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Maharashtra

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut terms ED an ‘extortionist’ and BJP’s ‘ATM’

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Making a sensational allegation, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is running extortion rackets in Maharashtra and West Bengal and has become the ‘ATM’ of the BJP, with activist Kirit Somaiya acting as their ‘collection agent’.

“The maximum operations of the ED and Income Tax Department are in Maharashtra and West Bengal. Today, a series of ITD raids are being carried out in Maharashtra,” said Shiv Sena Chief Spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut.

The ED-ITD have carried out 14 operations in Maharashtra and 7 in West Bengal with the sole design of instilling fear and toppling the two states’ governments, he told a media conference.

Flanked by Mumbai South Sena MP Arvind Sawant, Raut said in the past few years, the ED has zeroed in on around 100 top builders and corporate houses to ‘extort’ hundreds of crores of rupees from them, with Somaiya acting as their conduit.

He claimed that one Jitendra Chandralal Navlani, who is a director in 7 companies is acting as the keeper of the ill-gotten wealth and ‘benami properties’ of ED officials and BJP leaders.

“The ED started ‘investigating’ these builders and corporate houses, but soon afterwards large sums of monies were transferred from various targeted persons to Navlani’s seven companies. Who is he and what are his connections with the BJP leaders? Will the ED-ITD take action against him, as they keep doing against us?” demanded Raut.

He listed the names of the chemicals giant United Phosphorus Ltd, the mega-engineering company Larsen & Toubro, K. Raheja Pvt Ltd, DHFL, builder Avinash Bhosale, IndiaBulls, HDIL, Omkar Realty, Wadhwa Realty, Inorbit Malls, DB Realty, Panorama Studios, Pallazio Hotels, Gaylord Co Ltd, Monsher Fire Protection Systems Pvt Ltd, Nerka Chemicals, and others who allegedly coughed out monies to Navlani’s various companies.

He said after these ‘bribe’ monies were transferred, the ED went slow, did not arrest, weaken case or exonerated the accused, but where the public pressure was huge or backlash from courts was expected, they made some arrests, but took care that their families were protected and all their assets were not seized to broker a deal later, with persons like Somaiya.

Dismissing outright the allegations against him, Somaiya told mediapersons that he has no connections with Navlani or any of the other persons mentioned by Raut and denied that he is an ‘agent’ for the ED, but vowed to continue his crusade against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Raut reiterated that on February 28, he had submitted a detailed 13-page complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and is awaiting action.

The Sena MP said he has also given around 50 names to the ED-ITD with thousands of documentary evidence, but till date no action has been taken on it, and said that those tasked with prevention of money-laundering have themselves become money-launderers.

He charged the ED with doing the government’s bidding to threaten, intimidate, fix political opponents and dissenters and in turn, the ED officers run their massive extortion rackets of crores of rupees which are laundered or held through fronts and mules like Navlani, Farid Sama and many others.

“There are many names and many particulars which will shock the conscience,” Raut wrote to the PM.

“Today, our Sena leader Arvind Bhosale has submitted a detailed complaint on these matters to the Mumbai Police which will soon start its probe. Somaiya, his son Neil Somaiya will definitely go to jail, besides other officials,” Raut declared.

Maharashtra

Mumbai Ghatkopar dispute over Qurbani, police security increased, situation tense after objections to Qurbani, police monitoring

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Mumbai: A controversy has arisen over the Qurbani in Damodar Society in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area. So far, the BMC has not granted permission for a temporary slaughterhouse in the society. Society member Bharatiya has alleged that before the sacrifice, goats are brought into the society and spread dirt and an atmosphere of fear is created here during the sacrifice because Hindus are migrating from this society while the sacrifice process has been going on in the society for the past twenty-five years. Society member Ishtiaq said that all festivals are celebrated in the society but only two women have objection and they are spoiling the atmosphere here because they have a personal issue with the society and therefore this issue is being given a Hindu-Muslim color.

He said that for the sacrifice, a canopy is prepared in the ground and the sacrifice is performed and cleanliness is also taken care of. Along with this, the meat is taken covered. He said that after the announcement of the mischief of Kirit Somaiya and the announcement of not allowing the sacrifice in the society, these two women have also complained here while the BMC society has contacted and if the society does not get permission, it will approach the court because the court has allowed the sacrifice before too. Muslims say that these two women are spoiling the atmosphere here due to the sacrifice issue. While there is peace and order and Hindu-Muslim unity here, only these two women have objections to the sacrifice. We will also knock on the door of the court to perform the sacrifice legally. After this controversy, the Vikhroli Park Site Police have tightened security arrangements.

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Crime

BMW-Borne Dacoity Foiled In Bhiwandi; 4 Held With Weapons, Arms Worth ₹17 Lakh Seized

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Mumbai: The Shantinagar Police arrested four dacoits before they could execute a planned dacoity in Bhiwandi. The police seized a pistol, a knife, an iron rod, four country-made revolvers, a rope, three masks, chili powder, and a BMW car from their possession. The accused have been identified as Soeb Shaheed Shaikh (23), Naushad Maqsood Alam Khan (22), and Aftab Afsar Shaikh (21), all residents of Bihar, while Shahabuddin Ansari (20) is a resident of Bhiwandi.

According to officials, on May 31, a patrolling team was on duty from the Shantinagar area to Shandar Market. Police Constable Prashant Barve received information that four to five men were seated inside a BMW car parked in an isolated spot at Shandar Market in Bhiwandi, and that they were carrying weapons.

Barve alerted his senior officials, who rushed to the location. Upon questioning the suspects, the police discovered weapons and other tools typically used for dacoity. The items seized included a car, country-made revolvers, an iron rod, a knife, and other items valued at over ₹17 lakh. The accused were brought to the police station after it was learned that they were preparing to commit a dacoity, which was foiled thanks to the alertness of Constable Barve.

An FIR has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. All four have been arrested and produced in court, where they were remanded to police custody for further investigation.

Vinayak Gaikwad, Senior Police Inspector of Shantinagar Police Station, stated, “We arrested the owner of the BMW car on Saturday night. During the investigation, it was revealed that a bodily offence had already been registered against Shahabuddin a year ago. He was released on bail. Further investigation is ongoing.”

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Maharashtra

Saudi-based Airline Ordered To Pay ₹1.25 Lakh To Mumbai Woman For Lost Baggage After Negligence, Absence In Consumer Panel Hearing

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Mumbai: A consumer disputes redressal commission has directed Saudi-based low-cost airline Flynas to pay Rs 1.25 lakh, along with applicable interest, to a passenger for the loss of her baggage. Additionally, the commission ordered the airline to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for mental agony. The judgment was passed ex parte after Flynas failed to send any representative for the hearing.

The incident occurred in January 2024, when the complainant was flying back to Mumbai from Turkiye via Istanbul. While checking in at Istanbul airport, she handed over five bags to Flynas staff, but noticed that only four were tagged. When she raised the issue, she was handed a physical baggage tag for the fifth bag and reassured it would be sent to her destination along with the others.

However, upon arrival in Mumbai, the fifth bag was missing. Despite repeated attempts to communicate with the airline and locate the luggage, the bag was never found. Frustrated by the airline’s lack of assistance and inadequate response, the passenger approached the consumer commission seeking redressal.

After reviewing the case, the commission found that Flynas employees and officials had acted negligently while approaching the complainant. “The opposite party did not give any conclusive reply to the complaint made by the complainant. The actions of the opposite party in the said incident were not satisfactory,” the panel said in its April order, according to media reports.

The commission further criticised the airline for failing to take basic steps to resolve the issue. It pointed out that Flynas could have easily accessed CCTV footage or conducted an internal investigation to trace the missing bag, but made no visible effort. “The opposite party purposely avoided all the logical actions to find the lost bag,” the order noted.

The commission also referenced international aviation regulations, highlighting that the Montreal Convention of 1999 governs compensation for lost baggage on international flights between ratifying countries. The complainant had followed due legal procedure in filing the case, but the airline chose to ignore the proceedings, despite having prior knowledge. In light of these factors, the commission held Flynas accountable and passed the compensation order in favour of the complainant.

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