Samajwadi Party corporator from Madanpura, Shakir Ansari, has been arrested for beaming pornographic films on a local cable television network. Ansari, who owns SS Channel Shakir Cable network, was arrested in the wee hours today just after he began to beam Hotel Sodom from his control room at Umar Rajjab compound at Morland Road.

According to Senior Inspector of the Social Services Branch of the Mumbai police, Shirish Inamdar, Ansari had first beamed the Kama Sutra for 15 minutes, a signal to his subscribers that a pornographic film was to follow. Shortly thereafter, he began to beam Hotel Sodom on his network, which caters to over 300 families in the locality.

The team, which included Police Inspector Rajashree Redkar and Assistant Police Inspector, Vasant Devarkar, arrested two of Ansari's employees at the control room and later apprehended the corporator who was in the locality. All three have been charged under Section 292 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) whichrefers to proliferation of obscene material through any media, and Section 7 of the Cinematograph Act, which pertains to showing any film without censors' permission. A video-cassette recorder, a modulator, a TV set and two cassettes were seized.

Vashi trader robbed of gold

Three unidentified men robbed a businessman of gold worth Rs 23 lakh near Vashi railway station on Saturday. Mahavir Himmatlal was driving out of the parking lot near the railway station in his car at 9.15 pm, when the men attacked him with choppers and escaped with his briefcase containing gold ornaments weighing 6285 gm.

Himmatlal, who sustained minor injuries on his hands, lodged a complaint with the Vashi police.

Tiger skins seized at Uran

Rasool Mohammed Sheikh (26), who had three tiger-skins in the compartment of his scooter, was arrested at Daastan Phata by the Uran police on Saturday. Shaikh, who had tiger skins worth Rs 3.5 lakh, was apprehended under the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1974, by PoliceSub-Inspector R B Patil.