Somendra Sharma

Mumbai Airport Customs arrested two women, including a senior citizen, after allegedly recovering 2.481 kg hydroponic weed from a trolley bag arriving from Bangkok. Officials said the bag was checked in under Manju Devi's name but carried by A.H. Memon. Devi claimed she was unaware of the contents and said the bag belonged to her fellow passenger.

Mumbai Airport Customs arrested Mumbra resident Mohammad Aman Dosani after allegedly recovering 12.7 kg of suspected hydroponic cannabis from his baggage following his arrival from Bangkok. Dosani claimed he was unaware of the contents and said the bag was handed to him for delivery in Mumbai. A suspected handler remains under investigation.

The CBI has registered a case against railway official Ashish Yadav for allegedly demanding a monthly bribe from a Jogeshwari saloon owner to prevent demolition of his shop. The official allegedly sought Rs 20,000 initially before settling on Rs 8,000 per month. The complainant approached the CBI, which verified the complaint on August 21.

The CBI has organised a coordination meeting with Thailand on live animal trafficking at its New Delhi headquarters. Officials discussed smuggling routes from Southeast Asia to South Asia, including air and land corridors through Myanmar. The agency said trafficking of exotic animals and birds involves organised criminal networks and requires cross-border collaboration to curb the activity.

The Mumbai ACB booked and apprehended BMC K/West Ward Sub-Engineer Niravkumar Jaisur and staffer Vijay Patil for allegedly demanding a bribe from a bakery businessman. Patil was caught accepting Rs 60,000 during a trap operation at the ward office, while Jaisur was taken into custody. Cash and mobile phones were seized during searches.

The DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit is probing the hawala channel allegedly used by an international gold-smuggling syndicate after arresting six people and seizing 6.65 kg of gold worth Rs 10.75 crore. Investigators are tracing the gold's source, distribution and illegal money transfers while looking for other members of the network.

CISF personnel at Mumbai airport foiled multiple smuggling attempts by detecting gold and foreign currency during security checks. A passenger travelling to Jodhpur was found carrying 430 grams of gold paste concealed in his jeans, valued at ₹60.91 lakh. In two separate cases, foreign currency worth ₹72.22 lakh was also recovered from passengers bound for Dubai and Ras Al-Khaimah.

Mumbai Airport Customs arrested Malaysian national Ahmad Razali after allegedly finding 1.8 kg of hydroponic weed concealed in 12 vacuum-sealed packets inside his trolley bag. He had arrived from Bangkok and reportedly admitted concealing and carrying the contraband for monetary consideration. He was arrested and sent to judicial custody as Customs investigates his associates.

The Income Tax Department's Intelligence & Criminal Investigation wing in Mumbai organised a Mega Outreach Programme for over 200 Sub-Registrar Office officers at Prakashgad, Bandra. The session focused on SFT and Form 165 under the Income Tax Act, 2025, including PAN reporting, transaction value accuracy, data validation and error correction to strengthen information-driven tax administration.

Mumbai Cyber Police uncovered an interstate cyber fraud network allegedly using a mule bank account in Nanded to route stolen money from task scams, investment frauds and digital arrest threats. The account recorded transactions exceeding ₹26.89 lakh in 10 days, with ₹9.51 lakh linked to five cybercrime complaints. Police have frozen the account and are tracing the operators.