The crime branch of Thane police has arrested Afaan Raut, an alleged agent, in the Mumbra-Shil Phata building crash case of April 2013.

As many as 74 persons had died when an under-construction unauthorised building came crashing down in Shil Phata area.

Raut and another accused Dinesh Prajapati were produced before the judge V V Virkar on Friday afternoon who remanded them in police custody till July 27.

While Prajapati had surrendered before police on his own, Raut was arrested.

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hire told the court that Prajapati was one of the nine partners in the Lucky Construction Company which was constructing the building.

While Raut acted as the middleman between the local corporator Hira Patil and the builder and had received money on behalf of the corporator, the prosecutor said.

Of the 27 arrested accused, 24 are out on bail.

The violence at Harsul town in Nashik earlier this week found echo in Maharashtra Assembly with opposition members charging the government with not doing enough to restore normalcy in the trouble-hit area.

The issue was raised by Jeeva Pandu Gavit (CPM) whose two adjournment notices seeking discussion on the matter was rejected by the Chair twice.

Gavit lamented that even though the notice seeking discussion was rejected, he was not allowed even to speak to draw the government’s attention to the ground situation.

Jayant Patil (NCP) said the Chair was not allowing opposition members to raise issues.

“The government has failed to curb the violence in Harsul,” he alleged.

Nashik Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan told the House that normalcy has been restored and he had visited the area twice to monitor the law and order situation, which is now peaceful.

Housing Minister Prakash Mehta, who is holding additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs, said the government will make a statement on the violence on Monday.

On Tuesday, one person (Ramdas Budhad) was killed in police firing when a protest march turned violent in Harsul.

The march was held to protest against the death of one Bhagirath Choudhary (26) whose body was found in a well in Baripada near Harsul on July 7.

Over a dozen policemen were also injured while trying to prevent miscreants from entering the riot-hit town.

According to police, 49 shops, 14 houses were damaged in the stone-pelting incident.

CBI on Friday carried out surprise checks at Indian Naval Hospital (INHS) in Mumbai’s Colaba and Armed Forces Medical Stores Depot in Kandivali after receiving information that drugs were being allegedly purchased in violation of the ‘Stock Policy’.

The action of the agency took place in coordination with Naval and Army authorities. CBI sources said they had received inputs that medicines are allegedly being procured from local dealers at exorbitant rates instead of purchasing these stocks at approved rates from contract dealers or original manufacturers in accordance with ‘Stock Policy’.

“The information also indicates that certain drugs are allegedly being procured in excess of the actual requirement and in violation of the ‘Stock Policy’, thereby leading to expiry of a large quantity of medicines,” an official said.

The sources said it is further alleged that expired medicines are being returned without realising the cost of the same from the local dealers.

Five history-sheeters were arrested in connection with Tuesday’s firing incident at a shopping mall in Dadar in central Mumbai.

The accused were identified as Mukund Gadigaokar (31), Santosh Bhalekar (28), Rajesh Mewati (30), Ganesh Gore alias Ganya (22) and Anil Dhilod alias Anna (27). A revolver, three cartridges and a car were recovered from them, police said.

According to police, Gadigaokar and Bhalekar are the main accused in the case and one of them had fired two rounds inside Dadar’s Cosmos Mall, in which nobody was hurt.

“One of them entered the shopping mall and approached a mall employee named Hanumant Jagtap (45),” police said adding that the accused fired at Jagtap and told him to inform a person named Jayesh to call one Sandeep.

“The investigators have come to know that between 2013 and 2014, the accused had threatened a Dadar-based builder and extorted Rs 22 lakh from him,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said.

At that time, the builder had been threatened by the accused, who had identified himself as Sandeep Patil, said DCP (Zone V) Mahesh Patil adding that the victim got scared for his life and did not approach police.

“Recently, the gang members again contacted the builder and threatened to extort money,” police said.

The builder, however, did not respond to the threatening calls, police said. “Therefore, in a bid to send him a strong message, one of the accused fired two rounds inside the mall on Tuesday,” the DCP said.

However, police are yet to find out why they chose the mall for firing.

All the five accused, who have several criminal cases registered against them in the city, have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC as well as the Arms Act, police said.

Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar Friday directed the state government to conduct an inquiry into allegations of contaminated ‘chikkis’ (sweet snack) being sold to tribal students in Ahmednagar district and recall the adulterated stock.

“According to me, issues like these concern human lives and are thus very important. I will put all the questions of (Council) members together and we can together sort out the issue. For now, I direct the government to conduct an inquiry into the issue and recall the stock found to be contaminated,” Nimbalkar said.

During the Question Hour, NCP MLC Kiran Pavaskar said the government should initiate swift action into allegations of contaminated chikkis being sold to tribal students, like it took in banning Maggi on reports that it contained an excessive amount of lead.

“The government was very swift when reports emerged on Maggi being harmful for health. Similarly, the government should be swift in inquiring about reports of contamination of chikkis. These chikkis are supplied to children and thus the government needs to be quick in taking action. I want to ask if the government will close down this company and destroy all the chikkis it supplied,” Pavaskar said.

When Minister of State, Food and Drug Administration, Vidya Thakur could not reply satisfactorily, Nimbalkar directed the government to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

While replying to another query, Thakur said that according to the Centre’s directives, the state government is examining samples of other food stuffs like Maggi, to ascertain if they contain an excess amount of lead.

To a question by Congress MLC Sharad Ranpise, Thakur said that medically it has not been proved that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) causes cancer, kidney failure or other ailments and it only causes stomach aches, vomiting sensation or giddiness if consumed in excess.