Mumbai: Panic gripped the Mumbai Police force on Thursday evening after the control room received a call from an unidentified person claiming that a bomb would be detonated inside a suburban local train — the city’s lifeline. Within hours, the Azad Maidan police special team traced and arrested the caller, identified as Suraj Dharma Jadhav (32), from Kalina, Santacruz.

According to police officials, Jadhav, who is addicted to alcohol, has a past record of making similar hoax bomb threat calls to the police.

About The Case

On Thursday, after consuming liquor, he allegedly phoned the police control room and declared that he would trigger a blast in a suburban train before abruptly disconnecting the call. When police dialed back, the number was found switched off.

With Independence Day around the corner, senior police officials took the threat very seriously and directed the local police, Railway Police, and the Crime Branch to conduct immediate checks. Security was tightened across railway stations, with increased deployment, baggage checks, and inspection of suspicious individuals. However, no suspicious object was found.

Investigators traced the call to Kalina and picked up Jadhav for questioning. During interrogation, he confessed to making the hoax bomb threat. Police revealed that he had earlier been arrested for a similar offense and was out on bail. Despite having been bound down previously under preventive action by the Assistant Commissioner of Police’s office, Jadhav repeated the offense. Authorities have now warned that stricter action will be taken if he violates the bond conditions again.

Meanwhile, the Railway Police Force (RPF) and local police continued heightened vigilance at key stations following the threat.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has ordered recovery of nearly Rs 90 crore from Honest Shelters Pvt Ltd, the current promoters of the Palais Royale project in Worli, for failing to comply with earlier directives regarding delayed possession of flats. The action follows an execution application filed by IIFL Finance Ltd, which had complained of non-compliance with a January 16 order.

MahaRERA’s adjudicating officer, Ashok Alaspurkar, issued four separate orders directing warrants for recovery of interest payments related to four flats in the project. In addition, recovery orders were also passed for three more flats belonging to IIFL Finance. Collectively, the warrants account for about Rs 90 crore in dues,The orders were issued on different dates, including July 27, July 28 and August 4.

The January 16 order had directed Honest Shelters to hand over possession of IIFL’s flats in the Palais Royale project, pay interest for the delay, and complete pending construction. The order also instructed the official liquidator to hand over flats in his custody to the promoter to ensure completion. However, IIFL Finance reported non-compliance on March 21 and later sought enforcement through MahaRERA, which has now resulted in the latest recovery orders.

Palais Royale, once touted as India’s first super-luxury residential skyscraper, has faced repeated legal, financial and construction setbacks over the years. The towering project, a prominent part of Mumbai’s luxury real estate landscape in Worli, has been mired in disputes, leaving buyers and financiers caught in uncertainty.

With MahaRERA’s latest directives, warrants for recovery empower authorities to initiate proceedings similar to revenue recovery, compelling promoters to meet their obligations. For IIFL Finance, this step secures a path to claim pending interest dues on delayed possession.

For now, Honest Shelters faces mounting scrutiny as enforcement measures move forward, with the fate of the beleaguered Palais Royale project again under the spotlight.

Shimla: The monsoon havoc in Himachal Pradesh has claimed 257 lives since June 20, according to the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HP SDMA).

District-wise data shows that Mandi (26 deaths), Kangra (28), and Kullu (11) were among the worst-affected in rain-triggered disasters.

Among the deaths, 133 were deaths reported in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, drowning, and electrocution, and another 124 fatalities in road accidents,.

The cumulative report released on Friday evening paints a grim picture of widespread destruction. The state has also recorded 331 people injured and 37 missing during the ongoing monsoon season.

Landslides and flash floods alone have caused 16 deaths, while 27 people drowned in swollen rivers and nullahs. Other casualties were reported due to lightning, fire, snake bites, electrocution, and accidental falls.

In addition to human loss, the state reported massive damage to property and infrastructure. Over 1,028 houses were fully damaged and another 2,157 partially damaged, besides 285 cow sheds and 699 shops and factories destroyed. Public property worth more than Rs 2,14,403 crore has been lost, including extensive damage to roads, power lines, water schemes, and government institutions.

Animal losses have also been severe, with 1,625 cattle heads and over 25,700 poultry birds perishing in the rains.

The HPSDMA noted that Mandi district alone accounted for the heaviest financial damage, exceeding Rs 1,180 crore, followed by Kangra and Kullu districts.

Meanwhile, Mandi district reported the highest disruption, with 203 roads blocked and 458 transformers out of service, followed by Kullu where 79 roads remain closed, including NH-305 at Jhed (Khanag) due to a major landslide. Water supply schemes were also severely affected in Chamba (24), Kangra (41), and Mandi (44).

In Kinnaur, six roads including NH-5 were blocked after heavy downpours, while Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti reported widespread outages due to flash floods and HT line faults.

Authorities cautioned that intermittent rainfall in the coming days may worsen the situation, and appealed to people to avoid travel through vulnerable stretches.

Officials warned that the situation remains critical with rains expected to continue, urging residents to avoid travel through vulnerable stretches and follow safety advisories.