Mumbai: In 2022, the Anti Narcotic Cell of Mumbai police have registered 708 offences of narcotic substances, arrested 844 people and seized 4 tonnes of narcotic drugs totalling Rs 5,000 crore.
Officials said that after a Covid-19 this year has marked the highest number of arrests and seizures by the nodal agency as compared to the last three years. In 2018 the ANC had made 193 cases and arrested 269 persons and seized drugs worth Rs 1,021 crore.
In 2019 which was the peak period of covid-19 it committed 514 offences and arrested 595 persons with drugs worth Rs 67 crore.
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly strangulated by her father and uncle for eloping with a boyfriend in Maharashtra’s Jalna district, police said.
The two accused were arrested on Wednesday morning, said an official. The girl, the resident of an area near Jalna city, had eloped with her boyfriend three days ago.
When she returned home, her father and uncle allegedly beat her up and strangled her on Tuesday night. They later burnt the body to destroy the evidence, but a local person alerted the police, the official said.
New Zealand great Kane Williamson, who led the country to the World Test Championship triumph in its inaugural edition, stepped down as the captain from the longest format, the country’s cricket board announced on Thursday.
Tim Southee has been named the replacement in their WTC title defence. Williamson will continue to lead the side in the white-ball format with focus on the ODI World Cup in 2023 and T20 World Cup in 2024.
Tom Latham has been appointed their vice-captain. ”Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” said Williamson, who took over the role in 2016 from Brendon McCullum. ”For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format.” Statistically, Williamson is the best Test captain in New Zealand’s history, winning 22 of 40 matches at the helm, as well as eight draws and just 10 defeats.
Under his leadership, New Zealand reached the top of the Test rankings before emerging as winners of ICC Test Championship, beating India in the final in June last year.
On his decision, Williamson said: ”Captaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career I feel the time is right for this decision. ”After discussions with NZC, we felt that continuing to captain the white-ball formats was preferable with two World Cups in the next two years.”
Williamson said Southee and Latham will have him as a source of help throughout his tenure. ”I’m excited to support Tim as captain and Tom as vice-captain,” he said. ”Having played with both of them for most of my career, I’m confident they’ll do a great job.” Southee, who has 346 internationals to his name and has led the T20 side on 22 occasions, will become New Zealand’s 31st Test captain when he leads the team during this month’s Test tour to Pakistan.
The first Test begins on the Boxing Day at Karachi. ”It’s been a surreal few days and it’s just a massive honour to be appointed as Test captain,” Southee said. ”I love Test cricket, it’s the ultimate challenge and I’m really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format. ”Kane’s been an outstanding Test captain and I’m looking forward to working with Gary on how we can build on that,” he added.
Paying his tribute to Williamson, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said: ”Kane’s guided the Test team through an immensely successful period which is testament to his ability to bring people together and work towards a common goal. ”He’s certainly led from the front with his own performances and that was very much the case during our push to win the World Test Championship. “The Test team has continued to evolve and develop during his time and the fact we’ve been able to introduce new players and see them thrive almost instantly is a credit to Kane and his leadership. ”We hope by lessening his workload we can continue to see the best of Kane Williamson for longer on the international stage, and we know he will remain a key leader in this group.” Sead said the decision to appoint Southee as captain came down to the direction in which the Test team wanted to head. ”Tim’s a quality leader with a good cricket brain,” Stead said. ”We’ve seen his captaincy skills on display with the T20 side and I’m sure he’ll continue to bring an aggressive style, whilst still maintaining the core fundamentals of how this Blackcaps team operates in the Test arena. ”He will also come from a slightly different perspective in being a bowler which I’m sure will also bring with it new ideas and fresh thinking.”
A case was registered against a man on Wednesday for firing in the air near a tunnel of the newly-inaugurated Samruddhi Expressway in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, police said.
Police swung into action after a video clip surfaced on social media showing a man coming out of an SUV and firing in the air from a gun near a tunnel.
The incident occurred on the expressway stretch passing through Phulambri taluka in Aurangabad district, a police official said.
Once the Old woman’s shoe was prime attraction point in city tourism. Four years after the Old Woman’s Shoe was renovated by the BMC, it has been shut again with a board stating that it is unsafe for human occupancy. It was only in February 2018 that Kamala Nehru Park in Malabar Hill, which was closed for over five years, had been reopened to the public after a nursery rhyme-themed makeover.
When contacted, the local garden department staff said repairs are being undertaken by the hydraulic engineering department. The officials from` the civic hydraulic engineering department told Afternoon Voice “the iconic old woman’s shoe needs repair, looking at the safety of children we have temporarily closed the entry here.
We are focusing on renovation and soon it would be open for the public”. Local resident Alkaben Mistry said the park has nursery rhyme theme, children love to come here are even the people from all age group enjoy here. Cannot wait for renovation to be completed and entry is given to the people. “
The authorities in Marathwada region of Maharashtra have undertaken a survey to study the financial and social condition of farmers and their families so that the benefit of government schemes can be extended to them, a senior official said on Wednesday.
This survey will be completed in three months, said Deputy Divisional Commissioner Parag Soman. “It has already begun in some districts and will soon start in the rest,” he said.
On the day when Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and his Karnataka counterpart Basavaraj Bommai met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said just like some of Maharashtra’s bigticket projects were taken to Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections there, now some of the districts may be shifted to Karnataka, where polls are scheduled next year.
Maharashtra’s real estate regulator has asked 13 district collectors to ensure that compensation payments totalling Rs 730 crore awarded to home buyers, who got duped by developers, reach the affected parties.
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRera) has also appointed a retired additional district collector to follow-up in such cases where dues have been pending, an official statement said.
The fire broke out at a building in the Lower Parel area of the Maharashtra capital here on Thursday.
A total of four fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the fire at One Avighna Park building here. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and more details were awaited.
On December 12, a fire broke out in the storeroom of Kherwadi police station in Mumbai’s Bandra area in which one policeman was injured while trying to extinguish the fire. He later succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.
On December 2, a fire broke out in a godown in Mumbai’s Sewri area in which eight people were injured.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday told media persons waiting for his reaction on the 39 deaths so far in the Chhapra hooch tragedy that if “someone consumes spurious liquor, they will die” as he came under heavy pressure on his alleged failed excise policy.
Defending the liquor ban in Bihar, he said that the state’s prohibition policy has benefitted several people and a large number of people have given up drinking alcohol due to his measures.
“The liquor ban has benefitted several people. A large number of people have given up alcohol…This is good. Several people have happily accepted this. But there are some troublemakers. I have told officers to identify the actual troublemakers and nab them,” Kumar told the media in Patna.
“I have told officers that they shouldn’t capture the poor. People manufacturing liquor & carrying on liquor trade should be caught,” Kumar said.
The chief minister also said, “I am ready to give Rs 1 lakh each to people to start their own work. We’ll raise the amount if needed, but nobody should get involved in the liquor business.”
“Last time, when people died due to spurious liquor, someone said they should be compensated. If someone consumes spurious liquor, they’ll die – an example is before us. This should be condoled, those places should be visited and people should be explained about the fallout of their action,” Nitish Kumar said.
After the first death late Tuesday in a Chhapra hospital, the toll has reached 39 on Thursday. In its wake, Masrakh Station House Officer (SHO) Ritesh Mishra and Constable Vikesh Tiwari were suspended on the recommendation of Marhaura Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Yogendra Kumar.
Bihar Excise Minister Sunil Kumar on Wednesday vowed strict action against culprits responsible for deaths. “Process of filling an FIR is underway. I have spoken over the phone with SP,” Sunil Kumar said.
The sale and consumption of alcohol were banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016. Hours after the first few deaths were reported from Chhapra, the opposition on Wednesday attacked the Bihar Chief Minister in the state assembly leading to Nitish Kumar losing his cool and screaming back at the BJP leaders.
The Janata Dal-United chief slammed the BJP for protesting the deaths as Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha questioned the state’s liquor ban policy since 2016.
Nitish Kumar lost his temper in the House and screamed at the BJP MLAs ”Sharabi ho gaye ho tum… (you are drunk)” Protesting against the incident, Bihar opposition lawmakers also staged a demonstration outside the state assembly later.
