Highway heist in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad: Four armed men looted gold, cash and other articles worth over Rs.1.2 crore from employees of a Delhi-based gold trading firm late Friday night on National Highway 58 in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Two employees, an armed guard and a car driver of a Delhi’s Karol Bagh-based gold trading firm were returning to Delhi after selling gold and realising payment from Meerut traders when they were waylaid, the Muradnagar police said. The employees of Messrs Hari Prasad Gopi Krishna of Karol Bagh, Anup Pande and Ajay Bansal, were close to Basantpur Sainthli village when four people in an Alto car forced them to stop at gunpoint. The four smashed the rolled up windows of the car and made off with the gold and cash. (IANS)
Raksha Bandhan celebrated at Tihar
New Delhi: There were heart-tugging scenes at Tihar Jail on Saturday as thousands of inmates were tied rakhis by their families on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Tihar Jail spokesperson Sunil Gupta said over 12,500 people visited the country’s largest prison to tie rakhis on the wrists of around 4,500 prisoners. Tears flowed freely as many siblings met each other after a gap of months, with many inmates promising their families that they will give up their life of crime. Tihar jail products, including sweets and rakhis that the women prisoners made for the occasion, were on sale for the visitors, as any outside products are banned inside the jail. “Elaborate arrangements were made for the auspicious day, including arranging special meetings of prisoners with their siblings, providing sweets and rakhis inside the prison at reasonable rates so that the inmates understand that we care for them,” Gupta added. (IANS)
Himachal has season’s first snowfall
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh got the season’s first snowfall early Saturday, the weather bureau here said. “Keylong town and the nearby hills have been experiencing snowfall since Saturday morning,” an official of the Met office told IANS. Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, received 4 cm of snow till 8.30 a.m. The high hills like the Lady of Keylong and the Seven Sisters in the Lahaul Valley were wrapped in a white blanket. Elsewhere, Dharamsala town experienced the maximum rainfall of 213 mm in the past 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. The state capital here recorded mild rainfall of 15.6 mm. The picturesque tourist resort Manali received 64 mm of rainfall while Keylong received 55 mm. The Met office forecast heavy rainfall at some places in mid hills till Sunday. (IANS)
43 kg of explosive recovered
Srinagar: About 48 hours before the Independence Day celebrations, security forces achieved a major success when they recovered 43 kg high quality explosive in the Srinagar outskirts. A defence ministry spokesman said here this afternoon a swift joint operation was launched by the Army and state police at Dhurmuna, Zainakote, following a tip off about the explosive. He said the area was sealed and the operation was immediately launched with the help of an Army Explosive Detection Dog (AEDD). The AEDD took the security forces to the spot and helped to unearth explosive, buried underground, he said, adding a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was rushed to the area and the explosive was later destroyed without causing any damage. The explosive was enough to make many Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which could have caused much damage to life and property. No one was arrested, he said, adding investigation has been initiated. (UNI)
Prayers for Sonia’s health
Srirangam: Former Congress MP and Member of the National Commission for Backward Classes S K Kharventhan organised a special +Yagam+ at Shri.Veera Anjaneyor temple here today, wishing for speedy recovery of AICC President Sonia Gandhi, who underwent a surgery in the US recently. According to Mr K Kaa.Pee.Balu organiser of the Yagam today, +Ganapathy Homam+, +Thanvanthiri+ (God Of Medicine) homam,+Sudharshana Homam+, and +Ayush (long life) homam+ were performed along with other special poojas. Earlier, Mr Kharventhan also offered special prayers at Shri Ranganathaswamy temple here. (UNI)
Officials record weights of Dasara elephants
Mysore: Over a dozen Dasara jumbos, which came to the city for the month-long stay from elephant camps in the forests, gain up to 600 kg in weight as they are fed sumptuously to prepare them for the festivities. As part of the official procedure, officials have recorded the weight of the six Dasara elephants which arrived in the city yesterday to take part in the World famous Mysore Dasara festivities scheduled to be held from September 28. It is done to keep a check on their health during their stay in the city. Official sources said usually the jumbos gain about 500 to 600 kg after their month-long stay in the city before they return to camps in the forests. Balarama, the jumbo that carries the golden howdah, will be doing it for a record 13th time this year when the Dasara procession–Jamboo Savari–is held on October six. (PTI)