Mumbai: The Colaba police have booked two individuals for allegedly someone else appeared in interview to New India Assurance Company Limited to secure the post of administrative officer. The accused, Chandan Kumar, worked with the company for one year and nine months and drew a salary of Rs. 20.16 lakh during this period.

According to the FIR, the office of New India Assurance Company Limited is located in Colaba. On July 27, 2023, the company published an advertisement for the post of administrative officer. The company had outsourced the recruitment process to Institute of the IBPS for selecting candidates. IBPS conducted the selection process in three phases. In the final phase, a panel from New India Assurance Company was also involved in the interview process. After completing the process, IBPS selected 450 candidates and sent the list to the company’s Mumbai office.

The accused, Chandan Kumar from Patna, was one of the selected candidates on the list. He joined the company as an administrative officer on April 1, 2024. Meanwhile, on October 6, 2025, the company received an email from balramkuma2067@gmail.com alleging that three candidates, including Chandan Kumar and two others from Bhopal and Delhi, had secured their jobs through fraudulent means. The email claimed that during the selection process, impersonators had appeared for the examination and interviews on behalf of the candidates. The company took the complaint seriously and initiated an inquiry.

Subsequently, Chandan Kumar went on leave. The company contacted him and asked him to present himself at the office for biometric verification. Initially, he gave reasons for not appearing, but in November 2025, he reported to the office. The company found that his biometric data did not match the biometric records collected during the selection process. Consequently, the company terminated his services on January 6, 2026.

In the FIR, the company stated that Chandan Kumar had worked from March 4, 2024, to January 5, 2026, and had drawn a salary of Rs. 20.16 lakh. Based on the complaint, the police registered a cheating case on May 5.

Thane: The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has announced a 24-hour suspension of water supply from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to parts of Mira-Bhayandar city starting Thursday, May 7.

According to the civic body’s Water Supply and Sewerage Department, supply from the Barvi Water Treatment Plant at Jambhul will be halted from 12 pm on May 7 to 12 pm on May 8. However, water supplied through the STEM Authority will continue during this period, though residents may face low pressure and delayed supply.

Officials stated the decision was taken following a meeting with the Water Resources Department on April 23, amid concerns of a potentially delayed monsoon. The civic body cited the impact of El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) as key factors that could affect rainfall, prompting precautionary measures to prevent future water shortages.

As per MBMC data, the city received a total of 199.383 million litres per day (MLD) of water on May 5, including 117.057 MLD from MIDC and 82.326 MLD from the STEM Authority. The civic body has appealed to residents to use water judiciously and cooperate during the temporary disruption.

Meanwhile, similar disruptions have been announced in Thane. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) said several areas will face a 24-hour water cut from 12 pm on May 7 to 12 pm on May 8 due to maintenance work by MIDC.

The work involves urgent repairs and upgradation of Barvi gravity pipelines 1, 2, and 3 at the Jambhul Water Treatment Plant reservoir. During this period, water supply will remain completely suspended in areas under Diva, Mumbra (excluding parts of wards 26 and 31), and Kalwa.

Additionally, areas such as Rupadevi Pada, Kisan Nagar No. 2, Nehru Nagar in the Wagle ward committee, and Lower Kolshet village under the Manpada ward committee will also be affected.

Mumbai, In a shocking cybercrime, fraudsters allegedly placed a retired bank manager under “digital arrest” for 54 days in Mumbai’s Bhandup area, extorting Rs 40.90 lakh by threatening to implicate him in the Delhi bomb blasts and a money laundering case, Mumbai Police said on Wednesday.

According to Mumbai Police, the accused impersonated officers from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), creating an atmosphere of fear and psychological pressure that forced the victim to comply with their demands.

The victim, Rajendra, a former manager at the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank, was manipulated into transferring large sums of money, including liquidating his stock market investments.

The incident began on March 10, when Rajendra received a video call via the Signal app from an account named “ATS Department.” The caller introduced himself as PSI Singh, claiming to be an officer from the Delhi ATS. He alleged that Rajendra’s name had surfaced in connection with the Delhi bomb blasts that took place in January, as well as in a money laundering case.

The fraudsters further claimed that a bank account had been fraudulently opened in Karnataka using Rajendra’s Aadhaar details and mobile number, through which suspicious transactions amounting to Rs 2.65 crore had been carried out. To intensify the threat, they cited a purported Supreme Court order and warned of immediate arrest and confiscation of his assets.

Under constant surveillance via video calls, Rajendra was instructed to isolate himself in a separate room at home, avoid speaking to anyone, and strictly follow their directions. Acting under extreme mental duress, he initially transferred Rs 2.90 lakh. The fraud escalated when he was coerced into selling shares worth Rs 29 lakh from his stock market investments. Of this amount, Rs 28 lakh was siphoned off into multiple bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters.

The accused further extorted Rs 10 lakh under the pretext of “bail security,” which was arranged by the victim’s wife through a loan. The fraudsters assured Rajendra that the entire amount would be refunded within two days and that the case would be resolved.

However, soon after receiving the money, the accused cut off all communication. After waiting for several days without any response, Rajendra realised he had been duped.

He subsequently filed a complaint with the national cybercrime helpline 1930 on May 3, followed by a formal complaint with the Mumbai Cyber Cell on May 4. Police have launched an investigation to trace the perpetrators and identify the bank accounts used in the fraud.