Egg donation scam: Chargesheet names 15 accused

ULHASNAGAR: Police have filed a nearly 5,000-page chargesheet before an Ulhasnagar court in the alleged illegal egg donation racket busted in Badlapur, within 88 days of beginning the investigation. The chargesheet names 15 accused, including five doctors, women agents and others allegedly linked to the operation.According to police, eight accused directly involved in the racket were arrested, while notices were issued to seven others allegedly connected indirectly to the case. The chargesheet contains statements of 25 witnesses and details of nearly 250 egg donations allegedly carried out through 30 women.Police said the chargesheet outlines the role of all eight arrested accused. Among them is a woman donor who allegedly donated eggs at least 37 times in violation of legal norms and later became an agent, recruiting financially distressed women into the network. Under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, egg donation is permitted only once in a lifetime and commercial exploitation is banned.Investigators alleged women were paid Rs 25,000-30,000 per cycle, administered hormonal injections without proper supervision, and their eggs were later sold for lakhs of rupees.

Massive blaze engulfs Thane market complex near railway station; fireman, guard killed (Picture credits: X)

THANE: A massive blaze tore through the Gamdevi market complex near Thane railway station in Maharashtra in the early hours of Thursday, leaving a fireman and a security guard dead and two other fire personnel injured, officials said. A “brigade call” was sounded as the fire escalated rapidly at around 3.45 am, engulfing multiple vegetable and clothing stalls in the busy market area, an official said.“Additional Commissioner of Police Prashant Rode said a fireman and a security guard were killed.” Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) chief Yasin Tadvi confirmed that two more fire personnel sustained injuries during the operation. “It was a ‘major fire’ and destroyed the market, which housed numerous clothing stalls, vegetable and fruit markets, alongside a local municipal ward office,” he said. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic as massive flames and thick smoke billowed from the complex. “The fire broke out in the small hours of Thursday, and firefighting operations are actively underway. All available fire engines from across the city and the RDMC team have been pressed into service to bring the blaze under control,” officials said. Firefighters faced significant challenges in containing the inferno due to large quantities of highly combustible garments stored inside the stalls. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials added.

KALYAN: In a rare move, following sustained public pressure and political intervention, the state govt has reappointed Ramdas Kokare as deputy municipal commissioner (solid waste management) in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. The move comes days after Kokare’s sudden transfer triggered outrage among residents and civic activists.Kokare, known across Maharashtra for his innovative waste management and cleanliness models, had been abruptly transferred last month after serving barely nine months at the KDMC. However, his next posting was not finalised.The move sparked a strong public reaction, with residents launching campaigns demanding his return, citing his role in significantly improving solid waste management and cleanliness standards in the twin city. Sources said KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goel had also urged the state govt to bring Kokare back, considering his work and public support. It is learnt that Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde also played an important role in pushing for his reinstatement, making the govt revoke the transfer on Monday.Kokare was first brought to KDMC in 2020 with a mandate to overhaul the civic body’s poor sanitation and waste management system, which was long criticised for rampant garbage dumping and lack of segregation.During his first tenure, he played a key role in shutting the Adharwadi dumping ground and aggressively promoting waste segregation across the city. However, after his transfer at the end of that tenure, waste management conditions reportedly deteriorated again. Sources said this was one of the key reasons why MP Shrikant Shinde had earlier demanded Kokare’s return to KDMC for a second stint.After rejoining KDMC, Kokare once again focused on waste segregation and scientific waste processing. Under his leadership, segregation levels, which had reportedly dropped to just 3%, rose to nearly 70%, among the highest in the MMR. He also pushed biomining initiatives at the Adharwadi dumping ground and encouraged recycling and revenue generation through waste processing projects.

KALYAN: A 21-year-old jobless man has been arrested for allegedly coercing a 14 year-old girl into accompanying him to the secluded and dimly lit Kalyan railway yard and raping her.GRP officials said the girl, a resident of Ahilyanagar, arrived at Kalyan on Saturday and was waiting at a platform around 5pm to catch a train to Khopoli, where her uncle resides. In her complaint, she said the accused, Saurabh Sonawane, befriended her and mid-conversation, snatched her phone. When she pleaded for it, he allegedly intimidated her and said she must accompany him to the Kalyan GRP station to retrieve it. However, he instead took her to the yard, where he allegedly assaulted her.Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP), in a joint operation with Railway Crime Branch, tracked down and arrested Sonawane within hours of the crime after scanning CCTV footage of the platforms and yard area and identifying him.The GRP have booked Sonawane under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Pandarinath Kande, senior police inspector of Kalyan GRP, said, “The accused is unemployed and has a previous case of assault registered against him at Kolsewadi police station.”Saturday’s incident has once again trained the spotlight on the abysmal state of passenger safety, especially for women and minors, within railway premises. In June 2011, a 17-year-old girl was raped by three unidentified men on Kalyan station premises in the presence of her male friend, who was held hostage at knife-point.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

ULHANSAGAR: Two people have been arrested after a video allegedly showing women being assaulted, stripped semi-naked, their hair chopped off and paraded with garlands of slippers in Maharashtra’s Ulhasnagar went viral, police said on Saturday.According to police, the incident took place in the Vitthal Wadi area of Ulhasnagar and stemmed from a dispute between two families belonging to the same community over entry into a temple.Ulhasnagar ACP Shailesh Kale said a case had been registered against seven people and two arrests had been made so far.“A case has been filed at Ulhasnagar police Station under various sections…The case has been filed against seven individuals, out of whom two have already been arrested. The conflict arose from a dispute between two families of the same community regarding entry into a temple, leading to mutual opposition. Cases have been registered against members of both families involved in the dispute,” he said.Police said further investigation was underway.

Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation

KALYAN: With the monsoon season approaching, the issue of dangerous buildings in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits has once again come into focus. In a major safety exercise, the civic body has started issuing notices to residents living in extremely dangerous structures, directing them to vacate the premises to avoid any untoward incidents during heavy rains.According to KDMC officials, a total of 451 buildings across the twin-city have been classified as dangerous, out of which 225 buildings have been marked as “extremely dangerous.” Civic authorities fear that these structures may pose a serious threat to life and property during the monsoon.Officials said structural auditors and engineers have inspected several old and dilapidated buildings and recommended immediate repairs in many cases. Accordingly, the municipal corporation has issued repair notices to such buildings, while evacuation notices are being served to residents staying in highly critical structures.As part of the monsoon preparedness drive, KDMC has launched a special campaign to ensure citizens’ safety and minimize the risk of building collapse incidents. Civic teams are also conducting inspections and monitoring vulnerable structures across Kalyan and Dombivli.KDMC Deputy Commissioner Prasad Borkar appealed to residents to cooperate with the administration in the larger interest of public safety. “Citizens should prioritize their own safety and support the civic administration during this monsoon preparedness exercise,” he said.Every year, the monsoon season raises concerns over ageing and unsafe buildings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with authorities urging residents to shift temporarily from risky structures to safer locations.