In a major crackdown on illegal human trafficking, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Navi Mumbai Police busted a major flesh trade racket operating in the Taloja area. The successful raid resulted in the rescue of nine women who were allegedly pushed into the trade.

Acting on a precise tip-off regarding prostitution activities being operated in the locality, the AHTU team laid a strategic trap. The police first deployed a decoy customer to verify the information. Once the transaction was confirmed and the signal was given, the police team raided the designated premises.

During the operation, the authorities managed to rescue nine victims. The police also arrested the key operators running the illicit racket at the site. A case has been registered at the local police station under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA).

The rescued women have been sent to a rehabilitation home, and the Navi Mumbai Police are conducting further investigations to track down any broader networks or associates linked to this trafficking operation.

The political and civic landscape in Airoli has intensified as local citizens and political factions staged protests supporting climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk. The demonstrations were sparked by the police actions against Wangchuk’s hunger strike and his sudden removal from the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi.

Wangchuk has been on a prolonged, indefinite hunger strike to voice solidarity with student-led movements demanding immediate accountability regarding the massive NEET-UG examination paper leak controversy.

Protesters in Airoli joined the growing nationwide outrage, raising slogans against the Central government’s handling of the national examination system. Echoing Wangchuk’s core demands, the local agitators strongly called for the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, citing a severe lapse in transparency and structural oversight that has put the academic future of lakhs of medical aspirants at grave risk.

The local demonstration also criticized the administration’s alleged intolerance toward democratic and peaceful public questioning. Protest leaders highlighted that regular examination leaks ranging from the NEET controversy to regional teacher recruitment exams have become a distressing pattern. They urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence, actively intervene, and mandate a decisive, transparent inquiry to restore faith in the country’s educational framework.

In a sophisticated cyber fraud incident, renowned real estate firm Haware Properties was duped of Rs 30 lakh. Cybercriminals orchestrated the scam by impersonating the company’s director, Amar Haware, using a WhatsApp display picture (DP) fraud.

The incident took place on July 14, 2026. The fraudster first blocked the original mobile number of Amar Haware who is the son of famous builder Suresh Haware. Using another mobile number, the scammer set up a fake WhatsApp profile bearing Amar Haware’s name and photograph.

Messages were then sent from this fraudulent profile to the company’s official office number, urgently requesting immediate fund transfers for critical business transactions. Tricked by the matching display picture and conversational tone, Hemant Katkar, a 48-year-old liaisoning officer at the Washi office, suspected no foul play. Believing the directives came directly from his superior, Katkar transferred a total of Rs 30 lakh in phases to the specified bank accounts. The fraud was uncovered later when staff managed to contact Amar Haware directly, who confirmed he had authorized no such transactions.

Following the realization, Katkar immediately registered an online complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and an FIR was subsequently lodged at the Washi Police Station against unidentified fraudsters. The cyber police are tracking the beneficiary bank accounts, transaction histories, mobile numbers, and IP addresses to apprehend the culprits.