Mumbai: impostor Ashok Kharat has so far sexually assaulted more than 150 women, it has been revealed in the SIT investigation. When the victim was included in the SIT raid, more new revelations have emerged. The SIT has seized his mobile phone during the investigation. Two and a half thousand numbers were found in his mobile phone, which were in code form. Along with this, Ashok Kharat’s property worth crores of rupees has also been identified. New conclusions are also being made in the investigation related to Ashok Kharat. The SIT has also claimed to have collected several pieces of evidence related to sexual abuse in its investigation. The SIT has appealed to the victims of the impostor to file a complaint against Ashok Kharat and their names will be kept confidential. The police have also found important documents related to Ashok Kharat. Several medicine bottles and pills have also been seized from Kharat’s office and hideout. The SIT team is continuously conducting raids. A property belonging to Ashok Kharat was raided in Kond Corner area. During this raid, sexual abuse of more than 150 women has also been revealed and the SIT is also investigating whether he sexually abused the affected women and where the investigation is also underway. Today, the SIT seized medicine bottles during the raid. The SIT reached the above-mentioned hideout with the affected women. A case has been registered against Ashok Kharat in 8 cases of sexual abuse and two financial matters. Two mobile phones of Ashok Kharat have been seized in which the number of an influential person has been fitted as a dummy number. Several bank accounts of Ashok Kharat have also been frozen by the SIT. Other documents including mobile phones, laptops have been seized. The accused has been sent on remand till April 1.

Navi Mumbai: In a major breakthrough, Kharghar Police have arrested a 24-year-old man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old minor girl and impregnating her, after tracking him down near the India-Nepal border. The accused, identified as Vishal Babu alias Anwar Ali Imtiaz Ansari, had been on the run since the case was registered earlier this month. A court has remanded him to police custody till April 1.

According to police, the accused worked at ‘Jagdish Autoparts’ garage in Kharghar, where he allegedly lured the minor to the premises in October 2025 and raped her. He continued to sexually assault her multiple times, threatening to kill her if she disclosed the incidents. The crime came to light after the girl was found to be pregnant.

Following a complaint lodged by the victim’s parents on March 7 at Kharghar Police Station, a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023), including Sections 65(1) and 351 (3), along with Sections 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012.

However, the accused fled Kharghar soon after sensing police action and escaped to his native place in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Acting under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Joshi, a team led by Police Sub-Inspector Suraj Jadhav camped in Uttar Pradesh to trace him. The accused had switched off his mobile phone, creating hurdles in the technical investigation.

“We faced significant challenges due to the ongoing Ramzan period and lack of cooperation from the accused’s relatives. However, after taking them into confidence, the we carried out a continuous 13-day search operation across Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, and areas along the Nepal border,” a police officer said.

Finally, on March 25, the police apprehended Vishal Babu near the Nepal border. He was subsequently brought to Navi Mumbai on transit remand. The operation was carried out by PSI Suraj Jadhav, along with Police Naik Khedkar and Constable Kadam, under the supervision of Senior Inspector Sanjay Joshi.

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has secured the 4th rank among 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra under the state’s 150-day e-governance administrative reforms programme.

The recognition was conferred at a ceremony held in Mumbai, where Additional Commissioner Sunil Pawar accepted the citation on behalf of Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. IT Minister Ashish Shelar and Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal were also present.

The programme evaluates civic bodies on digital governance, service delivery, and administrative efficiency. NMMC had earlier secured 3rd rank in the 100-day reforms programme and improved its performance under the guidance of Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde.

Over the past year, the civic body has expanded its online services, including tax payments, issuance of birth and death certificates, grievance redressal, and access to civic information through multiple digital platforms.

The official website was found to have a user-friendly interface, updated information, strong data security, effective search features, and a robust grievance redressal mechanism in line with government guidelines.

NMMC has made 68 public services available online through the state’s Aaple Sarkar portal, along with 39 additional municipal services. Streamlined processes have reduced service delivery time.

The NIC-developed e-office system is being used by over 1,000 employees, improving transparency, speed, and efficiency in administrative work.

A real-time dashboard system provides integrated data across departments, helping officials take timely and accurate decisions and conduct regular review meetings.

A multilingual chatbot enables citizens to receive updates, pay property tax and water bills, and check eligibility for welfare schemes easily.

AI-based systems help classify and resolve citizen complaints quickly, while blockchain technology ensures secure and transparent issuance of school leaving certificates and monitoring of plantation drives.

Over 150 GIS layers have been developed for applications such as vehicle tracking in solid waste management, monitoring mechanised cleaning, and analysing climate change impacts like sea-level rise.

“This recognition was possible due to our strong focus on digital governance, transparency, and citizen-centric services. We will continue to adopt innovative technologies to deliver faster and more efficient services to citizens,” said Additional Commissioner Sunil Pawar.