Mumbai, July 4: The Cyber Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police has busted an organised cyber fraud syndicate allegedly involved in cheating investors of more than Rs 1.07 crore through fake online share trading schemes.

As part of the operation, police arrested six individuals accused of orchestrating the fraud by luring victims with bogus investment opportunities, officials said.

According to the Cyber Police, the accused allegedly carried out the fraud by operating through WhatsApp groups, fake trading applications and multiple bank accounts while promising lucrative returns through fabricated share trading and IPO investment schemes.

Of the six accused arrested in the case, four were apprehended from Vadodara in Gujarat, while the remaining two were arrested from Mumbai. Police said the investigation revealed that the group functioned as a well-organised network with clearly defined roles assigned to different members.

According to investigators, the operation was carried out in several layers. The first stage involved identifying individuals willing to provide their bank accounts.

Thereafter, current accounts were allegedly opened in the names of companies, following which the money obtained through the fraud was routed through multiple bank accounts before being transferred further to conceal its trail.

Police believe the entire mechanism was part of an organised cyber fraud racket designed to evade detection.

The case came to light after a 43-year-old investment professional from Mumbai approached the police with a complaint.

According to investigators, she came across an online share trading advertisement on WhatsApp and clicked on the link provided in the message.

Police said that after accessing the link, the woman was added to a WhatsApp group named ‘Arjun Mehta, Kua Securities, UK’, where several individuals, posing as market experts, regularly shared stock market updates, investment advice and claims of exceptionally high returns in an apparent attempt to gain the confidence of group members.

According to the police, the accused gradually won the victim’s trust through professional-looking conversations and investment discussions.

She was eventually persuaded to register on what was presented as an online trading platform and to download a mobile application that displayed an interface closely resembling a genuine stock trading platform.

Believing the platform to be legitimate, the victim transferred money in multiple instalments from her own bank accounts as well as from the accounts of her family members to various bank accounts provided by the accused.

During the investigation, police found that the fraudsters had allegedly cheated the victim of a total amount of Rs 1,07,37,208.

The Cyber Crime Branch is now examining the financial transactions linked to the accused, tracing the movement of the defrauded funds and identifying other individuals who may have been part of the network.

Investigators are also trying to ascertain whether more investors across different states may have fallen victim to the same modus operandi.

Mumbai, July 4: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Saturday claimed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration has allegedly fallen into the hands of corrupt elements, leading to a complete collapse of civic life in the city following the initial spells of monsoon rain.

In a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp said Mumbai’s crumbling civic infrastructure has already claimed two innocent lives.

In Chembur, a young schoolboy was killed after a tree fell onto a school bus, while in the Sakinaka area, a 60-year-old man met a tragic end after falling into an open and unguarded manhole.

“Public outrage is mounting, with demands that instead of merely seeking the resignation of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, cases of culpable homicide should be registered against the political rulers governing the civic body. Those who routinely criticised the Shiv Sena are now realising the party’s importance in managing the BMC,” it said.

The editorial said that the ongoing crisis has exposed the alleged hypocrisy, cruelty, and corruption of the ruling BJP and its allies. Under the previous Shiv Sena administration, local corporators held significant influence and maintained strict vigilance over their respective areas.

However, the resurgence of an unaccountable system has reportedly given rise to a culture of kickbacks, where commissions from private contractors are being actively distributed among corrupt functionaries, it added.

The crisis has triggered severe infighting within the ruling alliance. Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, belonging to the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, sparked controversy by demanding the BMC commissioner’s resignation, holding her solely responsible for the city’s plight.

“Critics have labelled this demand as intellectual bankruptcy, pointing out that Eknath Shinde himself heads the Urban Development Ministry. While the rampant corruption and high-handedness of contractors are directly blamed for these fatal accidents, Commissioner Bhide is also criticised for failing to curb the brokerage and corruption, thereby bearing the responsibility for the two fatalities,” said the editorial.

Furthermore, the Thackeray camp claimed that amid the governance vacuum, political distractions have emerged.

A BJP leader from Mulund, mockingly referred to as ‘Popatlal’, has been frequenting the BMC headquarters to pressure the commissioner into evicting Bangladeshi immigrants — a task that legally falls under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Instead of playing political games in the BMC, he should question Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, as these political stunts have stalled essential civic amenities, resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” it said.

According to the editorial, the pre-monsoon preparedness of the BMC has come under severe scrutiny. The civic body failed to clean drains, repair roads, or trim dangerous tree branches in time, leading to widespread uprooting of trees and massive traffic gridlocks across the city.

“Mayor Ritu Tawde had officially declared that 104 per cent of the drain desilting work had been completed before the monsoon. Critics have questioned the mathematical logic behind a “104 per cent completion” figure, asking where the extra 4 per cent came from, noting that the city remains at the mercy of the government’s favoured contractors,” it noted.

While the commissioner is widely known as Mumbai’s “Metro Woman” for overseeing the construction of underground metro tunnels, her tenure has come under intense scrutiny over the civic body’s failure to tackle potholes and carry out effective desilting.

Amid mounting criticism, Bhide directed the police to register cases against negligent contractors whose alleged lapses resulted in the loss of lives, the editorial said.

Mumbai, July 4: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a critical red alert for Mumbai, Thane, and several neighbouring districts as relentless monsoon downpours lashed the region for a fourth consecutive day, officials said.

With more than 100 mm of rain recorded across multiple areas in just 24 hours, weather officials warned that the intensity will spike significantly.

Authorities have strongly advised citizens to remain indoors and venture out only for absolute essentials.

Heavy rain since Saturday morning has caused immediate waterlogging in vulnerable pockets.

Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rain-gauge stations highlights that suburban areas are bearing the brunt of the storm, with parts of Bandra and Chembur recording the highest precipitation.

Areas with highest rainfall recorded (in past 24 hours) include H-West Ward Office: 146.4 mm, Bandra (Supari Tank Municipal School): 143.4 mm, Bandra (Pali Mumbai Municipal School): 140.6 mm, G-South Ward Office: 140.2 mm, F-North Ward Office: 132 mm, Mankhurd Fire Station: 126.8 mm and Chembur (Collector Colony): 124.2 mm.

The neighboring Thane city registered 58 mm of rainfall between Friday morning and early Saturday dawn, with intermittent heavy spells continuing to pound the district.

Forecasters warn that intense, severe monsoon activity will grip Maharashtra over the weekend and persist until July 7.

The IMD estimates that high-risk regions could receive between 200 mm to 250 mm of torrential rain over the weekend.

The red alert spans across Mumbai and Thane (active for both Saturday and Sunday), Palghar and Raigad, and Satara and Pune (specifically targeting the vulnerable Ghat/mountain regions).

The local civic administration, Fire Brigade, and the Disaster Management Department have been placed on high alert.

To prevent mishaps amid rising water levels and rough seas, the BMC has declared all beaches and coastal areas strictly off-limits.

Public appeals have been broadcast across the metropolitan region urging people to avoid low-lying locations entirely.

The state administration has urged citizens to remain vigilant, avoid visiting waterlogged or ghat areas unnecessarily, and contact the following helplines in case of emergencies, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) 1916, Palghar District Helpline 02525 297474/+91 82379 78873, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC): 022-25364779/022-25301740/+91 93723 38827, Thane Disaster Management Cell: 1800-222-108/8657887101 and Panvel Municipal Corporation: 022-27458040/41/42.

The civic administration in a safety advisory has urged the citizens not to astute to drive or wade through flooded streets and secure loose objects outside their homes.