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Crime

Vandal runs riot in 489-year-old Portuguese-built Mumbai church cemetery

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In a shocking incident, an unknown person sneaked inside the historic St Michael’s Church premises around dawn and vandalised 18 crosses in the graveyard of the 489-year-old church, near the Mahim station, officials of the Archdiocese of Bombay said here on Saturday.

According to the church’s Parish Priest, Fr. Bernard Lancy Pinto, the incident occurred around 6 a.m. when the unidentified miscreant entered the church premises and embarked on a damage-spree in the cemetery, sparking furious reactions among the Mumbai’s Catholic community.

“A FIR has been lodged at Mahim police station and investigations have begun. The police have assured us that they will arrest the person concerned based on the CCTV footage and the statement of witnesses,” he said.

He said the police have promised appropriate legal action against the vandal and they will also conduct a probe to check for any security lapses.

“It is regrettable and painful that the graves of the Catholics were vandalised at the St Michael’s Church. The sentiments of the community are deeply hurt as this act not only involved the destruction of religious objects but also disrespect for the dead,” said an Archdiocese spokesperson this evening.

“While the Church appreciates the support and assistance of various groups, we strictly do not wish to give this act a communal overtone. The police are investigating the incident and we remain hopeful that the perpetrator of this vicious crime will be brought to task,” the spokesperson added.

The St. Michael’s Church is the oldest Portuguese-built church in 1534 in its former colony of isles and the then sea-trading centre known as ‘Bom Bahia’ (later Bombay).

127 years later in May 1661, when Britain’s King Charles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of Portugal’s King John IV, ‘Bom Bahia’ was transferred to her husband as part of her wedding dowry.

The Mahim Church is famed for its Wednesday ‘novenas’ where people from all religions flock to attend and pray for miracles that are believed to take place.

The Catholic community in Mumbai and elsewhere has reacted sharply to the vandalism in Mahim Church and urged the police and government to take prompt action in the matter, besides ensuring security for the 125-odd churches in the city.

Many Christians – who number around 500,000 (or 3.30 per cent) of the city’s population – penned their sense of agony and outrage on social media posts, and recalled similar but smaller incidents of vandalism, theft of valuable church properties, etc, that have occurred in the past few years in different parts of Mumbai against the peace-loving community.

Saturday’s development came barely a day after the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation revoked a move to acquire a part of the cemetery besides the St Peter’s Church in Bandra west, for a road widening project, after Catholics from Mumbai raised an outcry and intervention of some local political leaders.

Crime

Man hacked to death by bike-borne men at traffic signal in Bengaluru

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Bengaluru, Aug 23: An incident in which a man was hacked to death in full public view at a traffic signal near the Madiwala underpass came to light on Sunday, raising fresh concerns over the safety of residents in Bengaluru.

The victim, identified as Suhail, a resident of Mangammanapalya and a medical shop owner, was attacked by a group of assailants as he was on his way from Madiwala towards Koramangala on Saturday night.

The incident occurred late at night when Suhail had stopped his motorcycle amid a traffic jam on the main road. Four men who arrived on two motorcycles allegedly attacked him with swords before fleeing the spot. Suhail suffered severe blood loss and died at the scene.

Police suspect that the murder could be an act of revenge linked to an earlier murder case in Bandepalya.

On January 13, a man named Shabbir was murdered in Bandepalya, and Suhail’s brothers Kaleem, Nazir and another brother were allegedly involved in that case. Investigators suspect that Suhail may have been targeted in retaliation, despite having no connection with the Shabbir murder case.

Police sources said Suhail had no criminal background and was not an accused in the earlier case. His murder is therefore suspected to have been driven by hostility towards his brothers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Mohammad Sujeetha, CCB DCP Haribabu and Joint Commissioner of Police Ramesh Banoth visited the crime scene and inspected the spot.

Following the murder, Suhail’s younger brother Nazir reportedly arrived at the scene and vowed revenge. He said Suhail was not merely his elder brother but was like a father to him, and warned that he would not spare those responsible for his killing.

Police suspect that the assailants had been planning the murder for several days and had been closely monitoring Suhail’s movements. According to preliminary information, the attackers allegedly followed him and executed a pre-planned attack while he was travelling on his motorcycle.

After the murder, the assailants reportedly abandoned the weapons at the scene and escaped.

Three special teams have been formed to track down the suspects. Police have seized the CCTV DVR from the area and are examining footage to identify the attackers and trace their movements before and after the crime.

Investigators are also trying to establish why Suhail, who lived in Mangammanapalya and operated a medical shop in Bommanahalli, travelled towards Madiwala. Police are examining who last contacted him before he left the medical shop and other details surrounding his movements.

The brazen murder in a busy public area has triggered concerns over safety in the city, particularly as the attackers allegedly assaulted the victim in front of members of the public before fleeing the scene. Police are continuing their investigation to establish the exact motive and identify all those involved.

When asked whether any accused have been arrested in connection with the case, DCP South East Mohammad Sujeetha declined to comment. Further investigation is on.

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Crime

Shillong violence: Army, RAF conduct flag march as Assam-Meghalaya tensions persist

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Shillong, Aug 23: Security was intensified across Shillong as the Army and Rapid Action Force (RAF) conducted a flag march in the Meghalaya capital following violence during a Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) rally on August 19, officials said.

The security buildup came on Saturday amid heightened tensions after vehicles carrying tourists from Assam were allegedly attacked during a KSU black-flag protest.

Several vehicles were vandalised, with their windows and windshields smashed, while some tourists were reportedly injured.

Public property was also damaged during the violence.

The Centre has approved the deployment of five companies of central armed forces in Meghalaya to assist the state police in maintaining law and order amid the prevailing situation.

Meanwhile, Assam Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora and Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar held a high-level meeting with senior officials of both states in Guwahati on Saturday to assess the situation and discuss steps to prevent further escalation.

The meeting came against the backdrop of tensions following the Shillong violence and protests at Jorabat, the key entry point between Assam and Meghalaya.

Bora termed the Shillong incident “unwarranted and unfortunate” and said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had acted promptly after the violence.

He said Assam CM Sarma spoke to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who subsequently asked Dhar to engage with Assam and explore measures to restore peace and ensure smooth movement between the neighbouring states.

Bora appealed to the people in both states to maintain peace and harmony, stressing the longstanding ties between Assam and Meghalaya.

The Shillong incident triggered protests by motor vehicle workers’ unions in Assam.

Demonstrations at Jorabat began the following day, with protesters stopping Meghalaya-registered vehicles from entering Assam and, in some cases, forcing them to turn back.

The protests continued for a third day on Friday, with demonstrators seeking compensation for vehicles damaged in Shillong and an apology from the authorities.

Heavy deployment of police and reserve personnel was made at Jorabat to prevent any fresh violence.

Three senior KSU office-bearers — president Raymond Kharjana, vice president Pynkmenlang Sanmiet and general secretary Reuben Najiar — were arrested late Wednesday in connection with the violence.

The situation has also prompted sharper reactions in Assam.

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) called for an economic blockade and warned of action against Meghalaya residents in Assam if attacks on Assamese people in Shillong continued.

With additional security forces deployed in Shillong and police maintaining a strong presence at Jorabat, authorities in both states are now working to contain tensions, prevent retaliatory incidents and ensure uninterrupted movement of people and vehicles.

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Crime

Delhi Police arrest three in illicit liquor supply case

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New Delhi, Aug 22: In a major crackdown on the illegal transportation and supply of liquor, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) team of the North-East District of Delhi Police arrested three persons and recovered 778 quarters of Haryana-marked illicit liquor along with two taxis allegedly used to transport the consignment.

The action was carried out on August 21, 2026, after Head Constable Deepak, along with Head Constable Anuj and Constable Mukesh, was conducting area patrolling duty near Maujpur Chowk.

At around 6:30 a.m., the police team received information from a secret informer that two taxis carrying illicit liquor from Haryana would arrive near Seelampur Metro Station. The taxis’ numbers were also shared by the informer.

Acting on the information, the police team reached the location. At around 7:30 a.m., both taxis arrived and were intercepted. Three persons were apprehended, while another individual reportedly managed to flee from the spot.

A search of the vehicles led to the recovery of 399 quarters of illicit liquor from taxi HR55AX3345 and 379 quarters from taxi DL1ZD5015, taking the total recovery to 778 quarters.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vinit Chauhan (35), owner of taxi bearing number — HR55AX3345; Akash Sharma (25), driver of taxi bearing number — DL1ZD5015; and Vishal (23), who was allegedly accompanying the other accused.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly disclosed information about the source of the illicit liquor. Police are verifying the information and conducting further investigation to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the supply chain.

A case has been registered as FIR No. 288/26 under Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act at Seelampur Police Station. Police said none of the three arrested accused has any previous criminal involvement on record. Further investigation is underway, according to police.

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