Mumbai: The Sahar Police on January 28 arrested a taxi driver for allegedly defrauding an American national of Rs 18,000 for a taxi ride of just 400 metres.

The accused has been identified as Yashraj Yadav alias Papuu (50). The police have seized the vehicle, and the accused is currently in judicial custody. Two accused were involved in the crime. One is Yadav, while his associate, Taufiq Shaikh, is absconding.

The case came to light after a social media post by the American national, Argentina Ariano, went viral. In her post, she alleged that she was scammed by a taxi driver shortly after arriving in Mumbai.

According to the police, the victim had arrived in India for work. The incident took place on January 12 at around midnight after she landed at the Mumbai International Airport.

She alleged that the taxi driver charged her Rs 18,000 for a trip to a hotel located barely 400 metres away. Yadav allegedly took the woman on a 20-minute drive in Andheri (East), returned to the same locality, dropped her at the hotel and collected the fare.

Nearly 15 days later, on January 26, she posted about the incident on social media. In her post, she wrote: “Landed in Mumbai recently, took a taxi to the Hilton Hotel. The driver and another man first took us to an unknown location, charged us $200 (Rs 18,000), and then dropped us at the hotel, which was only 400 metres away. Taxi No: MH 01 BD 5405.” She tagged Mumbai Police and the Traffic Police and used the hashtag #scam.

Responding to the post, Mumbai Police replied, “We have followed you. Please share your contact details in DM.” Following this, the Sahar Police initiated an inquiry.

During the investigation, police found that there are three Hilton hotels near the airport and identified the exact hotel where the American national had stayed. However, within 12 to 13 hours of the incident, she had checked out of the hotel and left the country. She checked out the next day and went to Pune, from where, after completing her tour, she returned to the US.

Manoj Chalake, Senior Police Inspector of Sahar Police Station, said, “We are trying to get the victim’s statement via video call or email. She did not inform the hotel staff about the incident. We have repeatedly informed people to communicate with the hotel or the local authority if a tourist suspects that a cabbie is fleecing them.”

The police contacted her and requested her to file a formal complaint. Although she responded with “Okay”, she did not lodge any complaint.

The Sahar Police then registered a suo motu case on January 28 against an unknown taxi driver under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched a search operation.

Using the taxi number mentioned in the post, police traced the accused, Yadav, who resides in Sahar Village and is a permit taxi driver. The vehicle, a white Toyota Etios, has been seized. The vehicle is registered under the S.M.S. Tours and Travels company. Police said they would send his details to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for cancellation of his licence.

A police officer said two persons were involved in the crime — Yadav and his associate, Taufiq Shaikh, around 50 years old. Yadav allegedly negotiated the fare with the foreign national and then called Shaikh, who arrived with the car. Both allegedly cheated the tourist.

Shaikh later took the money from Yadav and fled to Uttar Pradesh. Police records show that several cheating cases have been registered against Shaikh at various police stations. Yadav, however, has no prior criminal record.

Manoj Chalake added, “We have seized the car. The cash could not be recovered as the other accused took the money and fled. We are searching for him. We will soon call the company owner for a statement.”

He further said that the police do not have much information about the foreign national, as she has not provided details about the purpose of her visit or other relevant information.

The Metropolitan Magistrate Court initially remanded Yadav to one day of police custody and later sent him to judicial custody.

Mumbai: In a bid to tackle worsening traffic congestion and improve road safety, the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) have announced a fresh set of restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles within the city. The new rules will come into effect from February 1, officials confirmed.

Under the order, heavy vehicles will be barred from entering Mumbai during peak traffic hours, from 8 am to 11 am and from 5 pm to 9 pm. Traffic police officials said these time slots witness the highest vehicular movement, and the presence of large, slow-moving vehicles during these hours majorly increases the risk of accidents and traffic bottlenecks.

Authorities cited the sharp rise in the number of vehicles and the ongoing infrastructure projects across Mumbai as key reasons behind frequent gridlocks. Heavy vehicles tend to slow down traffic flow and make commuting difficult for motorists, two-wheeler riders and pedestrians during peak hours, according to officials.

The restrictions are even tighter in South Mumbai. As per the new order, all heavy vehicles, including luxury buses, will be completely banned from entering South Mumbai between 7 am and 12 midnight. Only vehicles transporting essential goods will be allowed during this period.

Heavy vehicles will be permitted in South Mumbai only between 12 midnight and 7 am. Luxury buses carrying passengers, however, will not be allowed to enter South Mumbai even during permitted hours, according to reports. In addition, heavy vehicles remain banned on the Eastern Freeway round the clock, with the sole exception of buses.

Certain categories of vehicles have been exempted from the restrictions. These include vehicles transporting essential commodities such as vegetables, milk, bread, bakery products, drinking water, petrol, diesel and kerosene. Ambulances, school buses and government or semi-government vehicles will also be allowed to operate without restrictions. Luxury buses carrying passengers will be permitted to enter Mumbai, but they will not be allowed in South Mumbai during restricted hours.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amitesh Kumar said the primary objective of the order is to ease pressure on city roads during peak hours. “Heavy vehicles occupy more road space and move slowly, which leads to longer travel times for other road users. These restrictions are aimed at smoother traffic flow.

The traffic police have also tightened parking norms for heavy vehicles. Such vehicles will now be allowed to park only in private or rented parking spaces, or in authorised pay-and-park zones. Parking on public roads has been strictly prohibited. Only two water tankers will be permitted to park near water supply points on nearby roads.

Officials noted that a draft of the order was first issued in September 2017, inviting public suggestions and objections. After reviewing the feedback and assessing the growing pressure on Mumbai’s limited road space, the final order has now been enforced.

Mumbai, Jan 30: The Indian equity markets traded lower early on Friday as the metal stocks plummeted under pressure.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex eased 525 points, or 0.64 per cent, to reach 82,040, and Nifty lost 159 points, or 0.63 per cent, to settle at 25,259.

Main broad-cap indices posted higher losses than the benchmark indices, as the Nifty Midcap 100 declined 0.81 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 lost 1.19 per cent.

All sectoral indices were trading in the red except FMCG, pharma and consumer durables. Nifty metal and IT were down 4.28 per cent and 1.41 per cent, respectively.

Immediate support lies at 25,250-25,300 zone, while resistance is anchored at 25,550–25,600 zone, market watchers said.

Analysts said that geopolitical issues continue to plague global trade with continuous threats of tariff weaponisation by US President Donald Trump. The spike in Brent crude to near $70 is a headwind for Indian macros in general and industries that use oil as inputs, in particular.

These headwinds are likely to be countered by the positive message from the Economic Survey that projects GDP growth of 6.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent growth in FY 27.

As India is headed for around 10 per cent nominal GDP growth in FY27, 15 to 17 per cent earnings growth can be expected in FY27, imparting resilience to the market.

From early 2027 onwards, India’s success in diversification of its export market away from the US will gain momentum with the India- EU trade deal getting implemented, they added.

Asia-Pacific markets mostly traded lower in the morning session after Trump said he will announce his choice for the next head of the US Federal Reserve on Friday.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index eased 1.19 per cent, and Shenzhen lost 0.96 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei declined 0.35, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.66 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.59 per cent.

The US markets ended largely in the green overnight as Nasdaq lost 0.72 per cent. The S&P 500 eased 0.13 per cent, and the Dow gained 0.11 per cent.

On January 29, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net sold equities worth Rs 394 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 2,634 crore.