163 cases of newly emerging COVID-19 variant XFG detected in India: INSACOG
New Delhi (PTI): About 163 cases of the newly emerging COVID-19 variant XFG have been detected in India so far, according to INSACOG data.
The recombinant XFG variant harbours four key spike mutations and has achieved rapid global spread following its initial detection in Canada, according to an article in The Lancet journal.
According to data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), the XFG variant of the COVID-19-causing virus has been found in a total of 163 samples -- highest (89) in Maharashtra, followed by Tamil Nadu (16), Kerala (15), Gujarat (11), and Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (six each).
In May, as many as 159 samples were detected with XFG variant while two samples tested for this variant in April and two in June yet, data shows.
India's active Covid case tally crossed the 6,000 mark, with 769 added in the last 48 hours, according to the Union health ministry data released on Sunday.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
