Man bludgeoned to death in Navi Mumbai; mob beats up attacker

A homeless man was bludgeoned to death in Maharashtra`s Navi Mumbai in the wee hours of Sunday, and the police rescued the attacker from an angry mob that had cornered him, an official said, reported the PTI.

The accused sustained injuries in the incident and has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, he said.

The official said that the victim, Prakash Nagorao Lokhande, slept on the footpath under the Shahbaz Belapur bridge.

“As per preliminary information, the attack took place around 3.45 am after the victim got into an argument with the accused, Abhishek Singh alias Abhishek Pal. The latter attacked the sleeping man with a large stone, killing him on the spot,” he said, according to the PTI.

People in the vicinity caught hold of the accused and started beating him up, the official said.

He said a team from Belapur police reached the spot and rescued the injured man, who was admitted to JJ Hospital in Mumbai.

A case has been registered under section 103(1)(murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation is underway, the official added.

Woman loses Rs 49 lakh after being lured with `gift fraud` in Navi Mumbai

A woman from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra has allegedly been cheated of Rs 49.59 lakh fraudsters, including one posing as a customs officer, under the pretext of sending her a “gift fraud”, police said on Sunday, reported the PTI.

The fraud took place between June and August 2024 but came to light after the 46-year-old victim, a resident of Airoli in Navi Mumbai, lodged a complaint on Friday at the Rabale police station in Navi Mumbai, an official said, according to the PTI.

According to her complaint, a person claiming to be from the United Kingdom had approached the victim on the Instagram social media app. After establishing a friendly rapport, he promised to send her an expensive gift parcel, the police said, the news agency reported.

Soon after, a woman contacted the victim, claiming to be a customs officer at Delhi airport. The woman told the victim that the parcel had arrived but could only be cleared after payment of various charges, the official added.

The victim transferred Rs 49,59,999 over several weeks to multiple bank accounts shared by the accused seeking money under the pretext of customs duties, foreign exchange fees and parcel handling charges, the official said.

The victim realised that she had been conned after the monetary demands escalated and the promised parcel never arrived. Following failed attempts to contact the suspects, she approached the police that registered a complaint and began investigations into the matter.

Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case was registered.

(with PTI inputs)

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