Mumbai: Mumbai’s Santacruz Police uncovered a bizarre yet elaborate scam in which a gang allegedly promised to ‘make money rain’ to solve a businessman’s financial problems. Two suspects, identified as Gujarat residents Ilyas Karim Musani and Sohilbhai Jigarbhai Shaikh, were arrested recently, while police are searching for additional accomplices believed to be part of the racket. Cops are also verifying whether the gang has duped more victims using similar deceptive rituals.

The complainant is a 76-year-old resident of Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz who operates a dairy business registered in his late wife’s name. For nearly two years, his wife had been seriously ill, leading him to lease the dairy for Rs 2 lakh and to rent out a room for Rs 3 lakh to cover her medical treatment. Despite his efforts, she succumbed to the illness. After performing her funeral rites in his hometown, the grieving senior citizen returned to Mumbai burdened with heavy debt accumulated during the prolonged medical battle.

During this challenging period, he met a man identified only as Khan Sahab and confided in him about his financial distress. Khan then introduced him to two men, Sahil and Imran, claiming they possessed supernatural abilities and could create money rain to wipe away his debt. The complainant was taken to them, where the duo allegedly performed a demonstration by pulling out small bundles of currency from their clothing, convincing him they could generate money through mystical rituals.

The scammers instructed the victim to procure certain ritualistic items along with cash. On 25 October 2025, he met the accused at Juhu Chowpatty as directed. There, the gang collected Rs 1.5 lakh from him and performed a staged ritual. They handed him a bag, assuring him that it contained money generated through their powers and quickly disappeared from the spot.

However, according to the report, when the businessman returned home and opened the bag, he found it filled with fake Rs 500 and Rs 200 notes marked as ‘Indian Entertainment Bank’ and ‘Indian Children’s Bank.’ Realising he had fallen prey to fraud, he approached the Santacruz Police and lodged a complaint, leading to the registration of a cheating case.

Cops then tracked the accused using CCTV footage and technical surveillance, eventually learning that they had fled to Gujarat. A police team was sent to Botad town, where Musani and Shaikh were detained. During questioning, both confessed to the crime and were brought back to Mumbai for arrest. Police continue efforts to recover the stolen amount and identify other members of the racket involved in the elaborate con.

Mumbai: Vivek Vidyalaya Junior College in Mumbai’s Goregaon has come under scrutiny after introducing a new dress code that bars students from wearing burqas inside classrooms, a shift that has surprised many, as the attire had been permitted for years.

While Mumbai colleges often restrict outfits like ripped jeans, shorts, or crop tops, this institution has now added religious coverings such as burqas and niqabs to the list, citing the need to avoid clothing that reveals religion or shows cultural disparity. Hijabs and headscarves, however, continue to be allowed.

The controversy escalated after a video shared by local news portal media went viral on X, showing burqa-wearing students being stopped at the college entrance. A student narrates the situation, and the clip later shows the group meeting the principal, who appears firm in rejecting their request to withdraw the rule.

Several students stated that they now arrive on campus in burqas, change into regular clothes in the washroom before class, and switch back afterward. “I’ve worn a burqa all my life. Sitting in class without one feels uncomfortable,” said an FYJC student.

Importantly, the ban applies only to the junior college section; the senior college has no such restriction. Students who questioned the decision claimed they were asked to cancel their admissions if they disagreed with the policy.

On December 1, a group of affected students, joined by AIMIM advocate Jahanara Shaikh, approached the Teen Dongri police station in Goregaon West. The principal was summoned for discussions. Shaikh confirmed that no legal action has been taken yet. “We requested the principal to revoke the rule, but she refused, saying she would consult the management. We will meet the authorities again in two days,” she said. The college management has not issued any official statement into the matter as of now.

Mumbai, Dec 3: Shiv Sena(UBT) on Wednesday claimed that the Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections in Maharashtra are mired in controversy and administrative turmoil, following a ruling delivered by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court postponing all vote counting until December 21.

The party said the order mandates that the counting of the votes cast on December 2 be withheld for 19 days, and results be declared alongside the polls that were already postponed to December 20. The entire election process has become a “complete farce (khelkhondoba)” and a symbol of “slack governance and anarchy”, with both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the State Election Commission (SEC) facing intense accusations of corruption and procedural irregularity.

The Thackeray camp, in a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, alleged that the entire process has been characterised by “chaos, confusion, and suspicion”, with irregularities reported from voter lists to the actual voting process.

According to the editorial, the counting for 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats, originally scheduled for December 3, was pushed ahead after a legal challenge sought to ensure that early results would not influence the voting in the 12 districts where polls were postponed. The postponement of counting means that the EVMs used today will have to be secured for nearly three weeks. Opposition parties have expressed deep concern regarding the security of the EVMs, which will be stored for 19 days. They questioned who would guarantee that the machines would remain untouched, raising fears that the ruling establishment, which is already accused of having gained power through election fraud, might attempt an ‘EVM scam’.

“Therefore, the voting machinery that was ready on Tuesday should remain ‘secure’ for a full 19 days — who will ensure there’s no tampering, and how? Everyone has seen the chaos and confusion in Assembly elections. Even in the current Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections, all three ruling parties — especially the BJP — have openly adopted the tactics of ‘sam, dam, dand, bhed (persuasion, purchase, punishment, division)’. The incidents of cash bags and seizures of lakhs of rupees from this same constituency have also occurred. These are the constituencies vying for power at that level. The Chief Ministers released sermons on ‘ethics, regulations, and funds’ during campaign rallies. Despite the court’s fresh verdict, he expressed sharp displeasure without hesitation,” remarked the Thackeray camp in the editorial.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena further said, “Can trust be placed in the ruling alliance that came to power through election manipulation? With voting and counting now 19 days apart, the days of uncertainty are ahead.” The initial chaos that led to the split voting schedule was a result of the SEC’s own admission of ‘irregular’ procedure in 12 districts.

The editorial said the SEC admitted that some Election Officers violated the Maharashtra Municipality Election Rules, 1966, by allotting election symbols without providing the required three-day withdrawal period for candidates.

Critics have slammed the SEC’s eleventh-hour postponement as “highly suspicious” and “planned chaos”, alleging that the delay was intended to benefit the BJP by giving them more time for election settings.

Even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis publicly expressed intense displeasure over the SEC’s decision, stating that the poll body was working improperly and that the process of postponing announced elections was “not proper”.

However, the opposition dismissed the CM’s reaction as a “well-staged drama”, arguing that the Chief Minister was merely ‘play-acting’ while the SEC, a ‘joker’, would not have acted without his tacit approval, commented the editorial.