1. CA Injured In Andheri Bridge Collapse Dies
A Palghar resident on Sunday succumbed to injuries he received when a portion of a road bridge collapsed on to the tracks at Andheri railway station after incessant rains on July 3.
Manoj Mehta, 52, a chartered accountant associated with a prominent construction firm in the Palghar-Boisar belt, died at Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parlearea, his family said on Sunday. Mehta was a former president of the Rotary Club in Palghar district and was also associated with several educational and social institutions, the family said.
Earlier, on July 7, a 36-year-old woman, Asmita Katkar, died in RN Cooper Hospital in Juhu in Mumbai after being grievously hurt in the bridge collapse.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
2. City Potholes Put Rs 1.5 Crore Extra Burden On BEST
The potholes on Mumbairoads are causing huge financial losses to BEST every year as the transport undertaking has to spend Rs 1.5 crore extra on repair of tyres of its buses plying in the city in the monsoon months of July, August and September. The number of buses needing repairs goes up to 125 from the usual 30 a month during this period. The transport experts have demanded that the BEST seek compensation from the BMC for the losses incurred due to potholes.
The data accessed from the BEST's finance department showed that the average expenditure incurred on repair of buses every month is about Rs 50 lakh. However, during July, August and September, the expenditure doubles. The BEST has to spend Rs 50 lakh more during each of these months, which adds up to Rs 1.5 crore for the season. "The buses face a plenty of problems during monsoon. The tyres wear and tear on a large scale, the engine can capture moisture as the buses play on waterlogged roads, needing repair. The whole repair work is done in-house and the load of repair work increases three times during a monsoon month compared to any other month of the year,'' said a BEST official, who did not want to be named.
Corroborating the data, BEST Committee Chairman Ashish Chemburkar said that even average buses go for repairing also increase. "It is true that potholes cause problems to bus tyres, and the BEST has to spend more on repairs. The tyre tubes bust or the sol gets damaged due to potholes. During monsoon season, 100-125 buses go for repairing instead of regular 25-30 buses,'' Chemburkar said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
3. Leopard Attacks Man Who Tried To Save Pet In Mulund
A leopard attacked a 29-year-old man in Mulund late on Saturday night. The Mulund police said the man had tried to protect his pet Rottweiler, which was tied outside the house, from the wild cat, which then attacked him.
The attack took place at Rahul Nagar, Mulund Colony. Several leopard attacks have been reported in Mulund and Bhandup recently, primarily from encroachments into the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) forest land. On January 13, a male leopard attacked six residents after straying into a housing society in Nanepada, Mulund East. The forest department and police conducted a four-hour rescue operation, following which a team from the SGNP tranquillised the animal.
The victim in Saturday’s attack, Suraj Udaybhan Gavai, 29, works with an investment firm and lives his parents, mother Meena Gavai and father Udaybhan Gavai. “On Saturday night, the family went to sleep as usual. Around 1.45 am, the Rottweiler, which was tied outside, started yelping. Suraj awoke and opened the door to see what was happening,” said Manjulal Dashrath Gavai, Suraj’s uncle. “He thought it was a snake – a snake was once seen on our verandah – and that’s why the dog was agitated.”
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
4. Mumbai: Slump In Real Estate Sector Continues Despite Drop In Prices Of Housing Units
The lull in the real estate sector has continued well into the first half of the year and unsold inventory in Mumbai has given rise to innovative offers for prospective homebuyers.
Sale of residential spaces has remained almost stagnant in the first half of 2018, according to the latest report by Knight Frank on the Indian Real Estate market. Compared to last year, there has been a mere 1 per cent increase in sale of residential flats. At present, Mumbai has around 1,19,526 unsold flats and records a 21 per cent vacancy in flats, according to the report. This is despite a dip in prices. The prices of flats, according to Knight Frank, has dropped by 9 per cent in Mumbai and yet transactions have dropped by 7 per cent.
Amid a slowdown despite drop in prices and with festivals around the corner, builders are making offers such as floor rise waiver, a 50 percent discount on Goods and Services Tax (GST) and allowing buyers to pay a small part of the cost upfront and pay the rest after possession.
(Source: Indian Express)
5. Mumbai: Man Held For ‘Raping’ Niece
The Mumbai police arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting his seven-year-old niece in Santacruz on Thursday. The police said the accused was arrested from Pune on Friday.
An officer from Vakola police station said: “The victim’s mother had gone out for some work on Thursday but when she returned home, she noticed that the accused was touching her daughter inappropriately.” The accused allegedly pushed the victim and fled from the spot. The victim’s medical examination confirmed that she was sexually assaulted.
The accused has been booked for rape under IPC and POCSO Act, said police.
(Source: Indian Express)
6. Kurla GRP Recovers Stolen Mobiles Worth ₹4.5 Lakh
Kurla Railway Police have solved three cases of mobile theft in the past fortnight, leading to the arrest of four men and recovery of 20 phones worth ₹4.5 lakh.
While 19 mobiles were pickpocketed, one of them involved a robbery at knifepoint between Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli stations. The incident occured July 24 at 5.50 p.m. when Samir Sheikh and his brother were walking along the tracks between the two stations.
According to police, the accused, Vicky Kunchikarve (28) and Shoaib Anwar Sheikh (19), stole Mr. Samir Sheikh’s phone worth ₹15,000 at knifepoint. Based on leads from informants, the police arrested Mr. Kunchikarve later that day. Mr. Kunchikarve led them to Mr. Sheikh, from whose residence they recovered the phone and the knife.
The railway police also recovered 15 mobile phones worth nearly ₹2.2 lakh from Ketan Mehta, who used to steal phones while people were boarding or getting off local trains. “He would normally operate between Dombivali and Kurla, but was caught in the act on July 23 at Vikhroli station,” an official with the Kurla Government Railway Police said.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. Email Id Hacked: Sweet Shop-owner Loses Rs Nine Lakhs
The owner of a sweet shop allegedly lost Rs 9 lakh after an unknown person hacked his email account and sent instructions to his bank to transfer money to a Delhi-based account number.
The alleged fraud came to light on July 21 when 57-year-old Bhiwandi resident Ajit Manek received an SMS alert that Rs 9 lakh had been transferred from his account.
According to a complaint registered by Manek on July 27, he contacted his bank — co-operative credit bank in Dahisar — to inform that he had not authorised any such transaction. However, the bank furnished an email sent from his account to the bank manager the same day, in which he had allegedly mentioned the account to which he wanted to send the money along with a filled RTGS form.
According to documents provided to the police by the bank, the money was credited to a private firm’s account in the Punjab National Bank.
(Source: Indian Express)
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