Mumbai, Sep 29: Taking advantage of the massive crowds gathered for Ganesh Visarjan on Anant Chaturdashi, gangs of thieves stole mobile phones and gold jewellery from devotees across Mumbai. Police have arrested 18 accused, including two women and a minor, in connection with the thefts, police said on Tuesday.

More than 200 complaints related to lost and stolen mobile phones were received at various police stations during the Ganesh Visarjan celebrations. Police registered official complaints involving 192 lost or stolen mobile phones, while 10 separate cases were filed in connection with the theft of mobile phones and gold chains.

Millions of devotees gathered in areas including Lalbaug, Parel and Girgaon Chowpatty to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha. Police said pickpocketing gangs, comprising both local members and suspects from outside the state, took advantage of the huge crowds during the immersion procession of Lalbaugcha Raja in central Mumbai.

Several devotees reported that their mobile phones had been stolen from their pockets, while gold chains were snatched from their necks. Women’s purses were also targeted during the crowded processions. Preliminary investigations have indicated the involvement of organised gangs in the thefts, with women and minors being used to carry out some of the crimes.

Two women were reportedly caught red-handed with stolen belongings while attempting to steal purses from devotees during the immersion procession, also known as the Mirvanuk.

Following the increase in theft complaints, the Mumbai Police deployed teams of plainclothes personnel along the immersion routes. Suspects were detained and questioned as part of the investigation. So far, police have recovered 14 smartphones and seven gold chains from the accused.

Police are now searching for other alleged accomplices of the arrested suspects and are conducting further investigations to recover the remaining stolen mobile phones and other valuables.

Meanwhile, footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras installed along the Ganesh Visarjan routes in Lalbaug, Chinchpokli, Bharatmata Junction and Girgaon Chowpatty is being examined to identify other suspects and establish their movements.

Police officials said the Mumbai Police Cyber Cell and Technical Analysis Branch are also using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal to trace stolen mobile phones through their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

Mumbai, Sep 29: Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Tuesday hit back at Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s allegations of systemic extortion within the regulatory body, stating that the claims are generic, lack concrete details, and that no formal letter has been received by his office to date regarding this.

The exchange follows a letter written by Raut, in which he alleged that FDA field officers were exploiting Commissioner Mundhe’s aggressive enforcement drive to blackmail local businesses, hoteliers, and quick-commerce operators.

Responding to the publicised charges, Mundhe clarified that his office has not received any official copy of Raut’s letter and that he only became aware of the matter through media reports.

Expressing openness to scrutiny, Mundhe urged the lawmaker or any affected business owners to provide verifiable facts rather than general statements. “I am really thankful to him (Sanjay Raut). My only request to him is that if he has specific details, he should share them with me or with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) — whichever agency he trusts. If any of my officers are engaging in corruption, please bring it to my notice with complete details,” he said.

Addressing concerns that small and medium-scale hoteliers fear retaliation or further harassment if they report corrupt officials, Mundhe assured stakeholders that anonymity is protected. He noted that the official FDA complaint portal automatically masks the complainant’s identities, and promised that any direct disclosures made to him would remain strictly confidential.

Earlier, in his communication addressed to Mundhe, Raut commended the commissioner for initiating widespread crackdowns against food adulteration and unhygienic restaurant conditions since taking charge on May 25. However, he alleged that a dark side to these enforcement actions has emerged.

According to Raut, Designated Officers (DOs), Assistant Commissioners, and Food Safety Officers (FSOs) are threatening hotels, restaurants, and warehouse operators with immediate license suspensions to extort large sums. The rate to settle or close an inspection notice allegedly rose from Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 prior to Mundhe’s tenure to Rs 75,000-Rs 2,00,000 following the widespread panic created by recent enforcement raids.

Raut designated the FDA headquarters in Bandra (Mumbai) and the regional FDA office in Thane as major nerve centres for an unlawful collection drive.

He alleged that two Designated Officers in Thane demanded Rs 17-18 lakh from a quick-commerce enterprise to restore a suspended license. Raut argued that officers are skipping mandatory statutory steps — such as issuing improvement notices, granting compliance windows, and conducting formal hearings — in favour of summary suspensions based on unverified complaints.

Since Mundhe assumed charge of the department in late May, the Maharashtra FDA has undertaken an unprecedented enforcement wave across the state. During May-August, the FDA inspected 12,083 establishments, issued 5,269 improvement notices and suspended 603 licences.

While Mundhe maintains that strict regulatory oversight is essential for public safety and food quality, the political friction highlights mounting pressure from business groups, claiming that routine inspections are turning into avenues for bureaucratic exploitation. However, the FDA Commissioner has reiterated a zero-tolerance policy towards administrative corruption, provided actionable proof is submitted.

Mumbai, Sep 28: The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Monday launched massive demonstrations across all district collectorates, demanding the dismissal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The party accused him of undermining democratic institutions and manipulating voter rolls to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Congress leaders described Gyanesh Kumar as a “stain on democracy” and submitted memorandums outlining grievances to district collectors. The protests featured creative forms of dissent: in Amravati, protesters paraded an effigy of the CEC on a donkey before destroying it; in Thane, demonstrators forced an effigy to do sit-ups (uthak-baithak) as punishment.

Large rallies were also held in Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chandrapur, Nanded, Latur, Beed, and across the Konkan and North Maharashtra regions.

Senior Congress leaders led protests in several districts: Satej Patil in Kolhapur, Praniti Shinde in Solapur, Yashomati Thakur and Balwant Wankhede in Amravati, Kalyan Kale in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pratibha Dhanorkar in Chandrapur, Ravindra Chavan in Nanded, Shivaji Kalge in Latur, and Kumar Ketkar in Thane.

Addressing gatherings, the Congress reiterated allegations earlier raised by Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, about “vote theft.” The party claimed that over 13 crore voters nationwide, including more than 3 crore in Maharashtra, were arbitrarily removed from electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

It further alleged that 47 lakh untraceable voters were added to Maharashtra’s rolls ahead of the 2024 assembly polls.

Congress spokespersons highlighted reported written dissent from two Election Commissioners over procedural deviations by the CEC, saying it validated their charges of bias. Leaders warned that the agitation would escalate into a national movement unless action were taken against Gyanesh Kumar.