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Sarpanch’s murder: Oppn slams police for ordering 5 beds in Beed station where Karad is under arrest

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Mumbai, Jan 2: The NCP-SP and Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Beed police asking whether five new beds have been ordered for the comfort of Walmik Karad, a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde from Beed, who was wanted in an extortion case linked to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, who surrendered before the CID in Pune on Tuesday.

An extortion case has been registered against Karad who has been remanded in police custody for 14 days by Kej court in Beed district.

The police administration subsequently clarified that they were cots for the staff.

NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar in his post on X said, “There are reports of five new beds being ordered at the police station. Although the administration has clarified that new cots have been ordered for the staff, there are many questions like, how come the beds were suddenly ordered today? If new beds have been ordered for the staff, the same level of promptness should be shown for the staff in all police stations across the state.

“In addition, consideration should be given to whether mattresses, pillows, fans, and ACs can also be installed.”

On the other hand, senior Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar took a dig at the MahaYuti government asking whether the five cots ordered for the Beed police station were for Walmik Karad being covered under the ‘Ladli Aaropi Yojana (beloved accused scheme)’.

“There are not so many coincidences in the movies also as are witnessed in the police administration’s move to order five beds when Walmik Karad has been sentenced to 14 days’ police custody.

“This is the beginning of pampering the accused. Gradually he will get everything like TV, AC, and food from a five-star hotel,” remarked Wadettiwar.

“Does this government want to take fair action against Walmik Karad? If it wants to, then the investigation should be conducted outside Beed district. Will it investigate the person who has kept the police in its grip till now or will it be a service? The government should either stop pretending to take action against Karad and if it wants to take action, it should be done seriously,” said Wadettiwar.

“Whether it is the murder of Santosh Deshmukh or a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), no case has been registered in Karad yet, which raises questions about this investigation,” he commented.

The state government on Wednesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IPS officer Basavaraj Teli to investigate the brutal killing of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district which took place in December last year.

Teli is the head of the Economic Offences Wing of the CID. All the officers in the SIT are from Beed district.

The current investigating officer DYSP Anil Gujar will also be in the probe team.

Apart from Gujar, the other members of the SIT include Vijay Singh Shivlal Jonwal, assistant police inspector, Local Crime Branch, Beed, Mahesh Vighne, sub inspector, Local Crime Branch, Beed, Anand Shankar Shinde, sub inspector Kej, Tulshiram Jagtap, assistant sub inspector, Manoj Rajendra Wagh, police constable, Chandrakant S Kalkute, police naik, Balasaheb Devidas Akhabare, police naik and Santosh Bhagwanrao Gitte, police constable.

The Santosh Deshmukh murder case is currently being investigated by the CID and so far more than 150 people have been questioned in this case.

The investigation is being conducted in connection with the links between the extortion of Rs 2 crore and the CID team is checking all the call records, CDRs on a war footing.

Crime

Thane Crime Branch Arrests 25-Year-Old Serial Housebreaker, Cracks 9 Theft Cases In Bhiwandi; Seizes Gold Worth ₹5.98 Lakh

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Thane: The Thane Crime Branch Unit 2 has arrested a 25-year-old habitual thief and cracked nine house break-in cases reported across Bhiwandi.

Gold Worth ₹5.98 Lakh Recovered from Accused Akash Jadhav

According to police sources, 58 grams of gold ornaments worth ₹5.98 lakh were recovered from the accused’s possession. The suspect has been identified as Akash alias Chinya Jadhav, a resident of the Manpada area in Thane.

The investigation began after an FIR was filed at Narpoli police station for a housebreaking incident involving an unidentified suspect. Crime Branch officials, along with local police, launched a joint investigation. CCTV footage and technical intelligence led to the identification of Jadhav.

A trap was laid, and the accused was apprehended. He was produced in court and remanded to police custody for further investigation.

History of Theft: 9 Cases Registered Across Four Police Stations

During questioning, police discovered that Jadhav has a history of theft, with nine cases registered against him. These include five at Narpoli, two at Bhiwandi City, one at Nizampura, and one at Shantinagar police station.

Police confirmed the recovery of stolen gold ornaments during the arrest. Further investigation is underway.

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Business

India Lost ₹22,842 Crore To Cybercriminals & Fraudsters In 2024: DataLEADS

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India lost Rs 22,842 crore to cybercriminals and fraudsters in 2024, DataLEADS, a Delhi-based media and tech company, said in its report on widespread digital financial frauds in the country. The amount stolen by digital criminals and fraudsters last year was nearly three times more than the Rs 7,465 crore in 2023 and almost 10 times more than the Rs 2,306 in 2022, DataLEADS said in ‘Contours of Cybercrime: Persistent and Emerging Risk of Online Financial Frauds and Deepfakes in India.

Prediction For Cyber-Crime Frauds

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, I4C, a federal agency that liaises between state and central law enforcement, predicts Indians will lose over Rs 1.2 lakh crore this year. The number of cybercrime complaints has spiked similarly; nearly twenty lakh were reported in 2024, up from around 15.6 lakh the year before and ten times more than were logged in 2019.

The surge in the number of cybercrime complaints and the volume of money lost points to one inescapable conclusion – India’s digital crooks are getting smarter and more efficient, and, in a country with a staggering nearly 290 lakh unemployed people, their ranks are increasing.

Bank-related frauds have increased dramatically; the Reserve Bank of India reported a nearly eightfold jump in the first half of FY 2025/26 compared to the same period last year. And the amount of money lost was staggering – Rs 2,623 crore to Rs 21,367 crore. Private sector banks accounted for nearly 60 per cent of all such incidents. But it was customers in public sector banks who were worst-hit; they lost Rs 25,667 crore in all.

Why have these numbers jumped so much over the past three years?

Because of the increased use of digital payment modes – i.e., smartphone-enabled services like Paytm and PhonePe – and the sharing and processing of financial details online – via (what many believe are encrypted and fail-safe) messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Federal data says there were over 190 lakh UPI, or unified payment interface, transactions in June 2025 alone, and these were worth a combined Rs 24.03 lakh crore. Digital payments’ value has grown from roughly Rs 162 crore in 2013 to Rs 18,120.82 crore in January 2025, and India accounts for nearly half of all such payments worldwide.

COVID-19

Much of this increase can be attributed to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns.

During COVID-19, the government pushed for a switch to UPI apps like Paytm to ensure social distancing and minimise contact with currency notes, via which the virus could be transmitted.

Digital Payment Tools In Rural Areas

The government also reasoned that digital payment tools would ensure greater penetration of financial services, particularly in rural areas. By 2019, India already had 440 million smartphone users and data rates were among the cheapest in the world – 1 GB cost Rs 200, or less than $3.

Insurance sector scams were also common. These included life, health, vehicle, and general, and are becoming an increasingly lucrative option for cybercriminals, particularly as insurance companies urge customers to opt for app-based services.

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Crime

Mumbai Drug Bust: 24-Year-Old Arrested In Byculla With Mephedrone, Charas Worth ₹3.46 Crore In Car

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Mumbai: In a major anti-drug operation, the Mumbai Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the early hours of Wednesday and recovered a large quantity of narcotics valued at over Rs 3.46 crore. The accused, identified as Sahil Junaid Ansari, a resident of Bhiwandi in Thane district, was intercepted while driving through the Byculla area of South Mumbai.

Accused Found Driving Suspiciously In Byculla Area

The incident occurred around 4 am when a team of patrolling constables, Bhabad, Bhoye and Gangurde, spotted a Maruti Ertiga car moving suspiciously near Hume Church on B.A. Road. The team flagged down the vehicle and questioned the driver about his presence at that odd hour. Ansari, however, failed to give a satisfactory response, raising the officers’ suspicions.

Alerted by constable Bhabad, night duty in-charge Police Inspector Anup Dange immediately reached the location with PSI Kolekar, PSI Asade from the Anti-Terror Cell and other detection personnel.

Details On Drugs Found In Car

A detailed search of the vehicle was conducted, during which the police found 1,710 grams of Mephedrone, commonly known as MD, concealed inside. The street value of the seized MD is estimated at Rs 3.42 crore. Additionally, 17 grams of charas worth Rs 4.5 lakh were also recovered from the car.

Police officials confirmed that Ansari has been taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The contraband was seized and sent for forensic examination.

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