THANE: Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have solved the murder of a Mumbai-based tailor within 48 hours of the crime, arresting two men allegedly involved in the killing. Investigators said a crucial clue emerged from the manner in which the victim was tied up before being murdered, according to news agency PTI.The victim, identified as 35-year-old Shamshad Ali Warish Ali, was a resident of Kajupada in Mumbai’s Kurla West. During the investigation, police found that Ali had allegedly been killed after repeatedly demanding repayment of a Rs 3 lakh loan he had extended to one of the accused.Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Thane District Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod said Ali’s wife had filed a missing person’s complaint at the Sakinaka police station on May 25.Two days later, on May 27, a highly decomposed body bearing multiple stab wounds was discovered in an isolated field near an open plot in Dahagaon under the Vasind police station limits in Thane district.Police subsequently registered a case under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified persons.“There was no CCTV camera placed around the isolated crime scene, making it a completely blind case initially. However, a breakthrough was achieved when the victim’s wife identified a pair of slippers and clothes found near the decomposed body to be Ali’s,” Rathod said.Investigators then relied on technical analysis and intelligence gathering, which led them to suspect Syed Hassan Syed Mehbub Badshah (38), a resident of Mumbra in Thane who worked as a zari artisan, and his associate Sameer Abdul Karim Kalyankar (43), a resident of Mahim in Mumbai. Both men were taken into custody.“Their sustained interrogation brought to light that Ali had lent Rs 3 lakh to Badshah. As the accused failed to repay the loan, the victim continuously demanded his money back. Fed up with his constant pestering, Badshah hatched a plan with Kalyankar to eliminate Ali,” the official said.According to police, the two accused lured Ali to the secluded Dahagaon location, where they tied his hands, legs and eyes before stabbing him to death.“Considering the fact that the victim’s eyes, hands, and legs were tied tightly with cloth provided a vital clue to the police that the murder was the handiwork of someone deeply accustomed to fabric and garment work, which eventually turned out to be completely true,” Rathod noted.The investigation was carried out by the crime branch, which ultimately cracked the case and arrested the two accused.

KALYAN: Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Eknath Shinde has been selected for the prestigious Sansad Ratna Award 2026, marking the second time he will receive the honour for his performance in Parliament and contribution to public issues.Dr Shinde had earlier received the award in 2024. The Sansad Ratna Award is presented to outstanding parliamentarians for their effective participation in legislative proceedings, raising public issues and contribution towards strengthening parliamentary democracy.According to the award committee, Dr Shinde’s selection was based on his active participation in parliamentary debates, consistent follow-up on public issues, quality interventions in discussions and introduction of six private member bills over the past year.The committee stated that MPs are evaluated on several parameters, including attendance in Parliament, participation in debates, questions raised, legislative contribution and overall parliamentary performance. This year, 10 Lok Sabha MPs, two Rajya Sabha MPs and members of four parliamentary committees have been selected for the honour.The award was instituted in 2010 by Prime Point Foundation following the suggestion of former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The selection process relies on official parliamentary records, PRS Legislative Research data and inputs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats.Among the six private member bills introduced by Dr Shinde are proposals related to Deepfake Regulation, National Natural Disaster Control and Welfare Board, Cow Protection and Conservation, Orphan Child Welfare and Development, amendments to the Right to Education Act and the Advocates Act.Sources close to the MP said the bills focused on emerging technological challenges, disaster management, legal reforms, education and social welfare issues.Over the past few years, Dr Shinde has actively raised issues related to the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, including railway infrastructure, urban development, healthcare facilities, transport, employment generation and environmental concerns.Apart from his parliamentary role, Dr Shinde recently led an all-party Indian delegation to the UAE, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo after Operation Sindoor. During the visits, he highlighted India’s stand against terrorism and presented the country’s zero-tolerance policy on terror at international forums.

THANE: A Thane court on Thursday acquitted Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and five others in a 17-year-old case where candidates from other states who had come for the railways recruitment exam were attacked at Kalyan railway station.The court cited insufficient evidence and the prosecution’s failure to establish the presence or involvement of the accused at the scene of the alleged incident in 2008. Of the eight accused named in the chargesheet, two died during pendency of the trial. The court extended the benefit of the doubt to the remaining six accused.Chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Abhijeet A Kulkarni delivered the verdict in the 2008 Kalyan station violence case on Thursday, clearing Raj Thackeray and five others of charges including rioting, unlawful assembly and assault. The case dates back to Oct 19, 2008, when MNS activists were accused of assaulting candidates who had arrived from other states for the Railway Recruitment Board examination. The incident also led to clashes between police and the agitators.The alleged violence, said to have affected nearly 150 students, became one of the more politically charged criminal cases to emerge from the MNS’s early agitations against north Indian migrants. Police had alleged that MNS workers protested outside several exam centres, blocking roads and shouting slogans.The incident had also sparked a big political controversy, with many politicians from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar criticising the MNS stance. Police had registered 130 cases, of which 15 are pending.Advocate Sayaji Nangre who, along with Shailesh Sadekar, represented the accused, argued before the court that none of the seven prosecution witnesses nor any digital evidence, including a video CD central to the case could confirm Raj’s presence at the ticket booking office of Kalyan railway station between 8:30pm and 10:15pm on Oct 19, 2008. Since the prosecution could not establish that Raj was physically present, Nangre contended, the charges of rioting and inciting violence against him were inherently unsustainable.The defence further pointed to procedural lapses in the prosecution’s case, including inconsistencies in police witness statements and discrepancies in the timing of panchnamas. Despite the prosecution’s claim that 150 students were affected, no admit cards, identity proofs or official examination records were ever produced to corroborate the allegation, the defence had argued.CJM Kulkarni found the video CD legally insufficient and devoid of evidentiary value. Witnesses had also failed to identify the accused during the trial, further weakening the prosecution’s case, the defence lawyer stated.Thackeray, who had appeared in court on May 13 to deny all charges and say he was in Nashik at the time of the incident, was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered on Thursday.