funds were converted into an IPO and demanded another ₹50 lakh to “unlock” his account. Under pressure, the victim transferred the amount on October 31, only to be asked for yet another ₹80 lakh the same evening. Realizing he had been cheated, he cut off contact and filed a police complaint. The fraudsters had siphoned a total of ₹1,68,14,058 by exploiting the victim’s trust and financial hopes.

The East Region Cyber Police have registered a case against Karan Singh, Alok, and others connected with the fraudulent trading portal (https://m.conifer-llc.com/). Investigators are now tracing the linked bank accounts and digital trail to identify the full extent of the racket. Police have once again urged citizens to exercise caution while investing through online trading platforms and to verify the authenticity of financial entities before transferring funds.

Mumbai: A monorail coach went off track and tilted near Wadala. The mishap is said to happen during the track change. “The said incident occurred due to technical fault during testing of monorail. No passengers were inside the train and no injuries are reported. Mono rail staff has reached on-site,” the monorail control incharge Rohan Salunkhe informed.

As per BMC disaster management report, the mishap took place at 9 am, near Wadala-GTB monorail station, near RTO junction, Wadala East. Mumbai fire brigade has also reached the spot.

The monorail services are shut since the train went unoperational during heavy rains and hundreds of passengers were stranded. The servicing of the train system was underway and the train which went tilted this morning was part of the same testing. 

The Mumbai Suburban District Emergency Management Authority (DEMA) recently directed the city’s Monorail and Metro operators to submit comprehensive emergency management plans. The directive mandates detailed strategies for handling operational disruptions, technical failures, and passenger safety incidents across the city’s mass transit systems.

The order, issued during a joint meeting of the Mumbai City and Suburban DEMAs held on October 29 at the BMC headquarters, stressed the importance of proactive coordination between civic, transport, and disaster management agencies. The authority also instructed operators to conduct periodic reviews of their standard operating procedures (SOPs) and carry out regular mock drills to ensure readiness during emergencies.

According to officials, the session focused on improving inter-agency coordination and standardising communication channels for faster response during crisis situations. Representatives from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Mumbai Metro One, and Mumbai Monorail were present at the meeting.

The directive comes in the aftermath of the August 19 monorail glitch, when a train stalled between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations in Chembur, leaving several passengers stranded mid-track for an extended period. The incident raised serious questions about the monorail’s operational safety and the preparedness of emergency teams.

Following multiple such disruptions, the Mumbai Monorail, once hailed as India’s first light mass rapid transit system, has been out of service since September 20. Authorities suspended operations after a series of mechanical failures and electrical faults sparked concerns over maintenance quality and commuter risk.

The Rs 2,450-crore project, launched with the promise of easing suburban congestion and providing last-mile connectivity, has struggled to live up to expectations since its inception. Frequent breakdowns, low ridership, and recurring safety lapses have drawn criticism from transport experts and commuters alike, many of whom have labeled it a ‘white elephant.’

In an attempt to prevent dubious voting in the upcoming local bodies elections in Maharashtra, ‘double star will be marked’ next to names of the voters, whose names are found more than once in the voters list, the state election commissioner, Dinesh Waghmare said. This comes after the opposition raised questions over alleged fraud in the voters’ list, pointing out several examples. 

Waghmare, however, said that there is no confirmation on total number of duplicate voters, the new step will help in bringing transperancy. “For voters whose name, address, gender etc are identical will be ‘star marked’ at the polling booth, the officers will confirm if the respective voter has casted vote in any other constituency. We have worked on a tool to mark voters which multiple registrations,” he added.

Last week, a massive rally ‘Satyacha Morcha’ was held by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) emphasised that unless the voters’ list is clean, there should not be any local body polls in the state. A letter was also written in this concern to election commission of India (ECI).

After announcing the schedule for municipal councils and Nagar Panchayat elections on Tuesday, Waghmare said that the SEC has adopted the voter list with cut-off date of July 31. “We haven’t received any communication from ECI regarding voters list,” Waghmare said.

On asked as why there was a rush to announce the poll dates despite allegations on dubious voters list, the SEC said that it has to meet the deadline set by Supreme Court to hold all local bodies elections in Maharashtra by January 31, 2026.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray in his recent speech, armed with boxes full of duplicate voters, spoke about dubious voters. He alleged that in the 2024 Maharashtra elections, nearly 4,500 people from Kalyan Rural, Dombivali, Bhiwandi, and Murbad voted in their constituencies as well as in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill.

Thackeray also alleged that in the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency, there are over 65,000 dubious voters and in Mumbai South, the number is over 55,000. He also claimed that in the Thane Lok Sabha, over two lakh dubious voters were registered. 

Amid rising political tensions over alleged bogus voters and double voting last week, the SEC has issued detailed instructions to its officials for verifying and handling duplicate and triplicate names in the voters’ lists. 

The SEC also directed officials to obtain a written declaration from voters whose names appear more than once in the electoral roll, affirming that they will cast their vote only at the polling station assigned to them.