Mumbai: Eight persons were killed after a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) plunged into a deep gorge in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, police said on Monday.

The accident occurred in the Ambenali Ghat area on Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar road between 5 am and 6 am on Sunday when the victims were on their way from Dapoli to Satara. The vehicle was found in the gorge on Monday morning, a senior police official said.

The victims left from Harne in Dapoli at around 2 am in the SUV. When they did not reach Satara, their relatives launched a search in the afternoon and later approached the police.

During the investigation, the victims’ last location was traced through a mobile tower near Poladpur. While searching in the Ambenali Ghat section, the police spotted the SUV about 800 feet deep in the gorge on Monday morning, the official said.

The police suspect that the accident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle in the ghat area, following which it plunged into the gorge, he said.

So far, two bodies have been recovered with the help of the local disaster management team, while three more have been traced, the official said, adding that the search operation was underway.

The victims have been identified as Ritesh Lokhande (22), Suhas Lokhande (20), Utkarsh Shingte (21), Nikhil Shingte (25), Mahesh Pawar (25), Aditya Salunkhe (21), Rajesh Katkar (35), all the residents of Satara, and Ansh Chavan (19), belonging to Ratnagiri, the police added.

Navi Mumbai: Panvel City Police have arrested two persons for allegedly murdering a 44-year-old man in the Patel Mohalla area of Panvel following a dispute linked to an alleged extramarital affair, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Salim Anwar Shaikh (44), a resident of Patel Mohalla. According to the police, the accused attacked Shaikh with a sharp weapon and assaulted him over previous enmity on Saturday night near a mosque in the locality.

During the attack, the main accused, Shahnawaz Altaf Shaikh, allegedly stabbed Salim four to five times in the back and also inflicted serious head injuries. The other accused, identified as Salim Khamu Shaikh and Altaf Shaikh, allegedly assaulted him with kicks and punches before fleeing the spot.

Shaikh was rushed to a nearby hospital in a critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Sunday morning.

Police said preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was allegedly involved in an extramarital relationship with a woman from the same area. He had reportedly started living with his wife again over the past few days, which allegedly led to tensions between the parties.

Initially, Panvel City Police had registered a case of attempt to murder, but sections related to murder were later added after the victim’s death.

According to investigators, the attack was allegedly carried out due to previous rivalry and anger over the victim’s alleged inappropriate behaviour towards relatives of the woman involved. Police said the woman’s husband, son and their associate were involved in the crime.

A murder case has been registered against three accused, of whom two have been arrested so far. Further investigation is being conducted by Police Sub-Inspector Sanjay Aspadwar.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Centre after petrol prices in Mumbai crossed ₹111 per litre following yet another fuel price hike, the fourth increase in less than two weeks.

Taking a swipe at the soaring rates, Chaturvedi said Mumbai’s petrol prices had now reached the ‘shagun’ figure of Rs 111 and warned that diesel prices in metro cities could soon touch Rs 100 per litre if the current trend continues.

“In Mumbai Petrol price has reached shagun ka 111 number. Diesel reaching 100 in metros in the next price hike… which is likely in the next 24 hours,” Chaturvedi wrote in a post on X.

Her remarks came shortly after state-owned oil companies announced another steep revision in fuel prices amid rising global crude oil rates and escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

Today’s revision saw petrol prices rise by Rs 2.61 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.71, taking the cumulative increase since May 15 to nearly Rs 7.5 per litre. With the latest hike, petrol in Mumbai now costs Rs 111.21 per litre, while diesel has climbed to Rs 97.83 per litre, among the highest retail fuel prices in the country.

The latest fuel surge follows earlier hikes on May 15, May 19 and May 23 after oil companies resumed revisions following a prolonged freeze in retail prices. The repeated hikes are expected to significantly impact Mumbai’s daily commuters, cab and auto-rickshaw drivers, transport operators, delivery services and businesses already struggling with rising operational costs.

Officials have attributed the increases to rising international crude oil prices, disruptions in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the impact of geopolitical tensions linked to the Iran conflict.

The sharp rise in fuel prices has also intensified political attacks from Opposition parties, who have accused the government of burdening citizens with back-to-back hikes at a time of rising inflation and household expenses.