Man who sent death threats to Salman apologises

 The initial threat message was sent to the number of Mumbai Traffic Police's control room on October 18. A few days later, the Mumbai Traffic Police received another message from the same number, in which the individual who had issued a threat apologized, claiming the message was sent by mistake. 

 According to Mumbai police, the location of the person who sent this message was tracked from Jharkhand. The person who sent the message claimed to be close to Lawrence Bishnoi's gang and claimed to put the actor's life in danger if not provided with the extortion money. 

 The sender claimed, "Don't take it lightly, if Salman Khan wants to stay alive and wants to end the enmity with Lawrence Bishnoi, then he will have to pay Rs 5 crore. If the money is not given, Salman Khan's condition will be worse than Baba Siddique's." 

The Worli Police filed a case in connection to the threat message received by the Mumbai traffic police. The incident came in the backdrop of the recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. -- ANI

 In its bulletin, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the well-marked low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards, concentrated into a depression and lay centred at 730 km southeast of Paradip in Odisha around 5.30 am. "It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23, 2024, over east-central Bay of Bengal," the bulletin said.

 Thereafter, the weather system will continue moving northwestwards and is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, which will cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island on the night of October 24 and morning October 25 with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph, it added.

The system is likely to affect the coast of both Odisha and West Bengal with heavy rain and high-speed wind, the bulletin said. A deep depression is a more intense stage of a low-pressure system and typically precedes the formation of a cyclonic storm, according to the IMD. 

The Odisha government has cancelled the leaves of all staff from October 23 to 25 in view of the cyclone forecast. In a letter to all the departments, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) DK Singh has asked them to remain prepared to tackle the challenges of the impending calamity. PTI

 District Magistrate of Bulandshahr Chandra Prakash Singh said the incident occurred on Monday evening in the house of one Riyazuddin in which around 19 people, including women and children, were living. Riyazuddin was involved in shuttering work -- the process of giving support and stability to concrete during construction work before it becomes solid. The initial death toll was five which increased to six in the early hours of Tuesday. 

City Magistrate Chandra Prakash Priyadarshi said six bodies -- three male and three female -- were brought to the district hospital. According to officials, those dead were identified as Riyazuddin alias Raju (50), his wife Rukhsana (45), Salman (16), Tamanna (24), Hivja (3) and Aas Mohammed (26). DM Singh said, "A cylinder blast occurred in the Ashapuri colony of Sikandrabad between 8.30 pm and 9 pm leading to the collapse of the entire house." 

He said eight residents were taken to the hospital while others were safe. Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, Dhruva Kant Thakur said information about the casualties was received, after which rescue and relief operations were launched immediately. Personnel of the NDRF, fire brigade, police, medical and the local administration were involved in the rescue work, he said. 

 "Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) took immediate cognisance of the incident. We were sent to the spot and directions were issued that good quality treatment should be given to the injured persons," the DM said.

 About the rescue operation, he said the iron beams of the roof of the house had to be pried open using gas cutters. At the same time, an excavator was pressed into action to clear the debris. On Tuesday morning, Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Shlok Kumar told PTI that the rescue operation had been completed at the site. 

 Although the surviving family members have said that no one was trapped under the debris anymore, the rescue teams took all precautions while carrying out their work, he added. "A total of six persons have died and another three suffered injuries in the blast because of which the front portion of the double-storey house collapsed," Kumar said. The wife of Riyazuddin was undergoing treatment for an ailment at a hospital and was recently brought back to the home, where the family had brought an oxygen cylinder along with its accessories to help in the post hospitalisation care, the SSP said. 

 "This oxygen cylinder exploded. The cylinder, its nozzle, etc have been recovered from the debris," the district police chief told PTI. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and further legal proceedings in the matter are underway, he added. PTI

Arms and ammunition were seized in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, police said on Tuesday.

The seizures were made during an area domination exercise in Aigejang in the hill district, they said.

One each of .303 rifle, 9mm CMG with magazine, 9 mm pistol, SBBL along with two 51mm mortars, two hand grenades, five live ammunition, and two smoke grenades were seized, they added. -- PTI

Delhi's air quality dropped to the 'very poor' category on Tuesday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 385 recorded around 8:00 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

 

A thick layer of fog was seen in areas like Anand Vihar, Kalkaji, Nehru Place, and Akshardham Temple, as the city's air quality continued to deteriorate. 

 

Smog also engulfed the Ghazipur area, further worsening visibility. The CPCB classified the city's air as 'very poor,' warning of possible health impacts for residents, especially those with respiratory conditions. The pollution levels are expected to remain high if weather conditions remain unfavourable.

 

"Everyone faces difficulty in breathing during these months, especially in October, November, and December. The government is taking the right steps to curb pollution. The situation in Delhi is such that if the right steps are not taken on time, it could cause a lot of trouble in the future," Saif, a Kartavya Path visitor, said.

 

Earlier on Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) ordered the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-II) in Delhi-NCR after the overall AQI fell into the 'very poor' category. 

Delhi recorded a daily average AQI of 310, as per the CPCB's daily AQI Bulletin.

 

"As per the dynamic model and forecasts for weather/meteorological conditions and air quality provided by IMD/IITM, there is a likelihood of the daily average AQI of Delhi remaining in the 'very poor' category (AQI 301-400) in the coming days due to unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions," according to a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change release.

Home Minister Amit Shah turned 60 on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leading politicians greeted him on his birthday.

   

Modi said on X, "He is a hardworking leader, who has devoted his life towards strengthening the BJP. He has made a mark as an exceptional administrator and is making many efforts to realise the vision of a Viksit Bharat. Praying for his long and healthy life."

BJP president J P Nadda lauded his predecessor's commitment, hard work and organisational skills as a source of inspiration. Shah's significant contribution to the country's internal security is unforgettable, he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said his role in the development of India as well as the BJP is laudable.

BJP allies such as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, JD-U leader Lalan Singh and LJP-R leader Chirag Paswan, both Union ministers, also greeted the home minister.

Born in Gujarat, Shah has been a trusted ally of the prime minister for close to four decades and is seen as an astute political mind who brings a determined approach coupled with commitment and hard work to implement key government and party agendas.

Under Modi's leadership, he is considered instrumental in the party's growth and crafting its electoral strategy, which has paid the BJP rich dividends since 2014.

Shah has received a large part of the credit for the BJP's win in a number of state polls when it initially appeared that the party was behind its rivals, mostly Congress. The BJP's surprise win in the recent Haryana election when almost every exit poll predicted a Congress win is one such example. -- PTI

Pune rural police have seized Rs 5 crore in cash from a car amid the model code of conduct in force in Maharashtra for the November 20 assembly polls, an official said.

The unaccounted cash was seized on Monday evening near Khed-Shivapur plaza on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway during a police nakabandi (on-road checking), the official said.

"A car travelling towards Satara was intercepted during nakabandi. A search led to the seizure of Rs 5 crore cash from the vehicle's four occupants. The money is being counted by police and district election officials. A probe into the source of the cash and other details is underway," the Pune rural police official said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut in a post on X on Monday night claimed "Rs 15 crore" has been seized from a car belonging to an MLA from the Shiv Sena (which is led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde). -- PTI

A doctor and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck a tunnel-construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Ganderbal on Sunday, officials said.

The unidentified terrorists carried out the attack when the labourers and other staff working on the tunnel project at Ganderbal's Gund had returned to their camp late in the evening, they added. 

Sinha said police and other security forces have been given instructions and full freedom to track down and eliminate the perpetrators of the heinous act. -- PTI

Yadav, who earlier held the health portfolio, also shared photographs of Pandey with the apparent headgear, asserting it showed that he "cannot tell the difference between a shoe cover from a head cover'. 

"The health department staff made him wear a surgical shoe cover on his head instead of a surgical head cover during inspection of a hospital. Even the minister does not know the difference. Now' one can imagine the health system of Bihar. He has been the most unsuccessful health minister of the state to date," the RJD leader wrote on X. 

Pandey could not be contacted for a comment on the matter, while the state health department did not confirm the veracity of the photographs. -- PTI

As per the NIA, the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to 18 with the arrest of Aboo Hanifa, Saran Mariappan, and Pavas Rahman.  

With the arrests, NIA has unearthed the terror financing angle in the case and four chargesheets have been so far filed against 14 accused before the NIA Court at Poonamallee, Chennai, the agency said.  

The case is related to a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosives Device explosion near the ancient Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil temple at Eswaran Kovil Street, Ukkadam, Coimbatore, on October 23, 2022. 

The terror attack was perpetrated by deceased Jamesha Mubeen, a self-styled ISIS operative, and suicide bomber, as an act of revenge against Kafirs or non-believers of Islam.  

NIA investigations have revealed that the three accused arrested on Monday had colluded with one other to provide funds for the commission of the terror act. 

Accused Aboo Hanifa was employed as a faculty in Kovai Arabic College, where Jamesha Mubeen and other arrested accused persons got radicalized in ISIS ideology, the agency said.  

"Prior to carrying out the Coimbatore terror attack, Jamesha Mubeen had sworn allegiance by giving "bayath" to Abu-Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi, the then self-styled Calipha of ISIS," the agency release mentioned. -- ANI 

The unaccounted cash was seized in the evening from a car near Khed-Shivapur plaza on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway during a police nakabandi (on-road checking), the official added. 

"A car travelling towards Satara was intercepted during nakabandi. A search led to seizure of Rs 5 cr cash from the vehicle's four occupants. The money is being counted by police and district election officials. A probe into the source of the cash and other details is underway," the Pune Rural police official said. -- PTI