Punjab: 8 of family from Himachal, driver die after car swept away in swollen rivulet
Hoshiarpur, Aug 11: Nine people, including eight members of a family, died and two others went missing after their vehicle got swept away by the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet around 34 km from here on Sunday, police said.
The rivulet was swollen due to heavy rainfall that lashed several parts of Punjab and other areas.
Eleven members of a family, along with a driver, were travelling in the SUV from Dehra near Mehatpur in Una district of Himachal Pradesh to Mehrowal village in Punjab's SBS Nagar district to attend a wedding, police officials said.
As they were crossing the Jaijon Choe, which was in spate due to heavy rain, their vehicle got swept away, the police said.
Some locals had even warned the driver not to cross the choe because of strong water current in the rivulet but he ignored it and moved ahead, said police.
However, several locals managed to rescue one occupant -- Deepak Bhatia -- and took him to the Government Dispensary in Jaijon.
A video of the incident showed that the vehicle was stuck in the flooded choe.
Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to assist in the rescue and search operations for the missing individuals.
Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba said nine bodies, including those of five females, have been recovered from the rivulet. Efforts were on to trace the two missing persons.
The family members of the deceased have told the police that there were twelve people in the sports utility vehicle (SUV).
There were about five vehicles and an earth moving machine on the other side of the Jaijon Choe towards Himachal Pradesh, waiting for the water to subside.
The occupants of these vehicles asked the driver to stop, but the driver proceeded, leading to the tragic incident, Lamba said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagir Singh stated that the vehicle was swept away by the strong water current for approximately 200 meters downstream.
Those killed have been identified as Surjit Bhatia, his wife Paramjit Kaur, brother Saroop Chand, sister-in-law Binder, Shinno of Bhatoli in Mehatpur, her daughters Bhavna and Anu, son Harshit, and driver Bindu, the police said.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed condolences over the tragic incident and said that the state government stands in solidarity with the bereaved families during this time of distress.
He assured that all possible assistance will be provided to them by the state government and district administration of Una has been directed in this regard.
Hoshiarpur, Punjab: Heavy rainfall led to floods sweeping away an Innova car. One passenger was rescued, but ten are missing. Rescue operations are underway. pic.twitter.com/iB2f5RdrWC
— IANS (@ians_india) August 11, 2024
भारी बारिश के कारण पंजाब-हिमाचल सीमा पर एक इनोवा गाड़ी बाढ़ में बह गई, जिसमें 11 लोग सवार थे। इनमें से एक व्यक्ति को बचा लिया गया, जबकि 10 लोग लापता हैं। सभी लोग एक ही परिवार के थे . पुलिस और ग्रामीणों द्वारा उनकी तलाश जारी है।
— With Rahul Gandhi (@amitsri32137925) August 11, 2024
#Hoshiarpur #Flood | #kamaljitsandhu pic.twitter.com/VN6RM8ucNw
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
