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Bengaluru, July 29: The Central Crime Branch arrested four international drug peddlers belonging to Kerala and recovered drugs worth Rs 1.25 crore from them, said Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday.

"We have started a war on drugs. Our agenda is to curb the drug mafia not only in Bengaluru, but in entire Karnataka. Many people are involved in the drug mafia. They are targeting students, other states, and international students who can spend and afford to become victims," said Bommai.

The recovered items include 2,000 kg LSD strips, 110 grams MDMA Cristol, 10 ecstasy tablets, 5 kg Ganja, five cell phones, weighing machine and pouches.

"When we raided a house in Soladevanahally police station area, we arrested Shahad Mohammed, Azmal, Ajin KG Verghese and Nitin Mohan. All are from Kerala and we will arrest their contacts as well. They are involved in the dark web mafia," Bommai said.

He said the peddlers were using post offices and couriers for their business.

"I'll speak to the central government, the home ministry and postal department, and other issues related to this mafia. Canada, Netherlands, and other nations are also involved in this mafia," said the state home minister.

"People from influential backgrounds are also involved in this mafia, but our objective is zero tolerance. We are using our intelligence. Drugs are coming from other states like AP, Goa, and other states," he said.
Bommai said he was personally addressing this case and appealed for support from parents, schools and colleges.

"I'm addressing this issue personally because it's important to curb the drug mafia. I need support from schools and college managements and parents. I'll also call college and hostel managements before colleges start. We will make managements responsible," he said.

Bengaluru/ Mangaluru, Aug 3: For the first time in many days, if not weeks, the number of recoveries in Karnataka was higher than new covid-19 cases in the state raising hope of some relief against the virus.

Karnataka confirmed 4752 new covid- 19 cases while the number of recoveries stood at 4776 in the 24 hours until 5 pm on Monday. The state also recorded 98 deaths. 

Medical education minister K.Sudhakar said that the recovery rate in Karnataka is at around 42%

"Everyday there is increase in recovery rate which is higher by 9.17% in Bengaluru city. Overall recovery rate of the state by Sunday evening was 42.81 % and it is 35.14% in Bengaluru," the minister posted on Twitter.

The total number of cases in Bengaluru crossed the 60,000 mark including 1497 cases on Monday.

The total number of cases in Mysuru breached 5000 cases as 372 persons tested positive. The mineral-rich district of Ballari recorded 305 cases. Other parts of Karnataka has seen a surge in cases with 15 out of the 30 districts reporting at least a 100 cases.

Dakshina Kananda

Dakshina Kannada district alone has recorded 153 new cases and seven deaths. 
Among the 153 new cases, 119 are from Mangaluru, 11 from Bantwal, six from Beltangady, four from Puttur, one from Sullia, and 12 from other districts.

The total number of covid positive cases in the district mounted to 6,168. Out of these, 3,138 cases are currently active. As many as 2,854 persons have recovered and been discharged, and 176 deaths have occurred so far.

Udupi

Udupi reported 126 fresh cases past 24 hours, according to health bulletin released by the Udupi district administration. They include 58 from Udupi, 34 from Kundapur, 28 from Karkala, and six from other districts. 

A total of 34,500 samples have been collected so far. 29,174 have turned out to be negative. As many as 4,800 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported so far in the district. 

As many as 2,812 patients have been discharged so far, and 1,952 cases are currently active. As per district bulletin, 36 deaths have occurred so far. One positive case has been transferred to Dakshina Kannada.