Snake poison seized, state armed police officer arrested
Siliguri: Half litre of snake poison used for making psychotropic drugs was seized from a hotel here on Monday and four persons, including a state armed police official were arrested today in connection with it. CID superintendent of police Niraj Khalij said the seized poison is worth Rs 80 lakh in the country and Rs 1.5 crore in the international market. The poison was brought from Kalimpong and it is suspected that it was to be smuggled either to Nepal or China for processing into drugs before being sold to other countries. Khalij said a team of four CID personnel including its special superintendent of police (north) acting on a tip off arrested the four from the hotel adjacent to Siliguri junction railway station. The CID personnel posing as buyers met the four in the hotel room and when the poison was brought before them arrested the four, including a sub-inspector of state armed police Fajiuddin Haq,he said. The arrested were later sent to police custody for four days by the Siliguri fast track court. (PTI)
Arunachal BJP extends congratulations to party leaders
Itanagar: With the spectacular winning of four state assembly elections, the Arunachal Pradesh unit of BJP on Monday extended its heartiest congratulations to the national party president Rajnath Singh and its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. In a hurriedly called meeting, held at party headquarters here last evening, presided by state president Tai Tagak, the party also thanks Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajasthan BJP unit president and Chief Ministerial candidate. Ms Vasundhara Raje Scindhia, Chief Minister of Chattisgarh, Raman Singh and Chief Ministerial Candidate for Delhi, Dr. Harshavardha for the party’s victory. Despite strong sympathy waves in Chhatishgarh in view of the Naxalite attacks on the Congress Parivarthan Yatra causing deaths of several leaders like V.C. Shukla and others. BJP’s win is a clear signal to the victory of the party in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections to be held in 2014, the party said. (UNI)
Pregnant woman dies
Kohima: A pregnant woman succumbed to her burn injuries in a hospital after her clothes mysteriously caught fire at the Police colony, Dimapur but the case was not reported to the police. It came to light after residents of the locality informed of the incident on Sunday when the incident leading to the death of the victim, identified as Pinky Deb (32), remain unexplained. The deceased’s husband, Ajay Deb, also sustained injury, reportedly, while trying to save his wife, when the incident occurred on Sunday last after which she was admitted in hospital. The husband said he was home watching TV when he heard his wife screaming from the kitchen. It was around 2330 hrs. He rushed to the kitchen to douse the flames and was also injured in the process, Deb said. (UNI)
Trade between Triura and Bangladesh resumes
Agartala: The International Check Post (ICP) at the Indo-Bangla international border here has resumed operation following temporary withdrawal of the strike by the Agartala Exporters-Importers Association (AEIA), official sources said on Monday. Trade between Tripura and Bangladesh was suspended through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) here due to indefinite strike called by the AEIA since Thursday. Secretary of AEIA, Habul Biswas said the strike was called to protest imposition of high rate of tariff in ‘loading and unloading’ by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) but the strike was temporarily withdrawn as the state Minister for Industries has assured to take up the matter with the Centre. The operation would continue till January 31 and the strike would resume unless the demands were conceded, he said. The multi-facility world standard ICP was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in presence of Bangladesh Home Minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir on November 17. The check post, built at a cost of Rs 74 crore, is the first of its kind between India and Bangladesh. It has modern terminal building for passage of people from the two countries, well equipped customs and immigration centres, high security equipments, weigh bridges, currency exchange and internet facility, banks etc. However, trade between the two countries has slowed down drastically due to continuous strike by opposition parties in Bangladesh, official sources said. (PTI)
Houses razed by fire
Kohima: Rows of thatched houses were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire that broke out in Balijan near LRC, Lengrijan in Dimapur bordering Nagaland and Assam on Sunday. According to official sources, the inhabitants were mostly daily wage-earners, some auto drivers, street vendors and some doing small businesses. Six fire tenders were pressed into service. Sources also said the estimates of loss of properties and others was more than Rs 3.40 lakh. (UNI)