Karur stampede death toll rises to 41; Bomb threat reported at Vijay’s residence
Karur/Chennai: The death toll from the stampede at actor-politician Vijay’s campaign rally in Karur rose to 41 on Monday, with officials confirming the death of a 65-year-old woman, Suguna, at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital.
Among the deceased, 18 were women and 10 were children. The youngest victim was identified as two-year-old V. Guru Vishnu from Velusamypuram in Karur, while the oldest was a 60-year-old man. Most of the women were in their 30s, while the men who died were largely in their 20s and 30s. The bodies were handed over to families and transported to their native places in free hearse vehicles.
Tens of thousands of supporters had gathered at the rally on Saturday night amid sweltering heat. Tamil Nadu DGP G. Venkataraman said the tragedy was triggered by Vijay’s delayed arrival. He noted that the crowd, already waiting for hours without adequate food and water, surged forward after the TVK’s official Twitter handle announced the leader’s expected arrival at noon. “Our intention is not to blame anyone, but we are just stating the facts,” the DGP said.
Meanwhile, a bomb threat was reported on Monday at Vijay’s residence in Neelankarai along the East Coast Road in Chennai. Police said an anonymous caller warned of an explosive device at the property. The premises were immediately cordoned off, and a bomb disposal squad with sniffer dogs conducted a thorough search.
No explosive material has been recovered so far, and officials confirmed that an investigation is underway.
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21 hours raid fetch nothing for ED, claims Karnataka Cong MLA’s son
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad on Tuesday claimed that the 21 hours of search by the ED in his house and other locations did not fetch anything.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of the two sons of Haris (Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad), Aqeeb Khan, grandson of ex-Union cabinet minister K Rahman Khan and an alleged crypto hacker named Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in a crypto currency-linked money laundering case.
More than a dozen premises in the city have been covered as part of the action executed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"My grandfather is 89-year-old. There is not a single bad mark. My father (N A Haris) is a four-time MLA. There is not a single accusation against him. Their only intention was to target myself and my brother. As simple as that," Mohammed Nalapad, who is a former Karnataka Youth Congress president, told reporters.
According to him, the ED officials carried out raids for 21 hours.
"After 21 hours of search, they took away only two mobile phones from our house. They did not get a single paisa. The ED will testify it," the Congress leader said.
Exuding faith in the law, he said he is ready to fight the case in court.
"Me and my father have opted for politics and we are in public life. You can call me whatever you want but I have not done anything wrong," Mohammed Nalapad said.
Regarding his relationship with Sriki, he said he knew him but had no clue what he was doing.
"I have never said that either me or my brother do not know Sriki. But how will I know what he does in his house? Can his crimes be linked to us," he asked.
The money laundering case stems from some Karnataka Police FIRs and chargesheets filed in a 2017 case of hacking of national and international websites, stealing of bitcoins and sale of these 'stolen' virtual digital assets (VDA) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
The Nalapad brothers and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this alleged crypto-linked crime, the ED said.
