Palghar: Man booked for making hoax call to cops about firing

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An offence has been registered against a man who allegedly made a hoax call to the police claiming to have been injured in a firing in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official said on Monday, reported news agency PTI.

The district rural police on Sunday registered an offence under sections 177 (furnishing false information to a public servant) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code against Sanjay Surve, a resident of Wada, the official said, reported PTI.

The accused allegedly called the emergency helpline number 112 on Saturday afternoon, informing the Wada police station that a man had shot and injured him and that he needed police assistance, he said, reported PTI.

A team of four officers and 15 police personnel rushed to the spot mentioned by the caller and found that no such firing had taken place, the official said, reported PTI.

The accused has not revealed the reason for making the call, he said, adding that no arrest has been made in the case, reported PTI.

In another incident, the police have busted a narcotics manufacturing unit operating at a farmhouse in a tribal area in Maharashtra's Palghar district and arrested one person, an official said on Monday, reported PTI.

Acting on a tip-off, the Mira-Bhayandar Virar-Vasai (MBVV) police on Sunday raided the farmhouse in the Kawalpada area of predominantly tribal Mokhada taluka, the official said, reported PTI.

The police team seized a large stock of narcotic substances and found accessories and machinery used for making the contraband, he said, reported PTI.

One person has been arrested in connection with the manufacture and distribution of drugs, the official said, adding that the manufacturing unit was set up in the remote village to evade the authorities, reported PTI.

This is a major seizure after the raids in Solapur, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he said, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a temple and stealing cash from the donation box in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Sunday, reported PTI.

The police on Friday arrested Shabbir alias Fateh Murtaza Ali Sheikh, a resident of Nalla Sopara, for allegedly breaking into a temple in the Girij area, senior inspector Ranjit Andale said, reported PTI.

The accused had entered the temple around 2 am on October 8 and decamped with Rs 4,500 cash from the donation box, he said.

The Vasai police registered an offence and formed two teams to nab the accused, the official said, reported PTI.

The CCTV footage from the area showed the accused exiting the temple and driving away an autorickshaw. Investigations revealed that the vehicle had been stolen from the limits of Valiv police station, he said.

During interrogation, the accused said he was involved in three more crimes in Valiv, Vasai and Manikpur police station limits, the official said, adding that the stolen cash and autorickshaw have been recovered, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)