Mumbai: Mohammad Ayaz, also known as Tanveer, has emerged as the prime accused in a disturbing case involving the alleged sexual exploitation of at least 180 minor girls in Maharashtra’s Amravati district. His arrest has triggered widespread outrage and a multi-agency probe into what officials suspect could be a larger network.

A resident of Paratwada city, Ayaz is accused of luring minor girls through a so-called ‘love trap,’ befriending them via social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Snapchat before allegedly exploiting them. He would take victims to cities like Mumbai and Pune, where he filmed obscene videos.

According to an Media report quoting police sources, over 350 such videos were recorded, many of which were allegedly used to blackmail the victims. Some girls were reportedly coerced into prostitution, while certain videos were circulated online, raising concerns about digital exploitation and wider distribution networks.

The case gained momentum after Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde flagged the issue in a memorandum to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vishal Anand, alleging systematic targeting of minors. Bonde also demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), warning of protests if swift action was not taken.

Ayaz’s background has also come under scrutiny. He had allegedly been associated with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in the past. Social media posts showed him participating in political events and interacting with local leaders, including receiving a letter from party functionary Haji Irfan Khan. However, several such posts were deleted after the case surfaced.

Following the complaint, police acted swiftly and arrested Ayaz, producing him before a court, which remanded him to seven days in police custody. His mobile phone has been seized and is currently under forensic examination, with officials confirming the presence of multiple objectionable videos.

Cops are now working to determine whether Ayaz acted alone or was part of a larger criminal syndicate. The Cyber Cell has been engaged to trace the circulation of the videos and identify additional victims or accomplices.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya reacted to the sexual exploitation case in Amravati naming it as a ‘SEX Scam’. According to him, the accused and his associates targeted and abused multiple minor girls, aged 16–17, who were attending coaching classes for Classes 11 and 12. Victims from Paratwada, Achalpur, Amravati, and Nagpur were reportedly blackmailed.

Somaiya stated that he has spoken with police officials, MLA Pravin Tayade and MP Anil Bonde regarding the matter. He also mentioned that he has requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case.

New Delhi, April 15: Amid the continuing stir in Noida’s Phase 2 area, an alleged link to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) surfaced on Wednesday, with Noida police booking two party spokespersons over charges of spreading misinformation on social media.

According to officials, Priyanka Bharti and Kanchana Yadav – two RJD leading spokespersons and also well-known TV faces, have been named in the FIR lodged at the Cyber Crime Police Station.

The case pertains to the circulation of ‘misleading’ content during the labour unrest, which saw multiple incidents of vandalism and arson.

Noida Police, in its FIR, has said that the video purportedly shared by the duo on social media, was projected as the one from Noida stir but it was actually from an incident in Madhya Pradesh. The video clip reportedly showed police detaining an intoxicated individual, but was falsely circulated as an incident involving workers in Noida.

Authorities believe that the misleading posts contributed to confusion among the public and labourers, damaging the image of the police and potentially inciting unrest. The FIR notes that such actions may have been intended to provoke tension and disturb law and order.

Officials are now investigating the broader network behind the dissemination of such ‘misleading and misguiding’ content and examining multiple social media handles over alleged attempts to fan disturbance.

The development comes amid a crackdown following violent protests by workers in parts of Noida, where incidents of stone-pelting, vandalism and arson were reported.

Police have urged people not to share unverified information online and warned of strict action against those found spreading rumours or attempting to incite violence through social media platforms.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Medha Roopam chaired a meeting with outsourcing agencies and contractors associated with various industrial units, where it was decided that strict action, including blacklisting and licence cancellation, would be taken against agencies linked to any unruly behaviour by their personnel.

The meeting was convened to ensure full compliance with government guidelines across the district and maintain industrial peace amid ongoing labour-related concerns.

Addressing the participants, the District Magistrate emphasised the crucial role played by outsourcing agencies and contractors in the functioning of industries and in generating employment opportunities, according to an official statement.

Mumbai: Attaching an individual’s bank accounts without due process amounts to a breach of civil rights that can effectively bring a ‘live death’ to business, the Bombay High Court observed while quashing a provisional attachment order issued by a Joint Commissioner of State Tax and imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on the officer.

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe allowed a petition filed by Nivara Infradevelopers LLP challenging the January 23 order under the MGST/CGST Act, 2017, by which its bank accounts were attached.

Terming the action an “apparent abuse of the powers” vested in tax authorities, the court said, “We are of the opinion that the impugned attachment is required to be interfered [with] as the impugned action… has seriously breached the civil rights of the petitioner without following the due procedure of law.”

According to the plea, the Joint Commissioner issued a pre-attachment communication on January 23 and, on the very same day, proceeded to attach the firm’s accounts with Punjab National Bank and Saraswat Co-operative Bank Ltd, without waiting for a reply or granting a hearing.

The petitioner argued that the action was “high-handed, arbitrary and based on extraneous considerations,” pointing out that neither the pre-intimation notice nor the attachment order disclosed any opinion regarding alleged tax evasion or even specified the relevant period.

Under the law, the officer must form an opinion based on tangible material before ordering provisional attachment. The petitioner contended that no such exercise was evident.

On January 30, the firm submitted a detailed objection and even offered alternate security, but this was not considered and the attachment continued, it said.

The court noted that the state was unable to justify the action beyond what was stated in the attachment order. It also found “absolute vagueness” in the pre-intimation notice, observing that the “mandate and requirement of law has been given a complete go by” in taking such coercive steps.

Agreeing that the action appeared high-handed, the bench said that when “drastic” powers are conferred on authorities, they come with an “onerous duty” to strictly follow legal procedure, adding, “There cannot be a conscious departure from such mandatory requirements of law.”

“It is the rule of law which is taken to ransom by such officials when they knowingly breach the law, that too with impunity,” the court said, adding that adherence to procedure would prevent much litigation.

Calling it a “gross” case of breach of legal requirements, the court said the continued attachment for over three months deprived the petitioner of rights under Article 300A of the Constitution of India and put the business to a “live death”.

The court quashed the order and directed the officer to deposit Rs 25,000 with the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority within two months, while granting liberty to issue a fresh show-cause notice based on tangible material.