Mumbai: The Agripada Police have arrested a man for allegedly sending obscene messages and demanding sexual favors from a 19-year-old girl. The accused is also suspected of having behaved similarly with other women who had previously worked with him, police sources said. Amid the ongoing investigation, a separate case of outraging modesty has also been registered against the same accused at Pydhonie Police Station.

According to police, the latest FIR was registered at Pydhonie Police Station under Sections 78(1)(i)(ii) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at 12:55 am on April 24.

The complainant, a 24-year-old woman, alleged that the accused, identified as Ashraf Ashfaq Siddiqui, contacted her on April 20 between 11:57 am and 12:37 pm after obtaining her mobile number. The accused allegedly sent repeated WhatsApp messages proposing friendship and a relationship. Despite the complainant clearly refusing and asking him to stop messaging, he continued to contact her persistently and pressured her to enter into a relationship, thereby causing harassment and outraging her modesty. Police said further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: The Chembur Police Station have arrested four persons for allegedly attempting to sell elephant tusks in violation of wildlife laws. The action was carried out by the Crime Detection Unit following a tip-off about illegal trade in wildlife contraband.

The accused have been identified as Akash Ashok Avhad (28), Sandip Randhir Bidlan (33), Shashank Chandrashekhar Ranjankar (38), and Dinesh Rammanohar Agnivanshi (40).

According to police, acting on specific intelligence, a trap was laid on April 22 at a hotel on RC Marg in Chembur. Informants were instructed to pose as buyers and arrange a deal with the accused. A room was booked at a local lodging facility, where the suspects agreed to deliver the tusks for sale.

At around 7:27 pm, after receiving a signal from the informants, the police team raided Room No. 304 of the hotel. During the raid, four individuals were found inside along with two ivory tusk-like objects placed on the bed.

Officials from the Maharashtra Forest Department were called to the spot, who prima facie confirmed that the seized items were genuine elephant tusks. The accused allegedly intended to sell the tusks for approximately ₹3.5 crore.

The seized contraband includes two elephant tusks weighing about 11 kg and 20.6 kg respectively, along with bags and packing material used for transportation. Police also recovered four mobile phones from the accused.

All items were seized and sealed as per procedure. The accused were taken into custody and brought to the police station for further legal action.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, including Sections 9, 39, 44, 48, 50, and 51. Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the tusks and identify other members of the network involved in wildlife trafficking.

Panaji: The Goa Cyber Police apprehended a 48-year-old man from Maharashtra for his alleged involvement in a major cyber fraud case amounting to Rs 61.84 lakh, police officials said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Dayanand Baburao Devalkar, a resident of Ajara in Kolhapur, was traced following an in-depth technical investigation, the office of the superintendent of police (cyber crime), Raibandar, said in a statement.

Police officials said that the funds were transferred into Devalkar’s bank account before being routed to multiple accounts belonging to his associates.

An investigation was initiated after a complaint filed by a resident of Quepem on April 13. According to the police, the fraudsters, acting as Mumbai Crime Branch officers through a WhatsApp number, allegedly threatened the complainant with fabricated allegations of money laundering linked to the banned organisation, PFI.

The accused shared fake documents, including a fraudulent bank statement and an arrest warrant, to intimidate the victim, the police said.

The complainant was subjected to a ‘digital arrest’ and coerced into transferring Rs 61,84,200 to settle the alleged case, the police statement said.

A team led by Sub-Inspector Navin Naik, alongside constables Sidaramaiyya Math and Vinay Amonkar, conducted the raid in Ajara to secure the arrest of the accused.

The investigation is being conducted by Inspector Deepak Pednekar under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police BV Sridevi and Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Raju Raut Desai.

This arrest follows a surge in ‘digital arrest’ scams across the coastal state.

In February, a Porvorim resident lost nearly Rs 15 lakh in a similar ruse involving fake narcotics officials. In late 2023, the Goa Police issued a public advisory after several professionals reported being held on video calls for hours by individuals posing as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The arrested accused is being produced before the court to seek police custody.

The police are currently tracking the secondary bank accounts to identify the wider network involved in the syndicate.