Tree collapse kills one more, toll 4 in 24 hrs; 65-yr-old electrocuted in Palghar
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Thane: A day after three people died after a Gulmohar tree crashed on their autorickshaw in Kalyan, one more person was killed in a similar incident near Runwal Nagar in Thane on Wednesday evening, taking the total death toll in tree crash-related incidents in a 24-hour period to four. In a separate rain-related mishap in Palghar, a 65-year-old man was electrocuted after he accidentally stepped on a live electricity cable that fell to the ground due to gusty winds. Unseasonal rains caused havoc, damaging 767 houses and 50 boats in Palghar district.In the Thane incident, a passenger in an auto died while the driver suffered serious injuries after a gulmohar tree fell on the vehicle. Driver Shafiq Shabbir (50), and Taufiq Saudagar, the passenger who resides in Rabodi, were trapped in the badly mangled auto till recuse teams rushed to their aid and took them to Civil Hospital."The duo sustained serious injuries. Saudagar, who was seated in the passenger seat behind, lost consciousness and was declared brought dead by the doctors, while Shabbir was admitted for injuries to his head," said Yasin Tadvi, in-charge, Thane regional disaster management cell.Earlier on Tuesday, a gulmohar tree had similarly collapsed on an auto in Kalyan East, killing three, including dabbawalah Tukaram Khengale (47), auto driver Umashankar Varma (52), and Lata Raut (47), and injuring an unidentified male passenger who jumped off the vehicle in time.In the wake of the Kalyan mishap, the BMC on Wednesday directed officials to create tree basins along city roads and fill them with soil, and clear the surrounding debris and garbage. NCP SP MLA Jitendra Awhad posted images of an inundated spot in Thane, while a few stretches on Eastern Express Highway also saw minor waterlogging.With inputs from Vishal Rajemahadik & Richa Pinto
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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Mithi River desilting fraud: ED summons a dozen people, including Dino Morea
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India Today
2 days ago
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ED seizes Rs 7 lakh, freezes 22 accounts in Mithi river scam involving Dino Morea
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Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Mithi River scam: ED raids 18 premises linked to Dino Morea, others in Mumbai, Kerala; seize upto ₹1.25 crore
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations at 18 locations across Mumbai, Kochi and Thrissur on Friday in connection with the Mithi River desilting scam which caused a wrongful loss of more than ₹ 65 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the central probing agency said on Friday. Informing more about the searches, the ED said that operations were being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at locations linked to contractors and officials suspected of embezzlement in the desilting operations of the Mithi River. The ED seized digital devices, various incriminating documents and cash amounting to ₹ 7 Lakh, while freezing 22 bank accounts/FDRs and one demat account. Also, the ED stated that total amount of seizure/freezing is more than ₹ 1.25 crore (approx.) Taking to X, ED wrote, "ED, Mumbai has conducted search operations at 18 locations across Mumbai, Kochi and Thrissur on 06.06.2025 at the office/residential premises linked to Prashant Ramgude (BMC Engineer), Bhupendra Purohit (BMC Contractor), M/s Matprop Technical Service Pvt Ltd, Jay Joshi (Director of M/s Virgo Specialties Pvt Ltd), Ketan Kadam (Controller of M/s Woder India LLP) and Santino Rocco Morea/ Dino Morea (Close associates of Ketan Kadam) under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the matter of 'Mithi River Desilting Scam'. "During the searches, digital devices, various incriminating documents and Cash amount of ₹ 7 Lakh have been seized, and 22 Bank Accounts/FDRs and 01 Demat Account were frozen. The total amount of seizure/freezing is more than ₹ 1.25 Crore (approx.) so far," the ED added. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the case involves accusations of inflated bills, fake work logs, and systematic diversion of public funds sanctioned for flood prevention and drainage maintenance in Mumbai. After the catastrophic 2005 floods, the Mithi River drew national attention and the BMC initiated regular desilting and cleaning operations to prevent future flooding. However, the probe and audits by agencies exposed glaring discrepancies in the actual versus reported desilting work and thereby raised serious concerns about corruption. Following the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flagged possible financial misconduct, the ED registered a money laundering case to trace the proceeds of crime. During the probe, ED found out that a network of contractors and middlemen submitted fraudulent work completion reports. Also, the contractors and middlemen siphoned off funds meant for critical infrastructure development. The ED seized financial documents, electronic devices, and transaction records during their raids.
