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Monday,14-September-2026
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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

Two apprehended for firing at house in Nand Nagri to create fear

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New Delhi, Sep 14: The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of North-East District Police worked out a firing incident reported under the jurisdiction of Nand Nagri Police Station by apprehending two accused persons who allegedly fired at a complainant’s house to create fear.

The accused were identified with the help of extensive CCTV footage analysis and technical investigation.

According to police, on September 4, two unidentified persons riding a scooty fired at the complainant’s house in the Nand Nagri area with the intention of creating fear and fled from the spot.

Following the incident, FIR No. 485/26 dated September 4 was registered at Nand Nagri Police Station under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the seriousness of the incident, the AATS team of North-East District was tasked with identifying and apprehending those involved.

A dedicated team led by Inspector Deepak Pandey, In-charge of AATS/NED, analysed numerous CCTV recordings and developed clues through technical investigation and other sources. Sustained efforts and detailed examination of the available evidence helped the team identify the suspects.

On September 12, acting on a specific tip-off, the AATS team conducted a raid in the Sunder Nagri area and apprehended Azim Khan. During interrogation, his associate Imran alias Rahul was also apprehended at his instance. Both accused were subsequently handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings.

Police said Imran alias Rahul, 25, son of Ibrahim and a resident of Bhopra Chowk, Siddqi Building, Uttar Pradesh, was previously involved in two theft cases.

Azim Khan, 36, son of Illiyas and a resident of Gali No. 1, Sunder Nagri, Delhi, has nine previous cases registered against him, involving murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, robbery, snatching, rape, kidnapping, theft and offences under the Arms Act. He is a Bad Character of Nand Nagri Police Station.

Further investigation into the case by the police is underway.

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Crime

‘Felt unsafe’: Woman biker alleges car attack after asking occupants to maintain distance in Gurugram

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Gurugram, Sep 14: A woman biker in Haryana’s Gurugram has alleged that a car repeatedly followed her before hitting her motorcycle and fleeing the spot, leaving her shaken and raising concerns over road safety in the city.

“I have nothing to say, but today I felt unsafe on Gurugram roads. People like these aren’t afraid of hitting people and running away,” the woman said after the incident.

The rider, who identifies herself as Sia and operates the Instagram page ‘rebelwheels_sia_’, uploaded footage of the incident on social media and described what she said happened before the collision.

According to Sia, the incident occurred on Sunday while she was riding her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike along Golf Course Road with members of her biking group.

In the video, she alleged that the occupants of a car had been following her from the beginning of the ride. She claimed that the people inside the vehicle behaved aggressively and attempted to get close to her motorcycle.

Sia said she asked the occupants to maintain a safe distance, but instead, they allegedly asked her to stop. She also claimed that the men appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

The rider said she continued moving ahead in an attempt to prevent the car from cutting her off. A friend riding behind her also tried to intervene by positioning his motorcycle in a way that prevented the car from repeatedly coming alongside her.

Despite this, Sia alleged, the car continued following her. She claimed that at one point, the driver attempted to cut across the path of her motorcycle, resulting in a collision.

The impact knocked Sia off her bike, while her motorcycle was dragged several metres along the road. The car then reportedly left the area.

The incident was captured on an action camera fitted to Sia’s motorcycle.

She further alleged that one of her friends pursued the car and attempted to stop the driver. The vehicle eventually halted at a traffic signal, where the friend confronted the driver and allegedly told him that he was responsible for the collision.

However, according to Sia, the driver denied causing the accident and subsequently drove away from the traffic signal.

In a social media post, Sia appealed to the Gurugram Police to take action against motorists who allegedly put other road users at risk and flee after causing accidents.

She also shared the vehicle’s registration number and identified the registered owner mentioned in the vehicle’s registration certificate.

The video subsequently gained significant attention online, with social media users expressing support for the rider and calling for action against the alleged driver. Several users tagged the Delhi Police, Gurugram Police, Gurugram Traffic Police and Haryana Police, urging authorities to investigate the incident.

Some users also called for an FIR to be registered, while others highlighted concerns over rash driving and the safety of motorists, particularly on busy roads in Gurugram.

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Crime

Hyderabad horror: Minor girl sexually assaulted by 9 people, all booked under POCSO Act

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Hyderabad, Sep 14: A minor girl was drugged, abducted and sexually assaulted by nine people over a span of three days in Medchal Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad.

All the accused were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and arrested after the victim escaped from their clutches and lodged a complaint at Alwal Police Station under Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate.

The 16-year-old girl, a Class 11 student, was sexually assaulted on various occasions by the accused including those known to her, at different places including in a car, during a train journey and in a hotel room.

According to police, the victim came in contact with one J. Varun when she was in 10th class. A few months ago, the accused sexually assaulted her in his car after giving her a chocolate laced with sedatives. Another youth Romala Varun, who was introduced to her by J. Varun, also sexually assaulted her after making her a cigarette, liquor and Ganja addict.

Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the victim had earlier came in touch with one David Varun through Instagram. The accused had made her consume liquor and misbehaved with her.

Suspicious over her behavior, the girl’s father admonished her on September 9. Angry over this, the girl left the house and reached Bollarum Railway Station, where a person Neeraj met her. He called his friend Vicky and they sexually assaulted the victim after giving her some intoxicated substances.

Later, Vicky along with another friend Nikhil took the girl to a OYO room in Dulapally. Vicky and Nikhil along with two others sexually assaulted her. On the night of September 9, Vicky brought her his house in Bollarum and confined her here.

The next day she managed to escape and reached Bollarum Railway Station. Vicky along with his friend Ganesh reached there and forcibly drugged her. They took her to Medchal Railway Station. From there, they took her to Malkajgiri and on the way sexually assaulted her in the train. After reaching Malkajgiri, they boarded an autorickshaw. However, she managed to escape and reached her house and with the help of family members approached police.

On a complaint by the victim, police registered cases under POCSO Act and various sections of BNS against the accused.

The police have also arrested manager and owner of OYO hotel for admitting the minor and allotting a room without proper verification.

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