132 kg ganja confiscated by Mangaluru CCB policemen; two arrested
Mangaluru: Rameez Raaz and Abdul Khader Haris were reportedly arrested by the Mangaluru CCB police near Mudipu for illegal transport of ganja. The police confiscated 132 kg ganja from the arrested men.
Addressing a press meet in the city on Friday, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that Raaz, 30, of Naringana in Bantwal, and Haris, 31, of Kasaragod, were arrested in Kayargoli in Mudipu Kurnadu village, said sources.
“The arrested men were transporting the processed ganja from Vishakhapatnam to Mangaluru, Bengaluru and places in Kerala. We have seized the loot along with the car that was used for transport, cash and two mobile phones from the duo. The confiscated things are worth approximately Rs 39.5 lakh. Three swords have also been seized,” the police officer reportedly said.
Mangaluru CCB Inspector Mahesh Prasad and PSI Rajendra B led the investigation team, which followed a tip-off on Raaz and Haris on Thursday, he added.
“Three cases have been registered against Raaz at the Konaje Police Station in relation to consumption and sale of narcotics and assault. There are six other cases registered against him at the Ullal and Mangalore North police stations for ganja sale and attempt to murder. Against Haris, there are two attempt to murder cases at the Ullal Police Station and two assault cases at the Manjeshwara Police Station,” Shashi Kumar is learned to have said.
The commissioner further said that the arrested duo had been carrying the swords to use on any policeman or people who stopped them, said sources. The men had filled the car boot with the ganja on their way from Vishakhapatnam to Bengaluru to be supplied in various places in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod and Uttara Kannada districts.
“We have been informed of a racket to grow the ganja in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha. The processed ganja is reportedly being supplied in huge quantities to customers in Kerala and Karnataka. The matter came to light while handling earlier cases related to narcotics supply,” the commissioner stated, adding, “A detailed investigation of the activities will be conducted and other people involved in the racket will be found.”
DCPs Anshu Kumar and Dinesh Kumar and CCB Inspector Mahesh Prasad were present at the press meet.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
