Mumbai: In a major anti-narcotics crackdown, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Police has carried out six coordinated operations across the city — Borivali, Khar, Bandra West, Dharavi East and Goregaon — resulting in the arrest of 10 drug peddlers and the seizure of heroin and mephedrone (MD) worth more than ₹4 crore.

A total of 739 grams of heroin, 452 grams of mephedrone, and ₹5,87,000 in cash were recovered during the operations.

ANC Kandivali Unit has arrested a duo for selling heroin illegally in Borivali with 511 g of heroin worth approx. ₹2.04 crore, along with a mixer grinder and drug-processing equipment.

In a second action near Devipada Subway on Western Express Highway, two more persons were arrested with 123 g of heroin worth approx. ₹49 lakh.

In Goregaon East, one man was arrested while selling MD; police seized 230 g of MD worth approx. ₹57.5 lakh. All three cases are being further investigated by the Kandivali Unit.

ANC Bandra Unit has arrested two peddlers for selling heroin and seized 105 g of heroin worth approx. ₹15.75 lakh. Investigation is underway under the Bandra Unit.

Whereas ANC Azad Maidan Unit has booked two persons in Goregaon West for selling MD and seized 122 g of MD worth approx. ₹36.6 lakh. Further probe by the Azad Maidan Unit.

ANC Worli Unit arrested one person in Dharavi for MD trafficking with 100 g of MD worth approx. ₹25 lakh. The case is under investigation by the Worli Unit. With these seizures, the ANC has successfully intercepted a major distribution chain operating across different suburban pockets of Mumbai.

Police officials said the Mumbai Police is committed to building a drug-free society and will continue tracking and dismantling narcotics networks across the city.

In a swift operation, Thane City Police busted a sex racket operating under the guise of an orchestra bar business. The Wagle Estate Police acted on a tip-off from social worker Binu Varghese, who reported that two agents were luring young women into prostitution near Dheeraj Hotel in Louiswadi, Thane. The accused allegedly sent photos of girls working at local orchestra bars to potential clients through mobile phones.

Following the alert, the Wagle Estate Police Station team conducted a decoy operation by posing as customers. During the raid near Louiswadi, officers detained two male brokers and rescued five women who had been trapped in the sex trade. According to police sources, the rescued girls were originally employed in orchestra bars across Thane and Bhiwandi.

Preliminary investigations revealed that some of the rescued women were earlier booked in a 2021 prostitution case registered at Mira Road Police Station under the MBVV Police Commissionerate. The two arrested brokers had allegedly been running the illegal racket for the past four to five years, supplying girls to clients in Ghodbunder, Thane, and Kalher, Bhiwandi.

The police have registered a case under sections 143(1), 143(3), and 3(5) of the BNS Act, along with sections 4 and 5 of the PETA Act. Both accused have been taken into custody, and the rescued women have been sent to a government-recognised women’s shelter for counselling and care.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Zone 5 DCP Prashant Kadam, Senior PI Shivaji Gaware, and PI Shivanand Devkar of Wagle Estate Police Station. Authorities have confirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals connected to the racket and to uncover the full network involved in exploiting women working in orchestra bars.

Mumbai: At Vivek Vidyalaya & Junior College in Goregaon West on Thursday, members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a few female students demonstrated against a purported hijab ban. The protest, which attracted much attention on social media after a video clip went viral, forced the college to come out with a clarification.

Following the protest, police had registered an FIR. A senior official said six female students, including three unidentified, were booked for unlawful assembly as they staged a hunger strike outside the college without prior permission and also argued with police personnel who tried to disperse the gathering.

However, the college administration moved quickly to address the controversy. According to the Times of India report, Principal Sheeja Menon stated in a statement that the college “has no reservation for Muslim girl students wearing hijab and, in fact, there is no ban on the practice.” It’s a “misrepresentation which has led to unnecessary issues which were totally avoidable” was the cause of the situation, she continued.

The protest’s leader, AIMIM Mumbai president Farooq Maqbool Shabdi, stated that the action was prompted by complaints from students who were allegedly requested to take off their hijabs before entering classrooms. “The college administration clarified that there is no ban on students wearing the hijab after we protested,” he stated.

This incident shows the continued tensions around dress codes at places of learning and the role of student activism in raising concerns about religious freedom. After discussions with the management of the college, the institution reportedly rolled back any instructions that could be interpreted as a ban on hijab, thereby bringing temporary closure to the controversy.