Panvel City police have arrested a 26-year-old woman, Pranali Pralhad Naik, and two accomplices for the murder of her mother, Priya Pralhad Naik, a 44-year-old resident of Pardeshi Aali in Panvel. Priya was found dead by her husband on the night of September 13. The post-mortem revealed that she died from asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, prompting her husband to file a murder complaint.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Prashant Mohite reported that technical evidence led to the identification and detention of two suspects, Vivek Ganesh Patil (19) and Vishal Amresh Pandey (19). The suspects confessed to the crime, revealing that Pranali had hired them to kill her mother. Patil, who claimed to be a ‘Tantrik,’ agreed to the job for money and brought Pandey along.

Pranali, who had been living with her parents since 2020 due to marital issues, was unhappy with her mother’s control over her life and finances. She wanted to take over the family’s properties and finances, which led her to plot the murder. On the day of the incident, Pranali left the house with her daughter, allowing Patil and Pandey to enter and carry out the killing.

The trio appeared in court on Monday and have been remanded to police custody until September 23.

Navi Mumbai Police gears up for Ganesh Visarjan.

The Visarjan

The Navi Mumbai Police have implemented extensive security measures for the Ganesh Visarjan ceremony on Anant Chaturdashi to ensure a peaceful celebration. This year, 448 public and 20,589 private Ganesh idols are scheduled for immersion, with major sites including Vashi-Jagriteshwar Temple Lake, Turbhe Lake, and Koparkhairane Khadi Lake. Kamothe and Kalamboli will also see significant numbers of immersions.

A comprehensive security plan has been set up, with 6 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 10 Assistant Commissioners, 50 Inspectors, 234 Sub-Inspectors, and over 2,000 personnel deployed. Additional forces include the Striking Force, Quick Reaction Team, State Reserve Police Force, and bomb detection squads.

CCTV cameras have been installed at 16 key sites, with additional monitoring from local police stations. Bomb detection teams will inspect all immersion locations before the processions. Meetings with Ganeshotsav Mandals have also addressed compliance with noise pollution regulations, and Anti-Noise Pollution Squads are on standby to handle violations.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Yenpure urged citizens to cooperate with the police, report any suspicious activity, and avoid spreading rumours, emphasizing the importance of a peaceful immersion.

The 28-year-old son of a Govandi contractor, who was allegedly kidnapped by three men last week over unpaid invoices for a building painting contract, was saved by Nerul police in less than a day. They detained the suspected kidnappers as well. Senior Nerul police inspector Brahmanand Naikwadi stated that in response to a complaint made by the contractor Saeed Shaikh (47), he obtained a contract to paint structures in Ulwe and Juinagar and awarded Chand Shaikh a subcontract.

Chand received a portion of Saeed’s payment for the work. A disagreement started when Saeed refuted Chand’s allegation that he owed him Rs 1.5 lakh, claiming that just Rs 32,000 remained unpaid. According to the police, Saeed indicated his hesitation to make the cash despite Chand’s continuous demands. On September 11, as Chand was overseeing the building site in Juinagar, he and his two assistants, Israil Shaikh (27), and Kausar Ali Haq (26), kidnapped Chand’s son, Shoaib. According to Naikwadi, Chand then got in touch with Saeed and asked for Rs 1.5 lakh as ransom to free Shoaib. Saeed went straight to the cops.

“A police squad was then established to find the alleged abductors. Using CCTV footage, we were able to identify the autorickshaw that the accused was using to take Shoaib away. Shoaib was freed within 24 hours after the kidnappers were located in Kandivali’s Lalaji Pada region thanks to technical know-how, according to the senior inspector.