Mumbai: Police in the last one week arrested nine people, including three women, and seized heroin worth Rs 33.8 crore. On Dec 16, cops arrested two persons and seized heroin worth Rs 1.3 crore. During investigation, police arrested more people and seized more drugs. One of the arrested women was caught from Ajmer in Rajasthan.
Mumbai: A sessions court convicted and sentenced a 38-year-old mother to 10 years imprisonment for trafficking her 17-year-old daughter for the purpose of sex work, noting that her actions warranted no leniency. She was also charged with seven-year terms for violations of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and three years under the Juvenile Justice Act. The court ordered these sentences to run concurrently. The judgment concluded, “The mother’s love knows no law, no pity, and it breaks down everything that comes in its path. A mother who gives birth, nurtures, nourishes the child and protects the child from all the cruelties of the world. But when a mother pushes the child into the cruelties of the world, the child loses every hope of life,” additional sessions judge Neeta Anekar said on Tuesday. Two other co-accused, Sonam Mewalal and Naida Shaikh, were acquitted of all charges. The court ruled that mere presence at the scene or accompanying the primary accused did not equate to criminal conspiracy or abetment, noting that the prosecution failed to prove they had any share in the transaction or control over the victims.The investigations began in Aug 2021 when an NGO alerted Malad police to a woman operating under the alias Sabina. A sting operation culminated at a restaurant in Malad (W). Cops told court that the accused mother arrived at the venue accompanied by two other women and two young girls. One of these girls was her own daughter, who was then a 17-year-old. Following a pre-arranged signal from the decoy, the accused were arrested and since then, has been in jail. During the trial, the prosecution’s case faced a significant hurdle when the daughter, testifying as a victim, attempted to exonerate her mother. She claimed they had gone to the restaurant for a job interview and that she had never seen money change hands. However, the judge noted that the presence of the exact marked currency notes in the mother’s purse, verified against a pre-trap photocopy, rendered the defence’s “interview” narrative implausible. The judge also relied on a forensic science laboratory report which matched the mother’s voice to the recorded phone negotiations.
Mumbai: An alert police constable came to the rescue of a senior citizen who was being assaulted with a bamboo stick and sickle, over a property dispute at Khar recently. Police registered an FIR against two persons for ‘attempt to murder,’ besides provisions of Indian Arms Act.The victim, Hemant Dalal (64), a realtor, was disputing with one Roshan Patel concerning a building near Khar railway station. On Dec 24, around 2.30 pm, Dalal ventured to the property where a fight broke out between him and Patel. According to the FIR, while the attack was on, a police constable, Anil Jadhav, present at the police beat chowky near the station was alerted. Police said Jadhav used his lathi to shield Dalal from the accused. Dalal was rushed to Bhabha Hospital and is now stable.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has strongly criticised the pitch used for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, saying it was too difficult for batters. The match saw an unusual amount of action on Day 1, with as many as 20 wickets falling, something that has not happened in an Ashes Test for 75 years.Vaughan felt the pitch offered far too much help to the bowlers and did not provide a fair contest between bat and ball. Australia ended the first day at 4 without loss and held a lead of 46 runs, but the focus remained on the nature of the surface.
“We’re always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball. I thought that was unfair for the batters. The pitch has done plenty. There’s been plenty of movement out there. It’s not been easy for both sides, but I don’t like seeing a pitch do so much,” Vaughan told the BBC.The fall of 20 wickets in a single day underlined just how challenging the conditions were. Australia were bowled out for 152 in their first innings, with England pacer Josh Tongue picking up an impressive 5 for 45. In reply, England struggled even more and were dismissed for just 110 runs. Australian bowlers Michael Neser and Scott Boland made full use of the conditions, taking four and three wickets respectively.Despite Australia holding a clear advantage, Vaughan cautioned against writing England off. He pointed out that England have shown in recent times that they are capable of chasing big totals in the fourth innings.“They are a good chasing side. We have had three heavy rollers already, and there will be another one tomorrow morning. This England team can chase. Australia are favourites, but don’t rule England out,” Vaughan said.With the pitch expected to change as the match progresses, the Test remains finely poised despite the dramatic first day.
NEW DELHI: First death anniversary of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was marked on Friday with leaders paying tributes across the country.Manmohan Singh, who served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, passed away last year at the age of 92.Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi paid tribute, saying Singh’s decisions helped the poor and underprivileged, and his humility and hard work remained an inspiration.Rahul also paid floral tributes at Manmohan Singh’s residence at 24, Akbar Road in New Delhi. Party leaders and workers remembered Singh at events held in different states.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described Singh as a transformative leader who changed the direction of India’s economy. He said Singh’s reforms expanded opportunities and helped millions move out of poverty.
Shashi Tharoor shared a video message, describing Singh as an “erudite and deeply decent leader”. He said Singh’s quiet nature often spoke louder than political noise.“Today the nation pauses to mark a solemn milestone, the first death anniversary of a man whose silence often spoke louder than the clamour of our current political discourse, our former Prime Minister, the erudite and deeply decent Dr Manmohan Singh. It has been a year since we lost him, yet the void he left in the intellectual and moral landscape of Indian public life remains palpable Dr Singh was in many ways, in the famous phrase, an accidental politician, but he was a very conscious patriot,” Tharoor said in his video message.He said Singh would be remembered as a transformative Prime Minister who combined a quiet manner with firm conviction, pointing to his decision to stake his government on the civil nuclear deal that strengthened India’s position globally.Tharoor added that Singh’s years as Prime Minister were not only about economic growth. They were also about building a framework of rights, including the Right to Information, the Right to Education, MGNREGA, the right to work and the Right to Food Security.
“On the death anniversary of former Prime Minister, ‘Padma Vibhushan’ Dr Manmohan Singh ji, humble tribute to him. As finance minister and Prime Minister, he made invaluable contributions to the nation’s development,” UP CM Adityanath wrote on X.West Bengal’s CM Mamta Banerjee wrote, “Remembering former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, on his death anniversary.” Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule, and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar were among the many leaders who remembered Singh.Born in 1932, Manmohan Singh was an economist who served as RBI Governor and finance minister before becoming Prime Minister.
NAVI MUMBAI: Newly elected Shiv Sena councillor from Khopoli Manasi Kalokhe’s husband Mangesh (45) was hacked to death with swords, sickle, and an axe when he was returning home on bike after dropping his son to school on Friday morning. Mangesh was a former councillor from Khopoli.Khopoli police have registered an FIR against 10 people, including NCP’s Raigad district president Sudhakar Ghare, NCP’s local spokesperson Bharat Bhagat, Ravindra Deokar and his sons Darshan and Dhanesh, and Sachin Chavan based on a complaint lodged by Mangesh Kalokhe’s cousin alleging murder conspiracy.Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogavale alleged that the murder may have been committed out of political vendetta as NCP lost the recent Khopoli Municipal Council elections. Ravindra’s wife Urmila had contested on an NCP ticket from ward number 3 against Sena’s Manasi Kalokhe, and lost by more than 700 votes.According to sources, Ghare is a close aide of NCP MP Sunil Tatkare. Ghare had contested the assembly elections in 2024 as an Independent against Shiv Sena’s Mahendra Thorve from Karjat and lost by a margin of 5,694 votes. Mangesh was a staunch supporter of Thorve.Police said around 7am, Mangesh was returning home on his bike after dropping his son to school when he was ambushed by two unidentified assailants, who were waiting in a black car with four others, at a junction in Vihari village. The duo struck him with swords, sickle, and axe and sped away in the car. Kalokhe died on the spot.As news spread of the murder, which was witnessed by local residents, Shiv Sena supporters gathered outside Khopoli police station and demanded immediate arrest of the killers. A large police force was deployed in the area to maintain the law and order situation.Raigad superintendent of police Anchal Dalal said, “The complainant alleged that Ravindra, his sons Darshan and Dhanesh, and Chavan had hatched the murder plot. He claimed that on Friday morning, Darshan, Chavan, and three unidentified persons chased Mangesh, waylaid his bike, and knocked him down. They then attacked him with swords, a sickle, and an axe, killing him.” Dalal said they have yet to identify four of the accused.
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NEW DELHI: The CBI on Friday filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi high court’s order suspending the life sentence of Unnao rape convict and former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar.According to a CBI spokesperson, the decision was taken after examining the order passed by the high court’s division bench.The agency’s move came three days after the HC granted relief to Sengar, an order that sparked widespread outrage and led to protests by the survivor, her mother, and women’s groups.The survivor of the June 2017 crime had already said she would approach the top court.On Tuesday, a division bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar ordered the suspension of Sengar’s sentence during the pendency of his appeal against conviction and life imprisonment, subject to the furnishing of a bail bond of Rs 15 lakh. He was also granted conditional bail. However, the bench imposed strict conditions, directing that the politician shall not enter a five-kilometre radius of the area in Delhi where the victim resides. He has also been ordered to remain in the national capital and to have no contact with the woman and her family members.Senior advocate N Hariharan, along with advocate SP Tripathi, appeared for Sengar and argued that their client was not a public servant at the time of the offence. They also contended that there were “discrepancies” in documents relating to the survivor’s age and said medical evidence should be relied upon. Opposing the bail, advocate Mehmood Pracha, appearing for the survivor, submitted that there had been “serious threats” to her life in the past. Pracha pointed out that she had earlier been provided security, which was later withdrawn, and highlighted that her father was assaulted in police custody and later died due to his injuries — a case in which Sengar was separately convicted. The former MLA remains in judicial custody as he has not been granted bail in that case, for which he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. He has also challenged his conviction and sentence in that matter.The Uttar Pradesh government transferred the investigation to the CBI in April 2018. In August 2019, the Supreme Court shifted the case and all related proceedings from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi to ensure a fair and speedy trial. Sengar was convicted and sentenced in December that year.
NEW DELHI: The stage is now set for “exemplary” govt action against IndiGo — a likely combination of steep fines along with regulatory glare on some airline officials among other things — for its schedule collapse earlier his month that affected over 5,000 flights and left lakhs of passengers stranded.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday evening submitted its report on the “circumstances leading to operational disruptions” to the civil aviation ministry, which is also expected to shed light on why only the airline’s domestic network collapsed while international flights were barely affected.
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu had said in Parliament govt will take “exemplary” action against IndiGo once the probe is over. “An enquiry committee, headed by (DGCA’s) joint DG Sanjay K Bramhane, submitted its report Friday evening. The report is confidential,” said a ministry spokesperson.It is learnt that the accountable manager of the airline, an expat, could have his approval withdrawn. While a number of factors led to the schedule collapse at India’s largest domestic airline, the failure of its operations control centre and a breakdown of trust between pilots and expats-led management added fuel to the fire.“We are not taking this situation easily. We are conducting an inquiry. We will take very, very strict action not only for this situation but also (to set) an example,” Naidu had said on Dec 8 in Parliament.Govt wants IndiGo to set its house in order given the critical role the airline plays in Indian vacation with over 64% domestic market share and also being the largest airline in terms of international traffic. In banking parlance, IndiGo and Air India Group are now “too big to fail” as all other players in the domestic market are either fledgling or struggling to survive.The unprecedented scale of flight disruptions — close to 5,000 — witnessed earlier this month is expected to lead to record penalties. IndiGo had cancelled only 2.4% of its 2,702 international flights between Dec 1 and 9. Domestic cancellations were 10 times higher at almost 25% of the 17,404 scheduled flights not being operated during the same time.IndiGo is also probing this collapse but govt action is going to be decided on the basis of the DGCA report. The regulator’s probe panel under joint DG Bramhane was set up on Dec 5, to “identify the underlying causes leading to widespread operational disruptions.”The panel was also to “assess the adequacy of manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and implementation preparedness in the context of (new flight duty norms for pilots). Review the extent of compliance with the revised FDTL provisions, including analysis of gaps admitted by the airline. Ascertain the accountability and responsibility for planning failures that led to the breakdown of operational stability.”
Investors, led largely by younger buyers, purchased an estimated 12 tonnes of digital gold during January–November this year, according to data compiled by the World Gold Council (WGC) even as demand slowed after a recent regulatory caution from Sebi.The estimate is based on data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on UPI transactions for digital gold purchases, which NPCI published for the first time this year, ET reported. By comparison, industry estimates suggest Indians bought digital gold equivalent to around 8 tonnes in 2024.Digital gold allows consumers to buy, sell and hold gold online without taking physical delivery, with purchases starting from as little as Rs 1. The format has gained popularity among first-time investors and younger users transacting through apps and fintech platforms.However, momentum slowed after Sebi issued an advisory in November cautioning investors that digital gold is not a regulated security and does not fall under existing commodity market regulations, unlike gold exchange-traded funds or electronic gold receipts. The regulator urged investors to assess risks before using such platforms.Despite the caution, industry participants say demand for a regulatory framework is growing. “Gold continues to hold a deeply rooted place in Indian households as an important asset class and digital gold builds on this legacy by improving access through fractional ownership and transparent, market-linked pricing, while addressing concerns around storage and purity,” said Sachin Jain, WGC’s regional chief executive for India. “Digitalisation will be critical to ensuring that gold remains a trusted and relevant asset for Indian consumers,” he said.Major digital gold providers in India include MMTC PAMP, Augmont and SafeGold. These platforms store physical gold in vaults on behalf of customers, who can sell their holdings at any time, offering liquidity through digital channels.The regulatory gap has prompted the India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA) to set up a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for digital gold players. The SRO is expected to begin onboarding members in January and aims to ensure that customers’ digital gold holdings are fully backed by physical gold and subject to regular audits.“We are developing technology to onboard and regulate digital gold players. There will be auditing of all the digital gold players periodically. This will create confidence among buyers of digital gold and the market will deepen further,” IBJA national secretary Surendra Mehta said, quoted ET. The association expects to finalise rules and regulations by the end of March or early April next year.Industry executives said millennials and Gen Z account for nearly two-thirds of digital gold buyers, underlining a broader shift toward digital-first investing. However, the Sebi advisory triggered uncertainty. “Post Sebi’s order, there was a lot of confusion in the market,” said a senior executive at a digital gold platform. “All the stakeholders including the digital gold buyers have almost stopped buying gold digitally. We had to convince them to return to the platform,” he said.
