Crime
Thane POCSO Court Grants Bail To Mother, Others Accused In Sexual Assault Case Involving 10-Year-Old Son
Thane, Dec 15: A woman facing a serious charge of alleged sexual assault levelled by her 10-year-old biological son has been granted bail by the special Prevention of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court, Thane.
The bail was granted on the grounds that the investigation was complete and the chargesheet had been filed. Also, since there is pendency of several cases, the court said there was no reason to keep the accused behind bars. There are three other accused in the case.
The woman has refuted the allegations, claiming that her estranged husband was caught having an alleged extra-marital affair and that the entire story of the alleged sexual assault of her child was concocted by him to defame her.
The court, in its order, acknowledged that tampering with evidence cannot be ruled out but stated that this concern would be addressed by imposing stringent conditions on the accused to prevent such actions.
The order copy specifies that the accused must strictly not, directly or indirectly, make any inducement, threat, or promise to the victim, witnesses, or any other person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade them from disclosing such facts to the court.
“The accused are restricted from repeating the offence or committing any other offence and are asked to regularly attend the court’s proceedings and trial and be represented by a duly instructed legal practitioner,” the conditions of the order copy say.
The disturbing case was filed with the Vartak Nagar police station, in which the boy alleged that his biological mother had sexually assaulted him earlier this year. The serious matter came to light after the child, on his own, sought help from a child helpline (1098) in August, asking to be rescued from his mother’s custody.
The child helpline accordingly alerted the local police, who subsequently arrested the accused mother and three other men for the alleged sexual assault of the 10-year-old.
The court’s order, passed on December 10 and made available recently, stated, “The offence is ex facie not punishable with death or life imprisonment. The accused are not hardcore criminals, as there are no criminal antecedents reported against them by the investigating agency.”
The woman is the natural mother of the victim, whereas the second accused is her maternal uncle. Ex facie, there are matrimonial disputes pending between the estranged couple. Meanwhile, in this background, the possibility of tampering definitely cannot be ruled out.
“However, considering the pros and cons of the application, there is no point in detaining the accused further behind bars, as there is no further requirement of any custodial interrogation from them, and the apprehension expressed can be taken care of by imposing stringent terms and conditions. The trial is likely to take its own pace and time in view of the pendency of other older cases. Therefore, the bail application is allowed by adding stringent conditions against the accused.”
The prosecution’s case dates back to January 2025, when the accused woman was living separately from her estranged husband, the boy’s biological father, amid a difficult marriage.
As per the documents, the boy called his father and informed him that some unknown men had been visiting their place and had allegedly assaulted him physically and sexually. The child also alleged that the men forced him to drink an alcoholic beverage. He claimed that his biological mother offered no opposition while he was being abused.
A few days later, on July 30, the child called the child helpline number 1098, seeking rescue from his mother’s custody. During the call, the child informed the operator that he had been sexually assaulted by his own mother and had been warned of consequences if he told anyone about the act. The father of the child was then alerted to the abuse.
“The helpline then contacted the father, brought the victim to him, and an FIR was subsequently registered,” the order copy reads.
The child’s father took the boy from his estranged wife’s custody and approached the Vartak Nagar police station with the helpline operator, where an FIR was registered against his wife and three other men for the alleged charges.
The wife has refuted the allegations, claiming that her estranged husband was caught having an alleged extra-marital affair and that the entire story of the alleged sexual assault of her child was concocted by him to defame her.
Crime
Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.
The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.
The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.
The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.
The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.
Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.
This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.
A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.
The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.
The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.
Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.
Crime
Tamil Nadu: Beedi leaves worth Rs 17 lakh meant for Lanka seized near Thoothukudi coast

Thoothukudi, July 11: In a major anti-smuggling operation, the Tamil Nadu Q Branch police seized beedi leaves worth an estimated Rs 17 lakh that were allegedly being smuggled to Sri Lanka from the Thoothukudi coast in the early hours on Saturday.
The consignment was recovered from a forested stretch near Inigo Nagar Beach, while the suspected smugglers managed to flee after spotting the police.
The operation was launched following a specific intelligence input received by Q Branch Inspector Vijaya Anitha, who was informed that a large quantity of beedi leaves was being stockpiled in the Inigo Nagar coastal area for clandestine transportation to Sri Lanka by boat.
Acting on the tip-off, a special police team led by Sub-Inspector Ramachandran, along with Special Sub-Inspector Ramar, Inspectors Irudayaraj Kumar and Isakkimuthu, and First Grade Constables Palani, Balamurugan and Pechiraj, conducted a late-night patrol in the South Police Station limits of Thoothukudi City Sub-Division.
During the search operation, the team reached a forested area south of Inigo Nagar Beach, where they discovered a cache of beedi leaves concealed and kept ready for loading onto a boat bound for Sri Lanka. Police recovered 18 bundles of beedi leaves, each weighing approximately 30 kg, indicating that the consignment had been carefully packed for sea transport.
However, the suspected smugglers, who were reportedly present in the vicinity, escaped into the darkness after noticing the approaching police personnel. In addition to the contraband, the police also seized a cargo vehicle believed to have been used for transporting the beedi leaves to the coastal loading point.
Officials said the seized consignment has an estimated international market value of around Rs 17 lakh. The recovered beedi leaves and the cargo vehicle are being handed over to the Customs Department for further investigation and legal proceedings.
Police have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those involved in the smuggling network.
Investigators are examining the ownership of the seized vehicle and gathering intelligence to trace the larger syndicate suspected of operating along the Thoothukudi coast.
The seizure is part of the intensified surveillance being carried out by the Q Branch and other enforcement agencies to curb cross-border smuggling activities between the Tamil Nadu coast and Sri Lanka.
Authorities said further investigations are under way to determine the intended recipients of the consignment and whether the operation is linked to an organised smuggling network operating in the region.
Crime
NESCO drug overdose case: Vanrai Police arrest 14th accused, twin brother of alleged mastermind Mahesh Khemlani

Mumbai, July 11: The Vanrai Police have arrested the 14th accused in the high-profile NESCO drug overdose case, taking into custody Nitesh alias ‘Nick’ Khemlani, the twin brother of alleged mastermind Mahesh alias ‘Mark’ Khemlani.
According to police, Nitesh Khemlani was arrested following an investigation into the suspected financial network linked to the drug case. He was produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody until July 13 for further questioning and investigation.
The arrest comes as part of the ongoing probe into the drug-related incident reported at the NESCO area in Goregaon, Mumbai. Police are examining the alleged drug syndicate’s operations, including its financial transactions and links among the accused persons.
The Vanrai Police said that during the investigation, suspicious financial transactions between Nitesh Khemlani and some of the accused already arrested in the case came to light. Based on these findings, police took him into custody for further investigation.
Investigators are now questioning Nitesh Khemlani to trace the alleged financial network behind the drug operation, identify possible sources of funding and uncover further links connected to the case.
The arrest marks the 14th in the case, with police continuing their probe into the wider network involved in the alleged drug supply and distribution chain.
The NESCO drug overdose case has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of multiple accused and the alleged links to a wider drug network. Police officials have said that further arrests and revelations may emerge as the investigation progresses.
The Vanrai Police are focusing on establishing the complete chain of events, including the movement of funds, connections between accused persons and the possible role of other individuals associated with the case.
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