Mangaluru: Youth turns crime fighter, catches chain snatcher after chase

Bengaluru, Jun 2: Karnataka recorded a biggest single day spike of 388 COVID-19 cases, with returnees from neighboring Maharashtra continuing to add to the state's tally, taking the total number of infections in the state to 3,796, the health department said on Tuesday.

With 367 out of 388 new cases being returnees from other states, mostly from neighboring Maharashtra (357), the Karnataka government said it was mulling over increasing institutional quarantine for those returning from the western state. Meanwhile, achieving a milestone in the battle against the coronavirus,the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences at Hubballi has successfully treated a COVID-19 patient through plasma therapy.

"Maharashtra (returnees) is a major worry for us, already 15,000-20,000 people have come from Maharashtra, still 2000 odd people may come to each district, as we have allowed so many people already, we have decided to allow them also, Revenue Minister R Ahoka said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said ".....cases coming from Bombay and Pune are turning out to be positive, we have to take extra caution, seven days quarantine (institutional) is of no use, we want to increase it specifically for those returning from Maharashtra.

We will take a decision soon and issue order." Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa earlier directed district authorities including the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to camp at taluk centres and work towards curbing the spread of COVID-19. Pointing out that COVID-19 cases were increasing in the state because of returnees from Maharashtra, he asked officials to take all necessary measures to check it, his office said in a release. The previous biggest single-day spike was recorded on May 31 with 299 cases. As of June 2 evening, cumulatively 3,796 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 52 deaths and 1,403 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.

It said out of 2,339 active cases, 2,325 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 14 are in ICU.

According to the bulletin,75 patients have been discharged today.

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences in Hubballi has successfully treated a COVID-19 patient through Plasma Therapy.

"Karnataka achieves yet another milestone in battle against #COVID19.

KIMS Hubli has successfully treated a Covid19 patient through Plasma Therapy & is the first institute in the state to accomplish this. Congrats to KIMS doctors & staff for this feat!" the Minister tweeted.

Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Udupi accounted for 150 cases, followed by Kalaburagi 100, Belagavi 51, Raichur 16, Bengaluru urban 12, Bidar 10, nine each from Bagalkote and Hassan, Davangere seven, Yadgiri five, four each from Mandya and Vijayapura, Bengaluru rural three, two each from Chikkaballapura, Dharwad and Tumakuru, and one each from Kolar and Haveri.

Udupi district tops the list of positive cases with 410 infections, followed by Kalaburagi 405 and Bengaluru urban 397.

Among discharges too Bengaluru urban tops the list with 237 discharges, followed by Kalaburagi 128 and Davangere 121.

A total of 3,19,628 samples have been tested so far, out of which 14,812 were tested on Tuesday alone.

According to the bulletin, 3,10,967 samples have reported as negative, 13,915 on Tuesday alone.

Srinagar, Jan 14: Davinder Singh, deputy superintendent of police, who was arrested on Saturday along with two Hizb terrorists and a Hizb overground worker in Kulgam, has confessed to his interrogators that he had received Rs 12 lakh from the terrorists to ferry them to Jammu and then Chandigarh for their onward journey to New Delhi, IG (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar told the media here on Monday.

Intelligence sources said the terrorists planned to carry out attacks on Republic Day.

The DSP was suspended on Monday and is likely to be stripped of all his awards, including the President’s Police Medal for anti-militancy operations.

Davinder, who was interrogated by various intelligence agencies, including IB, military intelligence and RAW, besides the police, has disclosed that he had put up the terrorists at his Indira Nagar house in Srinagar, right next to the Army’s 15 Corps HQ, and thereafter accompanied them to Jammu in a Maruti car driven by the Hizb overground worker, intelligence sources claimed.

Meanwhile, sources said the Union home ministry may hand over the case to the NIA to find the real motive of the terrorists, Davinder’s links to terrorism and whether he had helped terrorists in the past as well.

The two Hizb terrorists arrested with Davinder are Naveed Babu alias Babar Azam, a resident of Nazneenpora in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, and his associate Rafi Ahmad Rather. The Hizb overground worker, identified as Irfan Shafi Mir, was driving the vehicle when it was intercepted by the police on Saturday. Irfan Shafi Mir has travelled to Pakistan five times on his passport.

Davinder, interestingly, was on duty ensuring security cover for the envoys of 15 countries who visited Srinagar at the Union government’s invitation last week.

Madikeri, Jun 5: Karnataka Minister for Revenue R Ashok said a Rs 10 crore grant would be released shortly for construction of a permanent building for 'Relief Centre' in Kodagu district which is vulnerable to floods because of its hilly landscape.

According to an official release here on Friday, the Minister symbolically handed over the newly built houses to flood victims in Jambur in Somwarpet on Thursday evening.

He said that whenever the 'Relief Centre' is vacant it will be used for government meetings.