Mangaluru: Bantwal Rural Police have arrested two men who were allegedly attempting to sell narcotics illegally near the National Highway 75 stretch in Hanumanagar of Thumbay in Bantwal taluk on Saturday evening.

The police team, led by Bantwal Rural Sub-inspector Manjunath T, held the operation on being informed that the arrested men, identified as Sameer (31) of Thumbay and Muhammad Asif (35) of Goodinabali, were trying to sell narcotics illegally at the said place. When they reached the place, they are learned to have found two men standing in a suspicious manner beside a car and an auto rickshaw parked on an empty plot near the highway. The policemen caught and questioned the men, who confessed that they had been trying to sell ganja.

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The team, on checking the car, reportedly found 450 gram of the narcotic along with 360 gram in the auto rickshaw. The narcotic and the two vehicles have been seized by the police.

A case has been registered against Sameer and Asif at the Bantwal Rural Police Station, the Department has said in a press statement.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday highlighted the state’s leadership in AI and deep technology while engaging with global industry leaders and startups at a four-day summit held in New Delhi, officials said.

During the event, Priyank witnessed the signing of a strategic MoU between H Company and St John’s Medical College & Research Institute, Bengaluru, to pilot advanced enterprise AI for hospital operations and workflow automation, strengthening responsible AI in healthcare, the minister’s office said in a statement here.

Speaking on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit, the minister said Karnataka is ahead of the curve in AI.

“We are already home to leading global AI players such as Harvey AI and Anthropic, and The Walt Disney Company is expanding its AI network in Bengaluru,” he added.

Noting Bengaluru’s position among the top global cities for AI talent, he added, “Under our DeepTech Decade, we are supporting startups with grants of up to Rs 1 crore. We are engaging with global leaders and innovators to ensure responsible AI use, build the right skill sets, create strong incubators, and establish Centres of Excellence that can foster startups and strengthen e-governance.”

The minister also attended a roundtable organised by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), where discussions focused on strengthening technology collaboration, investment partnerships, and innovation-led growth between Karnataka and global enterprises.

He met Timo Harakka, Member of Parliament of Finland, to explore possibilities for collaboration between Karnataka and Finland in AI and deep-tech sectors, including joint research, innovation partnerships, and startup exchanges.

The Karnataka IT Minister also visited the Indian Army showcase at the summit, which featured advanced AI-driven defence and strategic technology applications, highlighting the role of AI in national security and modernisation efforts.

He toured the Karnataka Pavilion and the ArtPark Pavilion, interacting with founders and teams from Karnataka’s innovation ecosystem and reviewing emerging AI and deep-tech solutions, the statement added.