Mumbai:

An autorickshaw driver has been arrested for allegedly raping and assaulting a 20-year-old woman on a beach in neighbouring Palghar district, police said on Friday.

The woman was spotted in seemingly disturbed condition near Goregaon railway station in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, and when questioned, told police about the alleged rape.

The case was later transferred to Arnala Police Station as the alleged crime had taken place in Palghar, said an official.

The woman told police that she met the accused, a rickshaw driver, near Vasai railway station on Tuesday evening. He took her to the beach, raped her, and also slashed her with a blade, she alleged.

A case was initially registered at Vanrai police station in Goregaon, and multiple teams were formed to arrest the accused who was finally tracked down to a slum in Khairpada Valiv in Palghar district on Thursday. He was later handed over to Arnala police station for further probe, the official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

The Bangladeshi national arrested for attacking Saif Ali Khan gained entry into the actor’s building in Mumbai’s Bandra area by scaling its compound wall, and found the security guards sleeping at that time, police said on Tuesday.

The Mumbai police on Tuesday recreated the crime scene with the accused at the Satguru Sharan building, where the actor resides.

Khan (54) was stabbed repeatedly by the intruder, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir alias Vijay Das (30), inside his 12-floor apartment in the wee hours of January 16. The actor suffered multiple stab injuries in the attack and underwent an emergency surgery at the Lilavati Hospital.

Three days after the attack, the police arrested the accused from neighbouring Thane city.

A police official said, “Both the security guards in the building where actor Saif Ali Khan resides were sleeping when his attacker entered it by crossing over the boundary wall.” “As he found both the security guards in deep slumber, the accused entered the building from the main entrance where no CCTV camera has been installed. The accused removed his shoes and kept them in his bag to avoid making any noise and also switched off his phone,” he said.

“During the probe, the police found that there are no CCTV cameras installed in the building’s corridor. The investigation revealed that one of the two security guards was sleeping in the cabin and the other near the gate,” he added.

In order to recreate the crime scene, the police took the accused to the actor’s building as well as at other places that he possibly visited to have food, to change clothes and to board a train, he said.

The accused is kept in the police lockup either at the Bandra or the Santacruz police stations and no one except the investigation officer has permission to meet him, he said, adding that he is being provided food that other accused are being given.

Police Inspector (Crime) Ajay Lingnurkar has been appointed as the investigation officer in the case, the official said.

Fakir, a native of Jhalokathi district in Bangladesh, had been residing in Mumbai for over five months, working odd jobs and associated with a housekeeping agency, the police have said.

A court in Mumbai on Sunday remanded the accused in five-day police custody. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the police have gathered several clues in the case pertaining to an attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at his residence, and the culprit will be arrested soon.

Mr Fadnavis’ remarks came as at least two images of the suspect, whose face was clearly captured on CCTVs, have surfaced.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio in the state, said: “Police investigation is going on….they have got many clues and I feel the police will very soon zero in (on the culprit).” 

Mr Khan was grievously injured after an intruder stabbed him six times at his residence in Mumbai’s post Bandra West neighbourhood area early on Thursday. The actor, who received multiple stab injuries, including in his neck, underwent an emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital and is currently recovering.

In one of the images of the suspected attacker that surfaced on Thursday, he is seen taking the stairs while fleeing the building after stabbing the actor. In another image that surfaced on Friday, he is seen in a new set of clothes at, according to sources, Bandra Railway Station. 

Earlier on Friday, reports emerged that a possible suspect had been detained by the police but a top officer later clarified that the man, who was taken to Bandra Police Station, had nothing to do with the case.

According to police sources, the accused had demanded Rs 1 crore after barging inside Mr Khan’s flat. 

A two-year-old girl died and her parents were seriously injured after their scooter skidded at a spot where road repair work was underway and they were hit by a tempo, city police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Dr Ambedkar Road in Parel area around 10.30 am, said an official.

Manoj Shantaram Pawar (32), a resident of Ghatkopar, his wife Vidya (29) and daughter Shravi (2) were heading for the Jijamata Udyan in Byculla on scooter to enjoy the New Year holiday.

The two-wheeler skidded at a spot where repair work was going on. The three fell down on the road and were hit by a tempo coming from behind, said an official.

All three sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the civic-run KEM hospital where Shravi was declared dead on arrival, he said.

Manoj Pawar and Vidya are undergoing treatment.

A case for rash driving was registered against the tempo driver at Bhoiwada Police Station and probe was underway. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A court, while granting bail to a man booked for abetting the suicide of his girlfriend and Air India pilot, held that the victim had not complained to her family member or any authority about their strained relationship and his acts.

Pilot Srishti Tuli (25), who lived in a rented flat in Marol area of Mumbai was found dead in the early hours of November 25. A day later, police arrested her boyfriend Aditya Pandit (27), and charged him with abetment of suicide.

Additional sessions judge (Dindoshi court) T T Aglawe on December 27 granted bail to the accused.

In the detailed order made available on Thursday, the court noted that the FIR points out three instances of strained relationship between the applicant and the deceased.

“However, the deceased had not complained about the acts of the applicant either to her family members or to any other authority,” the court said.

It held that the material investigation was already over and therefore curtailing further liberty of the applicant (Pandit) was “not warranted”.

The complaint against Pandit had been lodged by the victim’s uncle.

As per the complaint, the accused and the victim were residing in the same room for five-six days prior to the incident. However, on the day of the incident the accused left for Delhi at around 1 pm.

It has been alleged that there used to be a dispute between the two over their food preferences as Tuli was a non-vegetarian and the accused a vegetarian.

The complainant alleged that only because of that reason, she might have committed suicide.

However, Pandit’s lawyer, Aniket Nikam, argued that a case of abetment of suicide is not made out.

“Merely because there were some fights between both of them, it does not mean that the applicant had any criminal intent,” the lawyer said.

After hearing both the sides, the court granted bail to Pandit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

At least 100 Istanbul-bound passengers of an IndiGo flight are stranded at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport due to a 16-hour delay caused by a technical glitch.

IndiGo has apologised for the inconvenience. 

Flight 6E17 was scheduled to depart for Istanbul at 6:55am.The airline said an alternative aircraft has been arranged and the flight will now take off at 11pm.

“We regret that our flight 6E17, originally scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Istanbul, faced a delay due to technical issues. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to rectify the issue and dispatch it to the destination, we eventually had to cancel the flight,” it said.

“An alternate aircraft has been arranged and is now scheduled to depart at 2300 hrs. We want to assure our customers that their safety and comfort remain our top priorities,” it added.

Sources said the flight was delayed at least thrice. The passengers were made to board and deboard the aircraft accordingly, before they were informed about the final departure time later in the day, they added.

Several passengers, mostly comprising students, staged a protest at the airport, demanding that the airline either issue a refund or arrange an alternate flight, the sources said.

They also took to social media to complain about the long delay. 

“My brother has been stuck at the Mumbai International Airport for more than 12 hours due to extremely unprofessional behavior by @IndiGo6E and their staff. He had a flight to Istanbul which 1st got delayed, then he was made to board and de-board again twice!!,” Sonam Saigal, an X user, said. 

“The staff is extremely rude and refuse to answer any questions about rescheduling and refund. There are 492 other passengers waiting for any basic communication from the @IndiGo6E staff. Highly disappointing behaviour…” she added. 

Another user, Sachin Chintalwad, expressed concerns that he may miss his connecting flight to Washington from Istanbul due to the delay. 

“Dear indigo this is not fair… Now it’s 5 hr. Delay (sic) for 6E 17 from mumbai to Istanbul. And i have connecting flight from Istanbul to IAD Washington and I’m going to miss that. Next flight also operated by indigo… Please suggest what to do,” he said.

Biresh Kumar Singh, another passenger, complained: “Flight to Istanbul 6E17 scheduled for 6:55 am yet to take off from Mumbai , passengers being moved to and from from a aerobridge to waiting area , staff clueless on what’s happening and when will the flight take off – pathetic service, taking passengers for granted.” 

Mumbai:

A court here on Friday granted bail to Aditya Pandit, the jailed boyfriend of an Air India pilot who allegedly committed suicide last month.

Pilot Srishti Tuli (25), who lived in a rented flat in the ‘Kanakia Rain Forest’ building in Marol area, was found dead in the early hours of November 25.

A day later, police arrested Pandit (27), her boyfriend, and charged him with abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 108.

His bail application was allowed by Additional Sessions Judge (Dindoshi court) T T Aglawe. But the detailed order has not bee made available yet.

The complaint lodged by Tuli’s father said the accused and his daughter were residing in the same room for five-six days prior to her suicide. However, on the day of the incident the accused left for Delhi.

As per the complaint, the accused and the deceased had different food preferences and this was a matter of contention between them.

Tuli was a non-vegetarian and the accused a vegetarian. Pandit constantly put pressure on Tuli to change her food habits may have led her to commit suicide, the complainant alleged.

However, Pandit’s lawyer, Aniket Nikam argued that a case of abetment of suicide was not made out.

“Merely because there were some fights between both of them, it would not mean that the applicant had any criminal intent,” he said.

Nikam further argued that in order to attract the charge of abetment, it was necessary to show that the deceased was left with no other option but to commit suicide.

“This was not so in the present case. The deceased was an educated lady. If she was unhappy in the relationship, she could have always walked out of it or if she was being harassed by the accused she could have complained about it,” he said.

Neither there was any complaint earlier nor any suicide note, and hence it cannot be said that the applicant abetted the suicide, the lawyer argued.

Pandit, in his bail application, mentioned that when he was on his way to the national capital, he called Tuli multiple times, but got no response. He got worried and rushed back to Mumbai and found the door of her flat locked from inside.

When Tuli did not open the door despite repeated knocks, Pandit called a key maker and got it opened. On finding his girlfriend hanging in the flat, he, as a law-abiding citizen, rushed her to hospital in order to save her life. However, the said effort became infructuous, his petition said.

“It is submitted that without admitting any of the allegations, even if, the entire FIR is taken as it is, it does not indicate any such abetment of suicide. Only because an FIR has been registered by the respondents, the applicant (Pandit) came to be arrested,” it said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A 52-year-old policeman suffered head injuries when a man obstructing traffic attacked him with a stick in Malad area of Mumbai, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday when Assistant Sub-Inspector Manik Sawant was patrolling Kachpada locality in Malad with his colleagues in a police van.

Mr Sawant spotted a traffic jam and got down to clear the road. He spotted a man intentionally blocking vehicles, an official said.

Sawant pulled the man aside and instructed him to leave the spot. Enraged, the man threatened the policeman to kill him, picked up a stick and struck him on his head. Sawant lost consciousness and fell, the official said.

“The accused fled the scene, leaving the stick behind. The other two officers in the mobile van immediately rushed Sawant to Tunga Hospital in Malad. He regained consciousness after treatment,” the official said.

Police identified the accused as Arun Harijan, a resident of Kachpada area, during the investigation.

Based on Mr Sawant’s complaint, a case was registered on the charge of attempt to murder under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). No arrest has been made, the official added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Mumbai on Wednesday recorded a maximum temperature of 37.3 degrees Celsius, its hottest day in December in the last 16 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The Santacruz observatory, which monitors temperature for the suburbs, recorded 37.3 degree Celsius, while the Colaba weather station for the island city logged 35 degrees Celsius.

On December 5, 2008, the Kalina observatory had recorded 37.7 degrees Celsius, Sushma Nair, scientist with IMD Mumbai, said.

It was just last week – on November 29 – that Mumbai recorded a minimum temperature of 16.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest in November in the last eight years.

On Wednesday morning, Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra witnessed light rains, with the city clocking a minimum temperature of over 25 degrees Celsius.

The skies over the city have been cloudy since Tuesday.

The Colaba observatory in south Mumbai recorded a minimum temperature of 25.8 degrees Celsius, while the one in Santacruz in the western suburbs logged 25.5 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

Some parts of the city recorded light rains.

“Moisture incursion due to cyclone Fengal brought the rains,” the IMD said.

Mumbai:

A 25-year-old Air India pilot, who allegedly died by suicide at her flat in Mumbai, reportedly faced constant harassment and public humiliation from her boyfriend.

Details available in the first information report (FIR) registered against 27-year-old Aditya Pandit, who has been arrested, revealed that he also pressured the woman, Srishti Tuli, to change her food habits and stop eating non-vegetarian food.

The FIR, which was filed at Powai police station based on a complaint by Srishti’s uncle Vivekkumar Narendrakumar Tuli, cited several instances where Aditya allegedly ill-treated his girlfriend, leaving her disturbed.

The uncle said that, in November last year, his car was used by Aditya to take his daughter Rashi and Srishti shopping in Delhi. An argument broke out between the couple, during which Aditya used derogatory language against Srishti in front of Rashi, and even rammed another vehicle with the car in anger.

Vivekkumar said his car suffered damage but Aditya appeared unaffected by it.

Argument Over Food

Another incident where Srishti was allegedly again publicly humiliated by Aditya took place in March this year, when the couple had gathered with Rashi and her friends for dinner in Gurugram.

Aditya reportedly insulted Srishti when she and the others suggested they have non-vegetarian food. After an argument, the couple eventually left to have vegetarian food but minutes later, Srishti called up Rashi, saying Aditya had left her on the road and gone home.

Vivekkumar said after the incident, Srishti told his daughter that she had been suffering because of the relationship but was unable to cut ties with Aditya since she loved him.

The complaint also listed another such incident, which took place days later.

Vivekkumar said that Aditya had to attend a family function and wanted Srishti to accompany him. He allegedly kept pressuring his girlfriend to attend the event despite knowing that she was supposed to pilot a flight that day. As another argument erupted, Aditya blocked Srishti’s phone number for around 10 to 12 days, leaving her anxious.

The complaint said that Srishti was always worried as Aditya would often humiliate her in public and block her number for trivial reasons.

Arrested For Abetment

The couple had met two years ago while the woman was pursuing a commercial pilot course in Delhi and the two began a relationship soon after, the FIR claimed.

Srishti’s body was found in her rented flat at Kanakia Rainforest building in Andheri’s Marol area on Monday. Police said she allegedly hanged herself with a data cable earlier that day, but no suicide note was recovered.

Aditya was arrested on Tuesday section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was produced in court, which sent him to police custody till November 29.