Mumbai: Police are searching for the vehicle that killed a 24-year-old biker near Centaur Hotel on Western Express Highway in Vile Parle (E) in the early hours of Wednesday. The incident occurred at 12.15 am when the deceased, Neelkanth Ingole, was riding his two-wheeler and had crossed the flyover bridge on the WEH. “The team is scouring through the CCTV to track down the vehicle that was involved in the hit-and-run case. Ingole died of severe head and internal injuries,” said a Vile Parle police officer.Ingole met with the accident 45 minutes after he left his Andheri home at 11.30 pm on Tuesday. In the complaint, Ingole’s sister Khusbhoo Wankhede said, “My brother was visiting his wife’s home at Matunga regularly to meet her and his newborn baby. His wife delivered the baby three months ago”. Ingole did odd jobs for livelihood.

Palghar: The process of distribution of land acquisition compensation for the Vadhvan Port Greenfield Highway Project has started, officials said on Wednesday.A meeting in this regard was held by District Collector Dr Indu Rani Jakhar.The compensation amount will be directly credited to the bank accounts of the landowners who have been asked to submit updated 7/12 extracts and mutation records.In cases where mutation entries are pending, village revenue officers have been directed to complete them on priority and special camps will be organized at Talathi offices and Gram Panchayat offices for this purpose, Jakhar said.The Collector appealed to landowners not to spend the compensation hastily, but to invest it in safe options such as new land, bank fixed deposits or post office savings schemes.Considering the increasing risk of cyber fraud, landowners have been advised not to share OTPs or bank details with anyone. Banks and the police department have been directed to conduct awareness campaigns in this regard.The Collector also appealed to landowners to avoid dealing through middlemen, agents, or brokers, and instead directly contact the competent authority or the Talathi office for all procedures.

Thane: A sessions court in Thane has convicted two men for the brutal murder of an octogenarian and his caretaker in a case dating back to 2016, bringing closure after nearly a decade-long trial. Additional sessions judge G G Bhansali convicted Prashant Sadashiv Pawar and Atendra, and sentenced them to life imprisonment for murder. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each and awarded additional rigorous imprisonment for offences of robbery and house trespass.According to the prosecution, the victims — Sitaram Vallabh Shroff (84) and his caretaker Santosh Raisingh Lavangare — were found murdered in their flat at Regency Heights on Ghodbunder Road on May 31, 2016. Both sustained multiple stab and incised injuries, pointing to a brutal assault. The case saw a breakthrough when CCTV footage captured Pawar — a former caretaker of Shroff — entering the building with Atendra. The court observed that although there were no eyewitnesses, the chain of circumstantial evidence was complete and conclusively established the role of both accused in the double murder.

MUMBAI: A 16-year-old girl narrowly escaped after her 21-year-old boyfriend attempted to kill her with a sickle and molested her outside her college in Mulund after she stopped speaking to him. Within 24 hours, police arrested the accused identified as Ashish Bansode, a resident of Badlapur under the Pocso Act. According to police, Bansode approached her from behind at college premises, and grabbed her by the neck. He then allegedly attempted to attack her. However, a male friend intervened, and the sickle struck the back of his neck, injuring him. Mulund Police registered a case of attempt to murder, and criminal intimidation. Police further revealed the accused had previous criminal cases registered against him, including an NDPS case and other criminal offences.

Mumbai: A new Mumbai Police SUV caught fire at Sakinaka in Andheri West on Thursday afternoon after smoke suddenly started emanating from the bonnet, police said. The exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. No one was injured, and police registered an accidental fire case.According to Sakinaka police, the vehicle was being used for patrolling duty and only the driver was inside when the incident occurred. As his mobile phone started ringing, he parked the vehicle by the roadside. At that moment, smoke began coming out from the bonnet and he immediately stepped out. Shortly after, the car caught fire and was engulfed in flames.The driver’s mobile phone, clothes and bag were destroyed in the fire.Police said the department recently introduced 633 new SUV vehicles, and this car was one of them.

Mumbai: A delivery boy lost his life in a road-related crash. Police registered a case of negligence against a car driver and a tanker involved in the crash. The victim, Tuvankumar Yadav, hailed from Bihar. He lived in Mumbai for the past 10 years and worked as a delivery boy with a food delivery app for half of that period. On Wednesday, he was riding his electric two-wheeler for a delivery on New Link Road at Kandivli (W). Around 7 pm, he was near Kandivli metro station outside a petrol pump, when a car halted in such a way that it caused obstruction to traffic. Without looking in the mirror, the driver opened the right side door. The door hit Yadav who was coming up on his scooter. As a result, he fell on the road. A tanker coming up from behind mowed him down. Yadav was still lying injured on the road when someone informed his brother, over phone, and the latter rushed to check on him. Yadav was taken to the Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. He had suffered serious head injuries. Police identified the car driver as Aftaab Alam, a Govandi resident. The tanker driver was identified as Anantrai Shivnayak, a Wadala resident.Earlier this month, another delivery boy riding a two-wheeler on the Western Express Highway had lost his life in a hit-and-run involving a dumper truck.