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Post-Poll Violence Rocks Bhiwandi As Rival Party Workers Clash After Civic Defeat, Police Step In To Restore Order

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Bhiwandi: Witnessed a serious outbreak of post-election violence on Sunday night after political rivalry following the municipal elections spiralled into street clashes, stone-pelting and vandalism. The bungalow of former mayor and Konark Vikas Aghadi leader Vilas Patil and his wife, former mayor Pratibha Patil, was allegedly attacked by supporters of BJP MLA Mahesh Choughule’s Son Meet Choughule, who recently lost the civic polls. The incident triggered retaliatory vandalism at the BJP MLA’s office, plunging the city into tension.

According to allegations made by Vilas Patil, Meet Choughule and nearly 50–60 BJP workers attacked his residence, pelting stones and damaging window panes. During the attack, Pratibha Patil sustained injuries and was rushed to hospital for treatment. The incident occurred against the backdrop of BJP’s humiliating defeat in Ward No. 1, where Konark Vikas Aghadi swept all four seats, defeating all BJP candidates, including the MLA’s son.

Sources said the situation deteriorated rapidly after the election results, with tempers flaring among party workers. Konark Vikas Aghadi’s clean sweep in the ward not only dented BJP’s electoral ambitions but also altered local political equations, intensifying rivalry between the two camps.

Following the attack on the former mayor’s bungalow, Konark supporters gathered in large numbers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, demanding immediate arrest of the accused. The protest soon escalated, with both groups coming face to face, turning the area into a virtual battleground.

As the agitation intensified, police were forced to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Several party workers reportedly sustained minor injuries. Amid the chaos, enraged Konark supporters allegedly vandalised the office of BJP MLA Mahesh Choughule, damaging furniture and property inside the premises.

The violence led to panic across nearby localities, with shops shutting down and traffic coming to a halt for several hours.

Senior police officials, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Shashikant Borate, rushed to the spot and took charge of the situation. Heavy police deployment was made across sensitive areas of the city. Addressing the media, DCP Borate said the clash stemmed from a dispute between two political groups and warned that strict action would be taken against anyone attempting to disturb law and order.

Law and order will be maintained at any cost. Those responsible for violence will not be spared. At present, the situation is completely under control,” Borate said.

At Nizampura Police Station, both groups have filed complaints against each other. Based on the cross-complaints, police have registered cases against members of both camps. However, officials have not yet disclosed details regarding arrests.

Police said CCTV footage from nearby areas and statements of eyewitnesses are being examined to identify the culprits. Additional patrolling has been initiated, and intelligence units have been alerted to prevent any further escalation.

The incident has once again highlighted how intense political competition in civic elections can spill over into criminal violence. While Konark Vikas Aghadi’s victory has strengthened its grip on local politics, the post-poll unrest has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Bhiwandi.

Authorities have appealed to political leaders to restrain their supporters and maintain peace as investigations continue.

Maharashtra

28 structures affected by the Ghatkopar road widening project demolished.

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Mumbai: Yesterday (October 7, 2026), the ‘N’ Ward office of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation carried out a demolition drive targeting 28 structures in Ghatkopar (West) that were affected by the road-widening project between Jhunjhunwala College and the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road.

This demolition campaign was conducted under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner (‘N’ Ward) Jaydeep More.

Adequate police security was deployed alongside municipal officers and staff during the operation.

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Maharashtra

Man arrested in Mumbai for defrauding senior citizens and others using fake APK files.

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In a case involving the defrauding of a 72-year-old senior citizen in Mumbai on August 13, an unidentified caller—posing as Dinesh Kumar, a Senior Manager at Bank of India—gained the victim’s trust by promising to facilitate the issuance of a Senior Citizen Card. The caller sent an APK file named “Senior Citizen Card http://Verification.apk” to the complainant’s WhatsApp and coerced them into entering personal and bank debit card details, resulting in the misappropriation of ₹5,62,000. Initially, the Byculla Police Station registered a case (No. 497/26) under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS and Sections 66(C) and (D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. While the Property Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch was conducting a parallel investigation, senior officials ordered the transfer of the case to the Crime Branch; it was subsequently re-registered as Case No. 927/2026 for further investigation.

A thorough technical analysis of the aforementioned APK file was conducted, leading to the identification and arrest of the accused—a 36-year-old male software developer and resident of Madhya Pradesh—who was responsible for developing the fraudulent APK file. During a raid on the accused’s office in Madhya Pradesh, authorities recovered a pen drive, a CPU, three hard disks, a Wi-Fi router, and three mobile phones. Preliminary technical analysis revealed that the accused was utilizing servers from various service provider companies. Investigation confirmed that the accused had created and sold a total of 2,805 malicious APK files to other cybercriminal gangs. These files were used to defraud 9,673 people across India. Complaints regarding these incidents have been registered on the cyber helpline number 1930—specifically 1,074 nationwide, 143 in Maharashtra, and 36 in Mumbai—revealing a total fraud amount of ₹15.75 crore. Cases have been cracked involving 88 incidents across India, 8 in Maharashtra, and 5 in Mumbai.

This successful operation was executed by a team comprising Police Commissioner Devin, Joint Police Commissioner Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner Krishna Kant Upadhyay, DCP (Crime) Raj Tilak Roshan, and the Crime Branch. DCP Raj Tilak Roshan stated that this action was taken in response to fraud targeting the elderly under the guise of issuing senior citizen cards; the police also regularly conduct awareness campaigns among the elderly regarding this issue.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai CSMT: Case Filed Against Garjana Morcha Over Demand to Scrap SIR; Nitesh Rane Defends Action, Calls for Aditya Thackeray Passport to Be Seized

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Police have registered a case against the organizers of the ‘Garjana Morcha’ (Roaring Rally), which was held without permission at Azad Maidan near the BMC headquarters. The protest, organized by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, saw the participation of party workers from across Mumbai and the state. During the event, demands were raised to cancel the FIR, and Raj Thackeray—in his address—termed the FIR itself illegal; he also proposed a boycott of the elections. The Mumbai Police have registered the case under Sections 223, 189, and 190 of the BNS. Authorities stated that the case was filed due to the unlawful assembly of a crowd. The Azad Maidan Police have initiated an investigation into the matter, and the case has been registered against the organizers as well as other leaders. A case must be registered for an illegal protest: Nitesh Rane
Following the police case registered after the Azad Maidan protest, BJP leader and minister Nitesh Rane stated that filing a case for an unauthorized, illegal protest is mandatory because the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar prevails here. He alleged that the protest was held for “Vote Jihad.” Furthermore, in a vitriolic outburst, Rane noted that Aaditya Thackeray was absent from the protest organized by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray; claiming Aaditya knew action would be taken against him and might flee, Rane demanded that his passport be confiscated.

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