Maharashtra shocker: FIR against 4 for raising over Rs 4 crore illegally to ‘support’ Palestine; 2 held

MUMBAI: At least four persons have been booked in Maharashtra’s Beed district for allegedly collecting over Rs 4 crore by falsely claiming the money would be used to support Palestine amid the ongoing war with Israel, a police official said.The fighting between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023. Since then, the overall Palestinian death toll has reached 71,391, while 1,71,279 people have been wounded. More than 400 deaths have been reported even after a ceasefire was reached to halt fighting in Gaza in October 2025, according to news agency PTI.“Local police and its anti-terrorism unit had specific information about suspected terror funding. A search was conducted at Patrud village in Majalgaon. The accused have collected over Rs 4 crore under the pretext of support to Palestine," the official said on Thursday.“The money was collected in the bank account of a trust not registered with the charity commissioner. This makes the collection of funds illegal. A case of cheating and fraud has been registered by Majalgaon rural police against the four, two of whom have been arrested,” he said.Police are also verifying whether the accused have links with any proscribed organisation and whether the funds collected were intended for terror financing, the official added.