Two held for theft; gold, silver items recovered

Madikeri, Jul 24: Water from river Cauvery, which is deemed as holy, and mud from Kodagu, the birth district of river Cauvery was collected and will be sent to Ayodhya for use during groundbreaking (Bhoomi Pooja) ceremony for the construction of Ram Mandir on August 5.

Workers of Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and Hindu Jagarana Vedike collected the soil and water from River Cauvery at Talacauvery Kshetra, the birthplace of river Cauvery.

Special pooja was offered at Talacauvery, praying for the timely completion of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Kanpur, Jul 8: The Special Task Force (STF) shot dead Amar Dubey in an encounter in Maudaha on Wednesday morning. Amar, a right hand man of gangster Vikas Dubey, who shot dead eight police personnel on Friday last, figured prominently in the list of wanted persons released by the Kanpur police on Tuesday.

He was a named accused in the massacre.

According to STF sources, the police team had received a tip off about Amar's presence in the district and when they tried to close in on him, the criminal opened fire on them, He was killed in retaliatory firing around 6.30.a.m,

Amar was reportedly heading towards the house of one of his relatives in Maudaha area.

"We asked him to surrender but he opened fire at us and was killed when we returned the fire," said an STF official.

Earlier, he had been hiding in Faridabad but moved out after police pressure increased there.

Amar Dubey was a trusted accomplice of Vikas Dubey and the police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on him after the Kanpur massacre.

Incidentally, reports claim that Vikas Dubey was also seen at a hotel in Faridabad on Tuesday night but fled before the police could close in on him.

Madikeri, Jun 9: A rare Rurk’s Ristella Skink was found by some wildlife enthusiasts on their way to Madapur in Kodagu district.

Ristella Rurkii, commonly known as Rurk’s Ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats of Southern India. It is a small, insectivorous, diurnal skink found in Shola grasslands and rain forests of hills ranges in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The specific name, rurkii, is in honour of “Dr Rurk” who collected the type specimen in the Annamalai Hills, High Ranges, Travancore, and the Palani Hills, of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is endemic to rainforests South of Palghat Gap.