Thane man held with charas worth Rs 17.2 lakh

A 42-year-old motor mechanic was detained after police seized charas worth Rs 17.2 lakh from his home in Thane district, Maharashtra, officials said on Sunday.

The police`s anti-extortion department raided the accused`s residence in Bhiwandi on Friday after receiving a tip. According to a police statement, 1.72 kg of charas were confiscated during the operation, reported PTI. 

According to the report, Thane man was arrested on Saturday and charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). Authorities are currently looking for another person connected to the incident.

In another incident, a Thane auto-rickshaw driver has been charged with allegedly harassing a 39-year-old woman in his vehicle, police reported on Sunday. According to a PTI report, Thane auto-rickshaw driver was driving the woman to her apartment in Waldhuni from Kalyan railway station on June 13. 

While she was paying the fare, the Thane auto-rickshaw driver allegedly grabbed her hand, abused her, and threatened her.

According to an officer at the MFC police station, the woman later filed a complaint against the Thane auto-rickshaw driver, and an FIR was recorded on Friday under the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, in another unrelated incident in Thane district, 15 people were arrested for allegedly blocking construction on a government project. According to the police, fifteen persons have been charged with trespassing and stopping work on the government-sponsored goods corridor project in Thane district.

According to a spokesman from the Narpoli police station, the event took place in Bhiwandi on June 13 during the construction of pillars for a flyover connecting Owli village road and the freight corridor with a railway crossing.

Villagers with no claim to the land broke into the government building, formed a clandestine organisation, blocked a piece of earth-excavating equipment and stopped the activity. They also threatened the staff who were present, according to a PTI report.

Following a complaint from a project representative, a case was filed on Friday against 15 people, four of whom were women. They have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from performing their duties), 341 (wrongful restraint), 141, 143, 149 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation), according to the report.