Accused trio get 10-day remand

Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai,...

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Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai, were brought here from Kota in separate vehicles early today. They were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade Court where the police sought 14 days’ custody for the accused who are allegedly acting at the behest of the jailed mafia chief Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. Pleading for the remand, the police lawyers argued that sustained custodial interrogation was necessary to recover the weapons used in the shooting – which the accused had thrown away while fleeing, retrieve two mobile phones which were reportedly destroyed by the accused, besides digging out the entire conspiracy, pinpoint the exact motives and identify other persons involved in the brazen attack. Opposing the plea, the accused’s lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi argued that police custody was unnecessary, particularly for recovering the weapons. Mirgal and Joshi later told mediapersons that the accused had already been interrogated at a railway colony during their transit-remand period and were produced before the CMM Court just minutes before the transit remand expired this afternoon. After hearing both sides, the CMM remanded them to police custody for 10 days till October 31. It may be recalled that Shroff, 36, was targeted on the evening of October 18 near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu. Despite being a heavily crowded area, the assailants were seen firing at least 5-6 rounds at the actor’s car before fleeing on a motorcycle. A shaken Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, sustaining minor bruises, but his driver and a bystander suffered injuries. Following the incident, the Mumbai Police registered a case of attempted murder and offences under the Arms Act, and launched an interstate investigation involving Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, and later Gujarat and Delhi. The Mumbai Police formed 20 teams to hunt down the attackers, recovered the second-hand motorcycle outside Andheri station where it was abandoned and tracked their journey through different modes of transport from Mumbai to Surat and Kota. Acting on a tech-intel alert from Mumbai Police, the Kota Police lay in wait for them and apprehended them from the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express on Monday morning. Initial probe revealed that the assailants were planning to flee the country after travelling to the borders via Jaipur and Delhi. They were lured by the promise of sneaking them out of India to a foreign country, possibly Canada and rehabilitating them. Three key accused brought to Mumbai from Kota Three key accused apprehended in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car were brought to Mumbai from Kota in Rajasthan early on Wednesday, police said. Police brought them by road from Kota to Mumbai and, upon arrival, immediately took them to GT Hospital for a mandatory medical examination, an official said. Following the medical check-up, the accused were escorted to the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) office for interrogation. The accused have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka, from Sonipat in Haryana; Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai; and Phool Singh from Haryana, the official said. The Kota city police had handed them over to Mumbai Police, which formally arrested them and produced them before a magistrate there. The court granted transit remand to take them to Mumbai. Meanwhile, advocate Ajinkya Mirgal arrived at the AEC office in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, informing officials that he would represent the accused as their defence counsel in the case. At least two men fired gunshots at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening before speeding away on a motorcycle. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. According to Mumbai Police, five to six rounds were fired at the car. A motorcycle, allegedly used by the shooters, was found abandoned in Andheri. The accused fled to Surat and once there, boarded a Jaipur-bound train. The three were supposed to go to Delhi on a bus and then flee to Nepal. The Mumbai Police have registered a case under the provisions of attempt to murder and the Arms Act. According to the police, Rehan was in touch with Anil Pandit, an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the attack in an unverified social media post. On Tuesday, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four more persons, including two women, in connection with the firing case. Police suspect they were acting on the directions of Anil Pandit, a gangster operating from abroad, an official earlier said. The four accused, identified as Kunal (21), Sumit (19), Radha (23), and Babita (23), were apprehended from Delhi and Haryana. According to police, Kunal allegedly collected a pistol and 20 rounds from Amritsar on the instructions of Anil Pandit, with Sumit accompanying him. Radha and Babita allegedly travelled to Mumbai with the weapon. Following the arrest, the police said the motive of the shooting was being ascertained, while the way Shroff was attacked, the assailants planned to kill him.

Cabbies bay for fare hike

Quaid Najmi

May 15

3 min read

State slashes VAT on jet fuel

Mumbai: Even as the Maharashtra government moved swiftly to cushion the aviation sector by slashing Value Added Tax (VAT) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 18 pc to 7 pc, sections of Mumbai’s cab unions demanded an immediate fare hike following the latest increase in compressed natural gas (CNG) prices by Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL).

The VAT reduction on jet fuel will remain in force for six months - May 15-Nov 14 - vide an official notification issued today.

The move is expected to provide substantial relief to airlines battling spiraling operational costs amid fears that the escalating West Asia crisis could further disrupt global fuel supplies and inflate energy prices.

The MGL hiked retail CNG prices by Rs 2/kg across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), citing turbulence in global energy markets triggered by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. This hike will hit nearly 4.8 lakh autorickshaws, around 1.5 lakh taxis, and over five lakh private vehicles dependent on CNG across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.

Fuel Expenditure

The Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union (MRU) claimed that the increase has pushed up fuel expenditure from Rs 17.14/km to Rs 18.17/km, significantly raising the daily operational burden on drivers already struggling with rising maintenance and household expenses.

Accordingly, the MRU sought a fare revision of Re 1/km for autorickshaws and Rs 2/km for taxis to offset the additional fuel burden. “The latest CNG hike has brought fresh distress for drivers who are barely surviving. Running costs have increased sharply and fares must be revised accordingly,” a union representative said.

However, not all unions were in agreement with this stand. Swabhiman Taxi-Rickshaw Union (STRU) President K.K. Tiwari and Akhil Maharashtra Kamgar-Karmachari Sangh (AMKKS) President Gaurishankar Singh tread cautiously, warning that another fare revision could backfire and alienate commuters already hit by inflation.

“Cab fares were increased only last year. The government is unlikely to approve another hike so soon, especially when ordinary citizens are already burdened by rising prices,” Tiwari told ‘The Perfect Voice’.

He contended that the Rs 2/kg increase in CNG would translate into an additional burden of roughly Rs 8/day for an autorickshaw driver, which they could absorb for the time being. “If we insist on higher fares now, commuters may simply shift to app-based aggregators like Ola and Uber,” he cautioned.

Singh said a joint panel comprising officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Regional Transport Office (RTO), Traffic Police and transport unions would examine the impact of the fuel hike and assess other economic and operational factors before taking any decision on fare revision.

The revised CNG rates - Rs 82/kg to Rs 84/kg - directly affecting nearly 12.8 lakh CNG-powered vehicles across the MMR and the increase of around Rs 3/litre in petrol and diesel prices, further depressed household budgets with concerns of triggering fresh inflation.

The rapid developments unfolded barely days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for austerity and frugality in public and private expenditure amid uncertain global conditions.

However, ordinary citizens are now grappling with higher transportation costs, rising fuel bills and escalating prices of daily essentials - even as airlines prepare to somewhat benefit from lower taxes on jet fuel.

Naidu pats Fadnavis

Maharashtra’s decision to slash VAT on ATF drew praise from Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, who complimented Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the timely intervention.

The appreciation came even as some other states, including Tamil Nadu and Delhi, have reportedly raised duties on jet fuel. Naidu noted that state-level VAT on ATF constitutes a major component of airline operating expenses, and Maharashtra’s decision would bring relief to the aviation industry at a critical juncture.

Highlighting Maharashtra’s soaring strides in aviation, the union minister pointed out that the state’s 16 operational airports collectively handle nearly 75 million passengers annually.

Naidu said the cut in VAT on ATF would help airlines manage operational costs more effectively and prevent sharp spikes in airfares despite rising international fuel pressures.

“I hope that the few states where the Congress continues to be in power - Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana will also look into this (ATF) issue and take up the challenge of undertaking pro-people measures.”

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister, Commerce