Palghar: As many as 10 men thrashed a tempo driver from Nalasopara and doused him with petrol after he refused to pay Rs 20 ‘donation’ to the owner of an illegal dhaba at Wadakhadkona in Manor on Saturday night. The victim’s friend, who was driving another tempo, was also assaulted when he tried to save him.Manor police arrested the dhaba owner, Vinod Singh, and three of his staff members and booked them for attempted murder under the BNS. Kumar Sushant, holding the charge of Manor police station, said they are trying to identify and trace the remaining accused.On Saturday morning, Danish Khan loaded material in his tempo from Taloja in Navi Mumbai for delivery in Ankleshwar in Gujarat. Around afternoon, he stopped at a Naigaon petrol pump where he met his friend, who was also heading to Gujarat to deliver goods. Around 6pm, the duo took a break at Jai Ambe Dhaba at Wadakhadkona. After visiting the washroom, Khan was not able to find his tempo keys. He enquired with Singh, who was at the cash counter. Singh gave Khan his vehicle keys and demanded that he put Rs 20 in the donation box on the counter.In his complaint, Khan said that when he refused as he didn’t have any change on him, the dhaba owner hurled abuses at him and rained blows on him. Immediately, eight to 10 of his staff members joined in. Khan claimed that he was dragged into another room behind the counter where he was assaulted with belts and sticks and one of the staffers doused him in petrol. Khan said he then fell unconscious and does not remember what happened thereafter. He regained consciousness only in hospital, where he was treated for injuries on his face, head, chest, back, and hands, said a police source.

Ulhasnagar: The Central police station in Ulhasnagar has registered an FIR against four teachers for allegedly neglecting election duties assigned to them as booth-level officers (BLOs) in the Ulhasnagar assembly constituency.The action follows complaints filed by assistant municipal commissioners Vishal Kadam and Ganesh Shimpi, who are also serving as assistant electoral registration officers for the constituency. The accused are Santosh Gorade, Monika Narang, Mahesh Badekar and Anil Patil. Officials said the four were assigned responsibilities such as SIR mapping, verification of unclear voter photographs and removal of duplicate entries. However, they allegedly completed less than 20% of the assigned work and failed to carry out the verification process diligently. —Pradeep Gupta

Mumbai: Powai police busted a gas cylinder theft racket operating across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, seized 45 stolen gas cylinders and arrested a habitual offender involved in multiple theft cases.Police said the racket came to light after a motorcycle theft was registered at Powai Police Station. During the investigation, police found that the stolen two-wheeler was used to carry out gas cylinder thefts at various locations. Based on technical surveillance and inputs from informants, police arrested Raj Chandrakant Kamble (18), a resident of Thane, and recovered the stolen motorcycle used in the crimes. The accused was involved in at least 15 theft cases registered across several police stations. A Powai police officer said that during the probe they found out that the gang got activated and was involved in stealing gas cylinders ever since the Iran war broke out. The stolen cylinders are sold at higher price to those who want the cylinder immediately. “LPG cylinder thefts have increased in Mumbai amid shortages caused by West Asia conflict-related supply disruptions. Major incidents include 27 cylinders stolen from a parked delivery tempo in Charkop and the recovery of 45 cylinders by Powai police. Residents have resorted to chaining cylinders for security,” said the officer.

Mumbai: Days after TOI reported about how the BMC has zeroed in on a 52 MLD alternate tank as part of its Malabar Hill reservoir reconstruction plan, residents have raised fresh red flags over its potential environmental cost. At a meeting held on Sunday evening, locals voiced concerns that the proposed alternate tank could once again come at the expense of the area’s green cover. The project is likely to involve the cutting and transplantation of several trees — an assurance that residents say does little to allay fears about long-term ecological damage.The residents have now decided to formally write to the civic body, objecting to the proposal and questioning the need and rationale behind the plan.The concerns echo an earlier flashpoint. In Sept 2023, the BMC was forced to shelve its plan to completely demolish and rebuild the reservoir after widespread public opposition, as the move threatened the iconic Hanging Gardens located above it. Authorities subsequently pivoted to a phased repair strategy, which hinges on the alternate reservoir being made operational first.“There is no need for an alternate tank. The reservoir can be repaired in phases by isolating sections, with the remaining capacity proving sufficient. We will write to the BMC and seek a meeting on the issue. This is a large project that will impact the entire locality. No expert has stated that an alternate tank must be built at the same site,” said a resident present at the meeting.Last week, the civic water supply projects department presented multiple options for AJ alternate water tank, of which a three-level structure—comprising an underground tank, a ground-level tank, and an upper-level tank—was selected. Under the plan, water will be routed through the ground-level tank and pumped upward to ensure uninterrupted supply when sections of the existing reservoir are shut for repairs.