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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

Traffic On Mumbai Lalbaug Flyover Disrupted After Tempo Overturns

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Mumbai: Traffic movement on the Lalbaug flyover was affected on Saturday morning after a goods carrier tempo overturned on the bridge, causing brief disruption in the area. No injuries have been reported so far, while the exact cause of the accident remains unclear.

According to a post shared by Instagram user ‘theblinggirl_avril’, the incident took place around 8 am on May 9. Visuals from the spot showed the goods carrier lying overturned on the bridge as several people gathered around the vehicle to inspect the situation.

Police personnel were also seen at the location managing traffic and directing vehicles to ensure smooth movement on the busy stretch. Commuters were seen cautiously manoeuvring their vehicles past the overturned tempo while traffic continued to move slowly around the accident site.

The visuals further showed that no driver was present inside the vehicle, indicating that the driver had safely exited following the accident. However, no official confirmation regarding the driver’s condition or the circumstances leading to the incident has been released so far.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the accident. Further investigation into how the goods carrier overturned on the bridge is currently underway.

In a similar incident, heavy traffic congestion was reported on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) near Vikhroli-Ghatkopar on Friday morning after a trailer truck met with an accident during peak office hours, severely affecting vehicular movement towards south Mumbai.

Visuals shared from the accident site by journalist Poonam Ahuja, showed the damaged trailer stationed on the side of the highway while a crane was deployed to remove the vehicle and restore normal traffic flow. Long queues of vehicles and slow-moving traffic were witnessed across the stretch during the morning rush hour.

According to the Mumbai Traffic Police, traffic movement slowed majorly near Ramabai Bridge in the Vikhroli south-bound stretch following the accident involving the trailer. “Traffic movement is slow at Ramabai Bridge (Vikroli) south bound due to trailer accident,” Mumbai Traffic Police posted on X earlier in the day.

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Crime

NESCO Drug Overdose Case: Mumbai NDPS Court Denies Bail To Accused, Says ‘Greed For Money Turned Place Of Amusement Into Graveyard’

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Mumbai: The special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court has rejected the bail pleas of NESCO staff and MBA students in the drug overdose deaths case. In its detailed order, the court observed that “greed for money turned a place of amusement into a graveyard for two persons”.

The court on Thursday refused bail to Raunak Khandelwal, a final-year MBA student, and Pratik Pandey, a second-year MBA student. Additionally, the court denied relief to Sunny Jain, a senior manager, and Balkrishnan Kurup, business head and vice president of live events and IP at NESCO.

The case pertains to an incident on April 11, where two MBA students died and several others were hospitalised following a suspected MDMA (ecstasy) overdose at a techno music concert held at NESCO Goregaon.

The court noted that the organiser allowed attendees to consume liquor despite being directed to ensure no narcotic drugs or alcohol were permitted at the event. The court described the incident as an example of poor management.

“It may be intentional, negligent and/or an act done under the greed of money. However, such an act has turned into a tragedy, ultimately the place of amusement becoming the graveyard of two persons. Thus, the organisers are primafacie responsible for negligence and mishap occurred in the event,” the court said.

Regarding the students, the court observed they are accused of bringing and distributing contraband among college friends. In the case of Khandelwal, the court stated that the supply of a yellow ecstasy tablet to a victim was sufficient to infer involvement in the crime, regardless of the specific weight found on his person. The court noted that investigators recovered 435gm of MDMA from Ayush Sahitya, making it hasty to categorise the recovery as a small quantity.

While denying bail to Pandey, the court remarked that the applicant tried to encash the chaotic conditions caused by mismanagement to sell contraband. The court further noted the submission of the prosecution that if released, the applicant might dissuade friends from disclosing facts to the investigating officer.

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Maharashtra

Weather Alert, May 9: Hot & Humid Conditions Prevail In Mumbai, MMR; Thane Likely To Sizzle At 40°C Today

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Mumbai: The city woke up to clear skies and hot weather, with the early-morning temperature recorded at 31°C at 9 am. This high temperature comes as hot and humid conditions are expected to continue in Mumbai and surrounding areas today.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, a yellow alert for hot and humid conditions has been issued for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad till May 10. According to an AccuWeather report, the maximum temperature in the city is expected to soar to 38°C.

Thane and Navi Mumbai also recorded hot weather in the morning, with temperatures recorded at 31°C. Not just this, residents of Thane are expected to witness severe heat conditions, as maximum temperatures are likely to soar up to 40°C, according to AccuWeather. The maximum temperature in Navi Mumbai is also expected to reach 37°C.

As high temperatures are expected today in Mumbai and MMR regions, citizens should take precautions by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol and caffeinated drinks, as they can cause dehydration. Instead, opt for coconut water, buttermilk, or electrolyte drinks to stay hydrated. Try not to step outside between 12 pm and 4 pm, when the heat is strongest. If you need to go out, use sunscreen or wear a hat for protection. Opt for light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes and eat fresh fruits, salads, and light meals instead of heavy, oily, or spicy foods.

The overall air quality in Mumbai was recorded in the ‘good’ category, with an AQI of 50. The best AQI was recorded at Green Hills at 5, and Sion recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 127.

Not just this, several areas recorded moderate AQI, Sarvodaya Nagar Station 1 (100), Om Siddhivinayak Society (97), Sindi Society (78), Mirashi Nagar (77), Shivaji Nagar (72), Govandi West (68), Hiranandani Gardens Station 2 (65), Mhada Colony (60), Kurla (58), Raheja Vihar (58), Bhandup West (55), Borivali West (55), Mithchowki (55), Bandra East (53), Mulund West (53), Saki Naka (53).

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