Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) special judge R R Kadam has directed the police to submit their report within one month while hearing a petition demanding invocation of MCOCA against Imran Mehndi gang in other murder cases.

Slain Salim Qureshi's brother Halim Qureshi had submitted a petition demanding invocation of MCOCA against Imran Mehndi, Numan Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, Gajanan Mhetre, Syed Zaheer aka Shera, Mohammed Shoaib Mohammed Sadiq, Syed Nazer Ali, Syed Tamkin aka Tamya and Mohammed Ashfaq Khan. This gang had confessed of killing Salim Qureshi, Sindhubai Mhetre, Nilesh Mhetre, Naser Khan and Ansari.

Although, the police had arrested all the gang members, MCOCA was invoked against them in Qureshi murder case alone. Notably, Halim Qureshi had approached the MCOCA court demanding that MCOCA be invoked against Mehndi and his gang. The court had issued orders to the commissioner of police to submit a report in this regard. Accordingly, the report was submitted, but MCOCA was invoked against Mehndi and his gang in Salim Qureshi murder case only.

In his petition, Halim Qureshi states that this gang had not only killed Salim Qureshi, but also committed four more murders. Therefore, MCOCA be invoked against the gang in these murder cases also. The court after hearing the petition issued the aforesaid order.

Five persons accused of forgery in the Aurangabad branch of the State Bank of Patiala (SBP) have been remanded in police custody till April 7 (Saturday) by a city magistrate on Tuesday.

The accused namely Mohammad Faheem Rashid Khan (31, Devlali, Beed Bypass), Tushar Govind Kabra (25, Mitranagar behind Akashwani), Bhooshan Kamalkishor Kabra (26, Garkheda), Premchand Anantrao Kondekar (67, Bhosalenagar Pune) and Nitin Bhaskar Mahamuni (42, Prabhat Road Pune) were arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Monday on the charges of attempting to dupe the bank of Rs 54.36 crore by staking the maturity claim of an FD, for which they presented some fake papers. They were presented before the judicial magistrate (FC), R S Salgaonkar on Tuesday.

The investigating officer, PSI Vishwas Patil, informed the court that some more people might be involved in the forgery. Their contacts with such like-minded people are yet to be established. In addition their source of bogus FD papers, ban documents and many more things are also yet to be learnt from them. After hearing versions of the prosecution and counsel of accused, the judge granted the police custody to these five accused till Saturday.

The police custody remand (PCR) of Imran Mehndi and five others in Sindhu Mhatre murder case was extended by a magisterial court on Sunday. According to details, the PCR of Imran Mehndi, Syed Nazer Ali, Syed Zaheer alias Shera and Farid Khan Feroz Khan has been extended till April 5 (Thursday). The PCR of Imran Saifuddin Shaikh alias Shera and Numan Khan Qayyum Khan has been extended till Wednesday.

They were produced in the court of judicial magistrate (FC), S O Pande, on Sunday. The prosecution informed the court that the vehicle and the weapons used in the murder of Sindhu Mhatre in August last are yet to be recovered. In addition, police also want to know where they spent the amount which they had received from her husband Gajanan Mhatre for her murder. On hearing the prosecution Pande extended their PCR term.

As reported earlier, the six criminals were arrested on the charges of murdering the 49-year-old housewife. They were given supari by her husband Gajanan Mhatre, an assistant sub inspector of police that time. He has been suspended after his arrest.

The body of victim was exhumed from a secluded place situated at the base of a hillock in the vicinity of village Harsul Sawangi late last month. Five murders allegedly committed by Imran Mehndi and his accomplices had sent a shock wave in the city.

The police custody remand (PCR) of Imran Mehndi and four others in the Ansari murder case has been extended till April 1 (Sunday). They were produced before a judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), N A Wankhede, after their PCR term expired on Thursday. Four others arrested in the murder case include an estate dealer and former hotelier Nisar Khan Gulam Rasul Khan, Syed Nazer Syed Naser, Imran Shaikh Saifuddin alias Sultan and Farid Khan Feroz Khan.

The three-day PCR was extended by the magistrate after hearing the versions of prosecution and accused. As reported earlier, the estate dealer, Nisar Khan, was arrested on the charge of giving contract of killing Sirajuddin Ansari, while Mehndi and his men were arrested on the charges of kidnapping and murdering him. They buried the body of Ansari at a deserted place at the base of a hillock in the vicinity of Padegaon few years ago. The offence was detected by the special team formed to investigate the Salim Qureshi murder case early this month.