Excerpt from DNA, reported by Dayanand Kamath on March 7, 2010: Read Full Article

The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai conducted raids at five places in the last four days and recovered 30gms of cocaine, 79kgs charas and 900kgs ganja, collectively valued at Rs91.38 lakh. Nineteen drug peddlers, including three Nigerians, have been arrested. The ANC also seized a tempo, and two cars.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, police commissioner D Sivanandan said, “With the arrest of 19 persons, the ANC have busted three outstation gangs who brought narcotic drugs into Mumbai and sold them.”

The narcotic drugs were sent to Mumbai from Orissa and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Sivanandan added that they will soon co-ordinate with the J&K and Orissa police to nab the culprits who were involved in sending large consignments to Mumbai. Acting on the information, the ANC officers of the Bandra unit laid a trap at Vakola bridge, Santacruz (E) on March 4 and nabbed a Nigerian national, Jems Fanck, 30, and seized 24gms of cocaine valued at Rs96,000 concealed in his trousers. Fanck resided at Mira Road.
……..
In the third seize, the ANC officials received information that Dhannu alias Raju from Orissa would send narcotic drugs to Mumbai. Accordingly, ANC officials laid a trap at Mankhurd and intercepted a tempo and seized 900kgs ganja valued at Rs27 lakh concealed in the gunny bags. Five people from Andhra Pradesh were arrested. Amongst the arrested, one was held by the AP police two years ago for possession of ganja and convicted for six months. Another was arrested by the Nagpur police for possession of 220kgs ganja two years ago and was currently on bail, said DCP (ANC) Sunil Paraskar.

As reported in MID-Day by Bobby Anthony on  2010-03-02

The vigilance cell of the Mumbai octroi department confiscated a huge consignment of 27 large boxes full of electronics goods, at Mankhurd Railway Station at 7:30 am on Tuesday.

“It seems to be an organised racket. After we asked the evaders if they had paid octroi, they fled and left behind these goods, which we have confiscated. We have not yet valued these goods and therefore we do not know how much it is worth,” said Y G Lad, Deputy Assessor & Collector of the vigilance cell, of the octroi department.

The department had to take the help of the railway police in confiscating the goods, according to sources.

As reported in  Hindustan Times by Rachna Pratihar on  February 27, 2010

Abhijeet Patil and his friend Manoj Utekar, both 26, died on Thursday after a car hit their bike near Tata Power house at Mankhurd on the Mumbai-Panvel highway. The driver abandoned the car and fled the scene.

“They had gone to deliver a file to Sameer’s (Abhijeet’s friend) office at Nhava Sheva and were returning home when the accident happened,” said Patil’s brother-in-law Santosh Manjrekar. “Sameer was out of town and Patil offered to help since the file urgently needed to be delivered to Sameer’s office,” he added.

Abhijeet and Manjoj were employed with private firms and lived in Bhandup and Kanjurmarg respectively.  Mankhurd police said while the car was heading from Chembur to Vashi, the bikers were returning to Bhandup from Nhava Sheva.

“The Indigo’s front right tyre got punctured and its driver lost control. The car veered across the divider onto the other side and crashed into the Patil’s bike,” said senior inspector Pascal D’souza of the Mankhurd police station.

The police said Utekar was ejected from the bike and into the car through the front windshield. The victims were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar but they died before admission.  A soft drink bottle that allegedly contained whisky was found in the car.  “I’ve taken photographs of the whisky bottle and will send it to the police,” Manjrekar said.

The police, though, said they did not know anything about a whisky bottle, and have booked the car driver for rash and negligent driving. “The search for the driver is on. We’ve written to the RTO with details of the car,” said an officer.

Excerpt from Hindustan Times by Sujit Mahamulkar, on 7th Feb 2010: Read Full Article

Those who own Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) flats in Mankhurd will not get drinking water from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
However, owners of MHADA flats at Versova will now get 45 litres of water per head, the BMC has said.
The BMC said it will not be able to supply drinking water to newly constructed MHADA flats in Mankhurd because the daily demand is more than 2 lakh litres.
“It won’t be possible to
supply drinking water to residential complexes in Mankhurd as there is already a shortage of water,” said Vinay Deshpande head of the BMC’s water
department. “We would consider their plea only after we receive sufficient rainfall in the six catchment areas from where the city gets water.”
The MHADA had constructed and sold 3,863 flats under the affordable housing scheme for the economically weaker, lower, middle and higher income sections.

Excerpt from Mumbai Mirror, reported by Nazia Sayed on January 13, 2010 : Read Full Article

The 15-yr-old ran away from the home claiming the superintendent and a security guard tortured him; brother files complaint of harassment.

The brother of a 15-year-old who ran away from the Mankhurd Children’s Home, has lodged a complaint against its superintendent and a security guard, for allegedly harassing and torturing the boy. They have been booked by the Trombay police.

According to Ram Vilas, his brother had run away from their home in Uttar Pradesh on December 20, with dreams of becoming a movie star in Mumbai. He went to their sister’s house at Sakinaka. But when he learnt that Vilas was on the way to take him back, he ran away. The boy was taken to the children’s home on December 27 by the Vinoba Bhave police in Kurla, after they found him wandering aimlessly.

The boy ran away from the home on Saturday, and contacted Vilas, who had reached Mumbai by then. Vilas claims his brother’s condition was appalling when they were reunited. “He had a black eye and bruises all over. He fell unconscious while speaking to me,” said Vilas. He then lodged a complaint of harassment at the Trombay Police Station. The boy was taken to the children’s home, where he identified the two people who allegedly harassed him.

When contacted, Prabha Shah, superintendent, and one of the accused, said, “The boy is mentally unstable and was under medication. He had tried to run away twice from here. No one tortured him and all allegations made by him are false.” The second accused was unavailable for comments.

Before the boy (above) ran away on Saturday, seven children had earlier run away from the Mankhurd home (right)

Excerpt from DNA by Divyesh Singh on , January 11, 2010: Read Full Article
Chembur police have arrested five persons in connection with the abduction and wrongful confinement of a 30-year-old man.

Manoj Jaiswal, a professional driver, was allegedly kidnapped by the accused and confined in a ration shop in Mankhud for two days.

According to Chembur police, the accused had hired Jaiswal last month to go to Baroda for a jewellery deal. They had allegedly smuggled in the gold and silver jewellery. However, at Baroda, the five were robbed of their valuables by some unidentified people.

But they suspected that the robbery was planned by Jaiswal.

As reported in TOI  by Anahita Mukherji on 05/01/2010

“Aaj Ki Naari Kaisi Hai, Phool Nahi Chingari Hai.’’
Repeating the slogan at least a dozen times at Mankhurd’s Annabhau Saathe Nagar slum on Sunday morning were a 100-odd men, women and children, packed like sardines in the hot sun along a narrow bylane. The occasion? They were inaugurating the Sakhi Navnirman Rozgar Shikhlai Kendra—a tin shed from which the women of the slum planned to sew their own cloth bags as an alternative to plastic.

Incidentally, Sunday happened to be the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, a 19th century social reformer who pioneered women’s rights in India. Her photograph was placed outside the centre. But occupying pride of place inside was a newspaper clipping on plastic bags. The initiative has been supported by the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), led by activist Medha Patkar.

“Slum communities bring a whole host of services to the doorstep of the middle class, from delivering newspapers to domestic work. But their labour is not recognised. The women from the slum are very skilled and we hope such centres will go a long way in providing them with a source of self-employment. The initiative will also help the government in its fight against plastic bags. We hope the middle-class will help us and purchase these bags,’’ said Patkar.

Two expert seamstresses from the slum, Shabnam Khan and Sonu Mutte, displayed a dozen cloth bags they had stitched the day before. Not only will they stitch their own cloth bags at the centre, but they will also teach sewing to other women from the slum.

The women plan to sell their bags at cheap rates as they will eliminate middlemen and sell directly to the consumer. “Instead of washing utensils and sweeping floors at other people’s homes, women from our slum can make a living working for themselves,’’ says Sushila Patel, a woman from the slum.
A similar centre was set up two years ago in the Ambujwadi slums at Malad.

As reported by PTI 7th Jan, 2010

Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) today claimed to have cracked an international fake currency racket with the arrest of four persons allegedly possessing counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 46,500 here.

Police suspect that the seized notes may have been printed in neighbouring Pakistan from where it was transported to the city via Bangladesh.

Acting on a tip off, police laid a trap and arrested the four accused identified as Ibrahim Ali Shaikh (25), Barkat Bola Shaikh (19), Samphun Javed Shaikh (36) and Motivur Mohammauddin Shaikh (30) from Mankhurd area and recovered the fake notes with a face value of Rs 46,500, they added.

Excerpt from MumbaiMirror, reported by Sudhir Suryawanshi On January 01, 2010 : Read Full Article

The family of three-year old Ayub, who reportedly fell into an open manhole in Mankhurd, has asked for permission to search the underground sewage drains in the area.

Abdul Salam

Salam’s son Ayub reportedly fell into a manhole at Mankhurd on December 20

According to his family, Ayub fell into the manhole on December 20. Search parties sent by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) could not find any trace of the child in the area’s sewage network.

Tragedy, meanwhile, has already befallen the family. Ayub’s maternal grandfather died of shock after the child’s disappearance. Ayub’s father Abdul Salam, who was working in Qatar when the child went missing, has come back to Mumbai.

Salam and his relatives met Mayor Shraddha Jadhav and BMC commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya to ask for permission to search the drains.

Excerpt from Indian Express, reported on Dec 30, 2009 : Read Full Article

The special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act court on Tuesday sentenced a 60-year-old Indian national to ten years rigorous imprisonment for possessing 90 kg of mandrax tablets worth around Rs 9 crore in the domestic market and 10 times more in the international market.

Special Judge D R Sirsao sentenced Ghulam Mohammed Shaikh alias Nana behind bars for 10 years and imposed a hefty fine of Rs 1 lakh for possessing the banned drug. According to additional public prosecutor Vijay Malankar, on June 1, 2007, based on a tip-off Shivaji Nagar police raided Shaikh’s residence in Mankhurd and found the drug in gunny bags.