National nuggets

Nine held in UP for religious conversion bid

BULANDSHAHR, Aug 11: Police have arrested nine people for allegedly attempting to convert residents of a village to Christianity in UP’s Bulandshahr.Acting on a tip-off that some people were allegedly trying to convert residents in the Veerkheda village, the police reached the spot and arrested nine accused.During interrogation, the accused admitted that they travelled across neighbouring districts to propagate Christianity and lure locals to convert by offering them money, the police said.Police allegedly recovered cash, copies of the Bible, prayer pamphlets, conversion certificates and nine mobile phones of different companies from the possession of the accused. (PTI)

Dentist held for chopping his mother-in-law into pieces

TUMAKURU, Aug 11: Police cracked the Lakshmi Devi murder case in Koratagere in Tumakuru and arrested victim’s son-in-law, a dentist, Dr Ramachandrappa S and his two accomplices.Tumakuru police recovered the severed head of a woman and her partially decomposed, dismembered body pieces, found stuffed in multiple plastic bags. During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had murdered Lakshmi Devi and, with the intention of destroying evidence, cut the dead body into pieces, packed them in plastic covers, and disposed of them at various places. It is learnt that Ramachandrappa had doubts over Lakshmi Devi’s character, causing embarrassment to him, which made him take the extreme step. (PTI)

8 devotees killed, 29 hurt as pick-up van falls off road

PUNE, Aug 11: Eight women on their way to a temple were killed and 29 people injured after a pick-up van they were travelling in fell off the road on a hilly terrain in Pune district on Monday, police said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased.The vehicle carrying around 40 passengers, most of them women and children, veered off the road and plunged 25 to 30 feet down around 1 PM after the driver lost control of the wheel.The victims, who hailed from Papalwadi village, were headed to Shree Kshetra Mahadev Kundeshwar Temple in Khed tehsil to mark the auspicious Monday of the Shravan month.Locals rushed to the spot and alerted the police.“Eight women have died and 29 others sustained injuries,” the officer said, adding that 10 ambulances rushed the injured persons to nearby hospitals. (PTI)