4 Maoists killed in encounter
Bhubaneswar: At least four Maoists, including two women cadres, were gunned down during an exchange of fire with security forces in a dense forest in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Sunday, police said. Some police personnel have also sustained injuries during the firing, Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel and District Voluntary Force (DVF) officers launched a raid in the forest in Tumudibandha area of Kandhamal district early in the day, Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay said. (PTI)
Jawan injured in IED blast
Srinagar: A CRPF personnel was injured in a low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said. Security forces also detected and defused another IED in the district later, a police official said. The official said the IED blast occurred at Gongoo area of Pulwama in South Kashmir this morning as security forces were passing through the area. He said the CRPF personnel suffered injuries in his hands due to the blast, but his condition is stated to be stable. The security forces fired few shots in the air after the blast, the official said. (PTI)
Landslide kills 2, damages houses
Mangaluru: Two children were killed, many houses damaged and a few vehicles mangled in a landslide at Gurupur here on Sunday, police said. The calamity was triggered by the torrential rains in the region over the past few days. A total of 19 houses on a hillock were damaged and the two children were buried alive, the police said. Soon, the National Disaster Response Force, along with the local residents and the police, removed the debris and pulled out the bodies. Expressing grief, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and assured the displaced families of rehabilitation. (PTI)
Woman PSI held for taking bribe
Ahmedabad: A woman police sub-inspector (PSI) has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a rape accused for not charging him under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, police said on Sunday. Shweta Jadeja, who was the in-charge of Mahila police station in Ahmedabad-West, had allegedly demanded Rs 35 lakh from the brother of Kenal Shah, against whom she was investigating a rape case registered in 2019, a police official said. She demanded the money for not booking Shah under provisions of the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) Act. (PTI)
Earthquake hits Gujarat
Ahmedabad: A 4.2 magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre around 14 kms from Bhachau in Kutch district of Gujarat, was recorded on Sunday evening, an official said. It was preceded by four minor quakes of 1.8, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.1 magnitude between 1.50 am and 4.32 pm, the official said. “A 4.2 magnitude earthquake was felt in Kutch district with its epicentre 14 km north-north-east of Bhachau in Kutch district at 5.11 pm on Sunday,” the official said. (PTI)