Mumbai: A major boost to India’s coastal defence capability came on Monday as the Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, the first vessel in the Mahe-class series of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC). The ceremony, held at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, was hosted by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and presided over by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.

The commissioning marks the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallow-water combatants, compact, highly manoeuvrable and designed specifically for India’s littoral warfare requirements. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), INS Mahe reflects the strength of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, with over 80 per cent indigenous content in its design, construction and integration. Navy officials described the vessel as ‘sleek, swift and resolutely Indian.’

INS Mahe’s primary role is anti-submarine warfare in shallow waters, an area where conventional deep-water ships face limitations. With a blend of stealth, firepower and agility, the ship will undertake submarine hunting, coastal patrol and surveillance duties, strengthening security along critical maritime approaches.

Its name pays tribute to Mahe, the historic coastal enclave on India’s Malabar Coast. The ship’s crest features the Urumi, the flexible sword of Kalaripayattu, symbolising agility, precision and lethal grace, qualities reflected in the vessel’s mission profile.

Navy officials emphasised that INS Mahe is a multi-purpose warship, capable of being deployed across a wide spectrum of operations:

Anti-submarine warfare

Coastal defence and maritime security

Underwater surveillance

Search and rescue

Mine-laying

High-precision missions in shallow waters

Its compact 78-metre frame, 2.7-metre draft, 896–1,100-ton displacement and robust water-jet propulsion enable rapid manoeuvring even in tight maritime zones, an increasingly crucial requirement in modern coastal defence.

INS Mahe is powered by a modern diesel-engine and water-jet propulsion system, allowing a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 1,800 nautical miles at cruising speed. It carries 57 crew members including seven officers and is equipped with two RHIBs for rapid response.

With an extremely low acoustic signature, the vessel is engineered to remain undetected while tracking enemy submarines. This stealth advantage is reinforced by advanced sonar systems, making it highly effective in both shallow and variable-depth waters.

The ship’s surveillance backbone is built around two state-of-the-art sonar systems:

1. DRDO Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar

Continuously monitors underwater surroundings

Detects submarine signatures, mines and artificial objects

Optimised for shallow-water operations

2. Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS)

Deployed through a cable for deep-water detection

Effective in areas where hull-mounted sonar faces limitations

Long-range, low-frequency scanning for high accuracy

Together, the systems offer round-the-clock underwater surveillance and precise target identification.

INS Mahe is armed with a range of modern weapons, making it a formidable platform for anti-submarine warfare:

12-barrel IRL Anti-Submarine Rocket Launcher

30 mm Naval Surface Gun for defence against small craft and aerial threats

Two triple lightweight torpedo launchers (six ALWT torpedoes)

Anti-submarine mines deployable via mine-laying rails

Two 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote-Controlled Guns for coastal and anti-piracy operations

The combination enables detection, tracking and elimination of hostile submarines and maritime threats across a variety of operational scenarios.

With INS Mahe joining the fleet, the Indian Navy majorly enhances its littoral warfare capability. The vessel will play a vital role in protecting India’s coastal zones, monitoring suspicious submarine activity and contributing to mission-critical operations on the Western Seaboard.

INS Mahe stands as both a strategic asset and a milestone in India’s indigenous defence manufacturing journey, further strengthening maritime security and pushing India closer to naval self-reliance.

New Delhi, Nov 24: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that Liam Livingstone’s high price was likely a factor in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s decision to release him into the IPL 2026 auction pool.

Livingstone played for RCB in their title-winning IPL 2025 season after being bought for Rs. 8.75 crore at last year’s mega auction. However, he had an underwhelming time – scoring 112 runs in eight innings with a strike rate of 133.33, including one half-century, and taking two wickets in nine overs with an economy rate of 8.44.

It would be interesting to see if RCB or any other team ropes him in for the IPL 2026 auction, to be held in Abu Dhabi, on December 16. “Releases are always tough calls. Liam Livingstone is someone I enjoyed working with closely, and he was extremely good for Punjab in IPL 2022, probably his best IPL season. He can change the game single-handedly in just a few overs with his powerful batting.”

“What makes him special is his bowling flexibility; he bowls leg spin to right-handers and off spin to left-handers, plus he’s a good fielder, making him a complete package. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great IPL season for RCB last year and also missed out on selection for England.”

“Otherwise, I’m sure other franchises would be interested in him. His high price tag was likely a factor in the release. RCB also needs to find backup options, both an overseas fast bowler and an Indian fast bowler to support their main bowling attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. This need for bowling depth might be another reason behind this tough call,” said Kumble, a former RCB skipper, on JioStar.

Saba Karim, former India wicketkeeper-batter and national selector, questioned RCB’s decision to release young batter Swastik Chikara. “It’s a splendid position for RCB to be finally being called as the defending champions. Talking about their auction plans, they can still buy back Liam Livingstone in the mini-auction if he doesn’t go for too high a price.”

“I’m also surprised they didn’t retain Swastik Chikara, who was an excellent buy last season after his prolific performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I was actually expecting him to get a game, but he didn’t play a single match and now, hasn’t been retained. If RCB wants to strengthen their batting lineup, there are several Indian uncapped batsmen they can target in the auction to build their squad depth for the upcoming season,” he added.

New Delhi, Nov 24: Delhi Police on Monday arrested a thief who stole jewellery from his own relative’s house. The Bindapur Police Station team of the Dwarka district recovered the stolen gold items following the arrest.

According to a statement released by the Dwarka Police, the team recovered one gold chain with a locket, another gold chain, one pair of gold chains, one pair of gold earrings, two gold rings, and a 20-gram gold biscuit at the instance of the accused.

On November 9, an online e-FIR (No. 80106448/25) under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was received at Bindapur Police Station. The police team reached the location and met the complainant, Manjinder Kaur, wife of Aslam Saleem and a resident of Arya Samaj Road, Uttam Nagar, Delhi. She reported that unknown persons had stolen jewellery from her residence. Based on her complaint, the aforementioned e-FIR was lodged.

Maintaining a zero-tolerance approach as directed by the DCP of Dwarka District, a dedicated crack team from Bindapur Police Station was formed to solve the case and apprehend the culprit. The team comprised Head Constable Neeraj, Head Constable Ashok, Constable Rajesh Dagar, and Constable Ashish, under the supervision of Inspector Naresh Sangwan, Station House Officer, and overall supervision of Rajkumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dabri.

In pursuit of the investigation, the team visited the crime spot and examined CCTV footage from the house and surrounding areas. Notably, there were no signs of forced entry, no locks or doors had been broken leading the police to suspect involvement by someone familiar with the house or residing in the same building.

During the enquiry, it came to light that a cousin of the complainant had visited and stayed at the house for three days. Police questioned the cousin, identified as Parmjeet Singh, a resident of GTB Nagar, Lalhedi Road, Ludhiana, Punjab. When questioned, Parmjeet initially introduced himself as Sub-Inspector Parmveer Singh. However, he failed to produce any identity card and could not give a satisfactory answer regarding his alleged posting.

As his statements appeared suspicious, police conducted a more thorough interrogation. During sustained questioning, Parmjeet admitted that he worked as a commission agent dealing in old cars and ultimately confessed to committing the theft at the house of the complainant, who is the daughter of his maternal aunt.

He further revealed that he had hidden the stolen jewellery at his maternal grandfather’s house in Ambota, Himachal Pradesh, concealing it inside a bed. Based on his disclosure, Parmjeet was arrested, produced before the court, and placed under police remand. A police team accompanied him to Himachal Pradesh, where the stolen items were successfully recovered.

Further investigation is underway.