Police recover seven guns, 371 cartridges from hidden cache Dombivli: A 55-year-old builder known for his ‘gangster-style’ reels has once again been arrested after police recovered a massive cache of illegal weapons from his residence. The accused, Surendra Pandurang Chaudhary alias Patil, was taken into custody following a joint operation by the Thane Crime Branch and Manpada Police, who raided his bungalow in Dawdi and uncovered arms hidden in a secret compartment near a sh

Mumbai: Sharpening knives, several women political and social leaders called on the Nashik Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik and Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Tejaswi Satpute, seeking action against several bigwigs allegedly linked with the Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat scandal that has scalded Maharashtra politics. A delegation led by Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Sushama Andhare, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rupali Patil-Thombare, Sangeeta Tiwari of Biti

Mumbai: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing self-styled godman Ashok Kharat has widened its investigation, turning the spotlight on his financial empire with a detailed scrutiny of bank accounts held by him, his family and close associates. Investigators have so far identified five bank accounts linked to Kharat across major lenders: State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Saraswat Bank and Vishwas Cooperative Bank. These accounts hold deposits totallin

Mumbai: In a high-voltage courtroom packed with tension, the Nashik Sessions Court extended the police custody of fake godman Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat till March 29, as investigators sought time to probe shocking leads pointing at suspected human sacrifices and huge wealth besides the alleged sexual exploitation crimes. In a startling revelation, the police said that they recovered a black revolver with 21 bullets from his Mirgaon farmhouse, but five shells are missing. The

‘Pami Guru’ wows followers with MPs and police at darbar Kalyan: Following the high-profile Ashok Kharat case in Nashik, the emergence of the ‘Pami Guru’ scandal in Kalyan has sent shockwaves across the state. Allegations of blind faith, financial exploitation, and potential political-police collusion have intensified public concern. Viral videos circulating on social media show the self-styled transgender spiritual leader, known as ‘Pami Guru,’ flaunting a luxurious life

Mumbai : On anticipated lines, a day after the arrest of self-styled godman and celeb-astrologer Captain Ashok Kharat, the Nashik Police investigators have started probing his financial background to find that he may be tentatively worth an estimated billion-plus rupees. Kharat was nabbed after multiple complaints over his alleged ‘sexploits’ involving scores of women, blackmail, extortion and recovery of some sleazy videos of his gullible victims, while rubbing shoulders w

Karnataka’s fake degree scandal reveals a deeper collapse of scrutiny in public higher education. How did counterfeit doctoral degrees slip past official scrutiny in a State that prides itself on academic heritage? Who verified the credentials of those appointed to mould young minds? How many deserving scholars were denied opportunity while forged certificates quietly opened doors? Can an education system endure when suspicion clouds the integrity of its own faculty? These q

Mumbai : In a strong sign of judicial impatience, the Bombay High Court asked the absconder liquor baron Vijay Vittal Mallya to ‘come back to India and face the law' instead of challenging it from London, where he is currently living. A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad took exception to Mallya’s attempts to question the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 without first submitting to or facing the Indian courts.

Thane : In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, Mumbra police have seized a massive stockpile of mefedrone valued at approximately 27.21 crore. Acting on critical intelligence, the Narcotics Control Unit conducted a special operation extending as far as Madhya Pradesh, resulting in the arrest of five key drug traffickers involved in supplying large quantities of mefedrone to the Thane region. The operation was led by Assistant Police Inspector Rohit Kedar and Gane

After police lapses, case takes a decisive turn following strict intervention by the Bombay High Court Ambernath : Nearly one-and-a-half years after the brutal murder of Sanjay Patil on Shivmandir Road in Ambernath, the case has taken a decisive turn following strict intervention by the Bombay High Court. Acting on allegations of grave lapses and deliberate inaction by local police, the court has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership

By denying bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the Supreme Court has exposed the selective conscience of the so-called liberal ecosystem and the arrogance of foreign busybodies. Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam The Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam sends a clear signal about where politics ends and law begins. After examining the prosecution material in the 2020 Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case, the Court concluded that both men failed

The assassination of Judge Giovanni Falcone more than three decades ago laid bare Italy’s long war with the Mafia and the cost of defying it. Capaci, Sicily, the site of the A29 bombing that killed him in 1992. Giovanni Falcone At precisely 5.56 pm on May 23, 1992, thirteen drums of TNT and Semtex placed in a culvert on the A29 – the autostrada leading from Palermo Airport to Palermo, Sicily – and near to the small town of Capaci were detonated. The explosion was so massive t

Khaki, Black Money - Part 4 State’s police machinery is sinking in the mire of corruption AI Generated Image Kolhapur: By law, every government employee is required to file an annual statement of assets held in their own name and that of their family members. The Supreme Court has repeatedly underlined this obligation. Yet, ask a simple question: how many actually file these disclosures on time? How many senior officers ever bother to seek an explanation when they don’t? T

Khaki, Black Money - Part 3 Crores in unaccounted cash being allegedly suppressed during investigation AI Generated Image Kolhapur: In March 2016, a sensational theft rattled Kolhapur district. Over Rs 3 crore was stolen from a room inside the Warna Education Group campus at Warananagar by a habitual offender. Sangli police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested the thief and initially claimed to have cracked the case. But what followed exposed a far murkier truth

Khaki, Black Money - Part 2 Investment and recovery games thrive inside the police force AI Generated Image Kolhapur: In Maharashtra’s police force, where one is posted often matters more than what one does. Police stations that promise “high returns” trigger fierce competition among officers and staff. To secure such postings, deals are struck quietly. What was once paid in envelopes has now graduated to suitcases. Those who cannot match the price are pushed to side postings

Khaki, Black Money - Part 1 Crores allegedly traded for transfers and promotions; seven bank accounts under scanner AI Generated Image Kolhapur: Kolhapur has stumbled upon a rare moment of truth — and possibly a historic reckoning — within the police force. An alleged broker in the police establishment, Satish Panekar, was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) a few months ago for demanding hefty bribes in return for transfers and promotions. After spending ti

Congress woman leader killed in chilling plot by husband, four arrested Accused Rupesh Amberkar & Death Neerja Amberkar Badlapur : Maharashtra has been rocked by the shocking revelation that a Congress party woman office-bearer was brutally murdered through a planned snakebite, allegedly orchestrated by her own husband with the help of a snake rescuer. After remaining hidden for three years as an accidental death, the case has now been cracked by the police, leading to the ar

Karnataka’s reward scheme for whistleblowing offers a rare lesson in how to make truth-telling worth the risk. Big frauds seldom look dramatic at the outset. They begin with something typically routine in form of a tweaked ledger or an insider who decides it is safer to stay quiet. Every major scandal of the past decade - from Wirecard in Germany to FTX in the Bahamas, from IL&FS to the collapse of the Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative Bank - shared one fatal vulnerability

AI generated image Mumbai/Ratnagiri : In a shocker, Ratnagiri Police have arrested a Zilla Parishad school teacher along with nine others...

Four decades after India amended its dowry law, the case underscores why parents must be held as accountable as in-laws in a culture that...