The National Investigation Agency raided 11 locations across four states, reported news agency PTI. The efforts were taken as part of its efforts to uncover the entire conspiracy behind the Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast and to identify other conspirators involved in "handling the accused from abroad". In a coordinated action, NIA teams searched in states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in connection with the case, an official statement said. Extensive searches were conducted at the premises linked with 11 suspects in the case, in which an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion at the cafe on ITPL Road, Brookefield in Bengaluru, Karnataka had left several customers and staff members injured, it said. "The NIA on Tuesday cracked down on multiple locations in four states as part of its efforts to uncover the entire conspiracy behind the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case and to identify the other conspirators involved in handling the accused from abroad," said the statement issued by the probe agency.The IED blast, which took place on March 1, had also caused massive damage to the property. The 11 suspects whose premises were searched on Tuesday include individuals convicted in the 2012 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) conspiracy case of Bengaluru and Hubli districts, the NIA said. The targeted searches led to the seizure of various digital devices and documents, which the agency is examining exhaustively. The NIA, which took over the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case on March 3, had on April 12 arrested two key accused -- mastermind Adbul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and Mussavir Hussain Shazib (perpetrator of the attack) -- from their hideout in Kolkata, where they were staying under the assumed identities. Both the accused are residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district of Karnataka. The two are allegedly the members of the Shivamogga-based Islamic State module, officials said. Shariq, a member of the same module, had carried out a blast in Mangaluru on November 19, 2022, they said. The officials said that Kumaraswamy Layout and Banashankari in Bengaluru were among the places that were raided. (With inputs from PTI)
21 May,2024 09:21 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe father of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in Pune accident that killed two software engineers in Pune was placed under arrest on Tuesday evening hours after he was detained from Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, police said, reported the PTI. The teenager's father, a builder, was reportedly detained in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and brought to Pune where he was placed under arrest on Tuesday evening, an official said, according to the PTI. "We have arrested him in the case and he will be produced before a court on Wednesday," said Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, the PTI reported. He will be produced in a city court on Wednesday, the police said. A Porsche car, allegedly driven by the boy, who the police claim was drunk at the time of the accident, fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne software engineers in the Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of Sunday. Three accused get police custody till May 24 Meanwhile, a Pune court on Tuesday remanded three accused - an owner and two managers of different restaurants - in police custody till May 24 in the case of a car accident allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy that claimed the lives of two persons, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the suspects identified as Naman Pralhad Bhutda, the owner of Cosie restaurant, its manager Sachin Katkar, and the manager of Blak Club hotel Sandip Sangle were produced before the court in Pune. While seeking their custody for seven days, the prosecution told the court that the establishments owned or managed by the accused served liquor to the boy and his friends without confirming his age. Hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defence, Additional Sessions Court Judge S P Ponkshe remanded the three accused in police custody till May 24, as per the PTI. The car had knocked down two motorbike riders in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune city in the early hours of Sunday, causing their deaths, police said. The deceased were identified as Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old IT professionals and hailing from Madhya Pradesh. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the accused juvenile along with his friends went to the two establishments between 9.30 pm and 1 am and allegedly consumed liquor, the police said. (with PTI inputs)
21 May,2024 08:51 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentAs many as 290 cases of KP.2 and 34 cases of KP.1, both sub-lineages of Covid-19 that are responsible for surge in cases in Singapore, have been found in India, according to official data. However, a source in the Union health ministry told PTI that they are all sub variants of JN1 and there is no associated increase in hospitalization and severe cases. "So there is no reason for concern or panic. The mutations will keep happening at a rapid pace and this is the natural behaviour of viruses like SARS-CoV2," the source said. The source further said that the INSACOG surveillance is sensitive and is able to pick up the emergence of any new variant and samples are also picked from hospitals in a structured manner to detect any change in the severity of disease due to virus. Data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed that 34 cases of KP.1 have been found across seven states and UTs with 23 cases registered from West Bengal. The other states are Goa (1), Gujarat (2), Haryana (1), Maharashtra (4) Rajasthan (2) and Uttarakhand (1). As many as 290 cases of KP.2 have been registered with Maharashtra reporting the highest number at 148, according to the data. The other states and Union territories are Delhi (1), Goa (12), Gujarat (23), Haryana (3), Karnataka (4), Madhya Pradesh (1), Odisha (17), Rajasthan (21), Uttar Pradesh (8), Uttarakhand (16) and West Bengal (36). Singapore is seeing a new Covid-19 wave as the authorities recorded more than 25,900 cases from May 5 to 11 with KP.1 and KP.2 accounting for over two-thirds of cases in Singapore. Globally, the predominant Covid-19 variants are still JN.1 and its sub-lineages, including KP.1 and KP.2. KP.1 and KP.2 belong to a group of Covid-19 variants scientists have nicknamed 'FLiRT', after the technical names of their mutations. The strains in FLiRT are all descendants of the JN.1 variant, an offshoot of the Omicron variant. KP.2 was classified by the World Health Organization as a Variant Under Monitoring. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 May,2024 08:36 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Madhya Pradesh-based parents of the victims of the car accident in Maharashtra's Pune on Tuesday sought stringent punishment for the accused boy as well as his parents, accusing them of being responsible for the death of their children. The two deceased - Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old IT professionals and hailing from Madhya Pradesh - died on Sunday after the motorcycle they were going on was hit by a speeding Porsche car in Pune city. While Ashwini hailed from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Anish belonged to Birsinghpur Pali in Umaria district of the state. "We were supposed to send her off in a palanquin (to the groom's house) after her marriage (in future), but now we were forced to carry her body on a bier," Ashwini's inconsolable mother Mamata Koshta told PTI in Jabalpur. "We want justice for Ashwini. The minor boy and his parents should get stringent punishment. They have not raised him properly...They should have not given him the car," she said. When asked that the Juvenile Justice Board has left the boy by asking him to write an essay, she shot back saying, "Is it a joke? What essay will he write? A joke is being played. She remembered Ashwini as being a "very talented girl". "She was one among a million. She had so many dreams and now everything is left here only," her mother said with tears rolling down her eyes. "What will happen by removing the (Pune police) commissioner. Others will also do the same thing unless law is implemented properly for all," Ashwini's father Suresh Koshta said. Asked about the steps they want the police to take in the matter after the arrest of the boy's father, he said even proper implementation of the measures in the Indian legal system would be enough. Besides conducting checks for the implementation of the helmet rule, the police should take steps to curb overspeeding, drunken-driving and vehicles running without number plates, he said. Replying to a question, he said his daughter had big dreams, but now everything has ended. Expressing grief over the death of Anish, his father Om Awadhiya said his son was not only supporting himself but was also taking care of his younger brother as the latter also stayed with him in Pune. "The culprit will get punishment...That is okay...But how can we bring back our child now? He had spoken to his mother just two days before the incident and told us that he will come soon. He was a big support for the family," he said. "What will happen to my younger son now? Who will take care of his expenses in Pune?" he said. The incident took place when a group of friends were returning on motorbikes at around 3.15 am on Sunday after a party when the speeding Porsche hit one of the motorcycles at Kalyani Nagar junction. The two riders - Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old IT professionals and hailing from Madhya Pradesh - died of their injuries, police said. The accused teenager was subsequently produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail hours later. It also directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office and study traffic rules, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days. "The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," the order read. According to police, a case has been registered against the youngster under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. The police on Monday said they will move a higher court for permission to try the teenager involved in the accident as an adult. Earlier in the day, police detained the father of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in a car accident that killed two IT professionals and also arrested three executives of two hotels for serving liquor to the juvenile, officials said on Tuesday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 May,2024 08:27 PM IST | Pune | PTIA Maharashtra's Pune court on Tuesday remanded three accused - an owner and two managers of different restaurants - in police custody till May 24 in the case of a car accident allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy that claimed the lives of two persons, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, The suspects identified as Naman Pralhad Bhutda, the owner of Cosie restaurant, its manager Sachin Katkar, and the manager of Blak Club hotel Sandip Sangle were produced before the court in Pune. While seeking their custody for seven days, the prosecution told the court that the establishments owned or managed by the accused served liquor to the boy and his friends without confirming his age. Hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defence, Additional Sessions Court Judge S P Ponkshe remanded the three accused in police custody till May 24, as per the PTI. A Porsche car, allegedly driven by the boy, who the police claim was drunk at the time, knocked down two motorbike riders in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune city in the early hours of Sunday, causing their deaths, police said. The deceased were identified as Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old IT professionals and hailing from Madhya Pradesh. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the accused juvenile along with his friends went to the two establishments between 9.30 pm and 1 am and allegedly consumed liquor, the police said. The police have detained the boy's father, who is a real estate developer, and arrested three executives of two hotels for serving liquor to the juvenile, the news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed shock and surprise over the Juvenile Justice Board taking a lenient view of the Pune accident case. Amid an outrage over the accident involving the 17-year-old boy who crashed his Porsche car into a motorcycle in Kalyani Nagar in the early hours of Sunday allegedly in an inebriated state, Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, made a surprise visit to the Pune Police commissionerate office to review the case. Addressing the media after meeting police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other officials, Devendra Fadnavis said that the police have approached higher court seeking permission to try the juvenile, who was granted bail, as an adult. After the crash, the accused teenager was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail hours later. It also directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office and study traffic rules, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days. "The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," the JJ board order read, according to the PTI. "The order passed by the JJ Board was shocking and surprising as it had taken a very lenient view of such a heinous crime. The Pune police had petitioned the board to allow them to treat the teenager as an adult as his age is 17 years and eight months. But the board kept the application aside by categorising it as 'seen and filed' and released him on bail which led to public outrage," said Devendra Fadnavis, the PTI reported on Tuesday. The higher court has asked the police to approach the JJ board again and seek a review of its order, said the deputy CM. (with PTI inputs)
21 May,2024 08:07 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed shock over the Juvenile Justice Board's lenient action with regards to the Pune car crash involving a minor boy who fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne IT professionals with his speeding Porsche, reported PTI. Amid an outrage over the accident involving the 17-year-old boy who crashed his Porsche car into a motorcycle in Kalyani Nagar in the early hours of Sunday allegedly in an inebriated state, Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, made a surprise visit to the Pune Police commissionerate office to review the case. Addressing the media after meeting police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other officials, Fadnavis said the police have approached higher court seeking permission to try the juvenile, who was granted bail, as an adult. After the crash, the accused teenager was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail hours later. It also directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office and study traffic rules, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days. "The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," the JJ board order read. "The order passed by the JJ Board was shocking and surprising as it had taken a very lenient view of such a heinous crime. The Pune police had petitioned the board to allow them to treat the teenager as an adult as his age is 17 years and eight months. But the board kept the application aside by categorising it as 'seen and filed' and released him on bail which led to public outrage," said Fadnavis. The higher court has asked the police to approach the JJ board again and seek a review of its order, said the deputy CM. "The police have approached the JJ board and filed a review petition. If the order is not reviewed, then the police will approach the higher court," he said. On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the accused juvenile along with his friends went to two hotels between 9.30 pm and 1 am and allegedly consumed liquor, according to police. The CCTV footage of one of the hotels clearly shows the juvenile was consuming alcohol, police commissioner Kumar earlier said. The two IT professionals (both aged 24) killed in the crash were identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, hailing from Madhya Pradesh. (With inputs from PTI)
21 May,2024 07:53 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentA 22-year-old labourer died and a married couple was rushed to the hospital with injuries after being trapped under debris, reported news agency PTI. The three were digging in the basement of a building in the central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area on Tuesday. According to the police, Tulsa, the deceased, was a native of Bihar. Prabhu, 32, and his wife Gulab Bai, 26, who suffered injuries in the incident, are undergoing treatment at a hospital, police said. They both also are labourers. "On Monday at 12.15 pm, information was received regarding the collapse of a building in the Old Rajinder Nagar area. Team from the Rajinder Nagar police station was rushed to the spot. Upon reaching the spot, it was found that during digging of a basement, mud and other material fell on three people," a senior police officer said. Tulsa was declared dead on arrival by the doctors, police said. "An FIR under sections 288 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings), 304A (causing death by negligence), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC has been registered. Further investigation is underway," the officer said. In another accident, at least 15 labourers were killed near Bahpani Village in the Kukdur police station area of Chhattisgarh's Kawardha district after a pickup truck fell into a ditch on Monday, reported ANI. About 25 labourers, who were returning after collecting tendu leaves in a pickup truck, fell into a ditch. In this incident, 15 people lost their lives, including 14 women and one man.Eight individuals were injured and have been rushed to the hospital for treatment, said Abhishek Pallav, Kawardha SP. Following the incident, Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Vijay Sharma expressed condolences and assured of all possible assistance to victims and their families.Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij demanded from the Chhattisgarh government that the families of the victims should be given compensation without any delay. (With inputs from PTI)
21 May,2024 07:03 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentIn an apparent security lapse, a standby passenger in place of a confirmed ticket holder boarded the Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday and was later deboarded before the plane took off. Generally, an airline staff who can take a flight in case there is a vacant seat is referred to as a standby passenger. In a statement, IndiGo said there was an error during the passenger boarding process of 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. "The error was noticed prior to the departure of the aircraft, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay in the departure of the aircraft," the airline said. Further, IndiGo said it will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes. In another case, one person has died aboard a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday. The plane was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather. The Boeing 777-300ER, with a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board, landed in Bangkok at 3:45 pm (0845 GMT), the airline said in a Facebook post. Emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, about 20 km (12 miles) away from Suvarnabhumi Airport, were on site to transfer injured passengers from Flight SQ321 from Heathrow off the runway for treatment. Videos posted on the LINE messaging platform by Suvarnabhumi Airport showed a line of ambulances streaming to the scene. Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 and analysed by The Associated Press showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet. Just after 0800 GMT, the Boeing 777 suddenly and sharply pitched down to 31,000 feet over the span of some three minutes, the data shows. The aircraft stayed at 31,000 feet for just under 10 minutes before rapidly descending and landing in Bangkok in just under half an hour (With inputs from ANI and AP)
21 May,2024 06:27 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentTwo polling booths in the Jhansi Lok Sabha constituency, where elections were held in the fifth phase on May 20, have recorded 100 per cent voter turnout, officials said on Tuesday. According to an official statement issued by District Election Officer (DEO) and District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi, all 375 voters -- 198 men and 177 women -- at booth number 277 in Saulda of Mehrauni Assembly cast their votes. Similarly, at booth number 355 in Bamhora Nagal village, all 441 registered voters -- 235 men and 206 women -- participated, it said. Both these booths are located in the Lalitpur district. In another village, Budhni Narahat, there is still confusion regarding 100 per cent voting due to technical issues, the statement said, adding there is a possibility that 100 per cent turnout will be declared there as well. DEO Tripathi said that further details will be confirmed once the technical issues are resolved. As a result of the continuous efforts being made by the government administration to create awareness about voting, more than 63.57 per cent voting was recorded in the Jhansi parliamentary constituency, the statement said. Regarding reports that a youth was flown in to cast his vote, DEO Tripathi said the man was motivated by the village head and village development officer and came voluntarily. He added that some labourers working outside their villages also reached here to cast their votes. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 May,2024 06:11 PM IST | Jhansi | PTIPriyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), has requested activists and media to refrain from disclosing the identity of the youngster involved in the recent Pune vehicle accident. He emphasised that doing so would contravene the Child Justice Act, which prevents the identification of child perpetrators or victims, reported ANI. According to the report, Kanoongo, speaking about Pune luxury car accident noted that "revealing the minor's identity is a crime under the Juvenile Justice Act". Section 74 states that the identity of any minor or victim shall not be exposed. "I appeal to all activists and media persons that the police have done their job and the law will take its course. However, in the midst of all this, if anyone reveals the identity of the minor, it will also be a crime under the same law under which these cases have been registered. Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act specifies that the identity of any allegedly juvenile child or victim should not be revealed," Kanoongo said while speaking to ANI. "So, you all should also keep in mind that the identity of the minor should not be revealed under any circumstances," he added. The Pune luxury car accident occurred early Sunday, killing two people when a luxury automobile, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old while under the influence of alcohol, crashed with their motorbike near Kalyani Nagar in Pune. Kanoongo criticised the recklessness of permitting a kid to drive while offering alcohol to them. He acknowledged that FIRs had been filed against the youngster, his father, and the outlets serving alcohol. Speaking further about the Pune luxury car accident, Kanoongo said, "I also want to clarify that no report has been received yet about whether the child consumed alcohol or not, so let this trial be conducted in court and whoever is guilty should be punished, especially those who are providing the place or serving alcohol to children. If the child has also made a mistake, they should receive lawful punishment." Police have apprehended the boy's father and arrested three hotel executives. Amitesh Kumar, the Pune Police Commissioner, said that strict action is being taken in accordance with directions from the Chief Minister, Home Minister, and other officials. The accused in Pune luxury car accident was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board, with terms designed to promote rehabilitation. Due to the gravity of the crime, the police are requesting authority to prosecute the youngster as an adult.
21 May,2024 05:53 PM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondentOne person was killed and two others were injured in a clash that erupted between workers of Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar's Chapra on Tuesday, a day after fifth phase of polling, reported news agency ANI. As per Saran District Magistrate Aman Samir tension erupted yesterday after a candidate came near a polling station and a scuffle broke out on Tuesday morning between supporters of two groups. Two persons have been arrested in the case. "Some tensions erupted yesterday between two parties after a candidate came near polling station 318-319. After the tension, our patrolling team was deputed. This morning a scuffle broke out between the supporters of both groups (BJP and RJD) and one of them opened fire. One person died and the two were injured," Aman Samir told ANI. The police also carried out a flag march appealing to people to maintain their calm. The district administration has also ordered internet shutdown for two days as a precautionary measure. Aman Samir said sufficient police deployment has been made and officers are also patrolling, adding that the situation is currently "under control." "The accused are being identified and action will be taken against them. We appeal to everyone to maintain peace. Two people have been arrested...We are patrolling continuously and sufficient deployment has been made. The situation is under control," DM Aman Samir said. "For precaution, we sought permission for a two-day internet shutdown. We have received the permission from the headquarters," he added. Saran Superintendent of Police, Gaurav Mangla said one of the two injured persons is "safe" and the body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem. He said action will be taken against those behind the incident. "Yesterday, a disturbance happened outside booth number 318-319 in Chapra. Today, some anti-social elements opened fire at three people. One of them is dead, the other has been admitted to the hospital for treatment, while the third person is safe. The body has been sent for post-mortem," the Saran SP said. "Flag march is being held by the police. An order has been given to suspend the internet. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace. Action will be taken against the accused," he added. Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani Lok Sabha went for polling during the fifth phase on Monday. BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy and RJD's Rohini Acharya are pitted against each other in the Saran Lok Sabha constituency. Rudy, the incumbent MP from the seat, won it in 2014 and 2019. Polling for 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar is being held in seven phases. Votes will be counted on June 4. (With inputs from ANI)
21 May,2024 05:51 PM IST | Chapra | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
