Mangaluru: The last rites  of Deepak Rao who was brutally murdered at Katipalla on January 3, Wednesday were held at the Hindu crematorium at Katipalla Janatha Colony on the afternoon of January 4, Thursday.

Earlier, there was much confusion outside Deepak's house since morning after the police had secretly shifted his body from the AJ Hospital to Katipalla,  in the backdrop of the insistence of Hindu outfits to take out a funeral procession from the Hospital to Katipalla.   The activists refused to allow the body to be taken to his house  from the ambulance. It was after   the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil that the activists relented. The DC also permitted the funeral procession to be taken out from Deepak's residence at Katipalla to the Hindu crematorium. The funeral procession was thus taken out amid unprecedented security arrangements and reached Katipalla crematorium at 1.45 pm after traversing a distance of six kms. The final rites were held in accordance to the Kshatriya tradition.

Deepak  Rao (22), a resident of Katipalla Kaikamba who worked as an executive for a private mobile company  and who was reportedly associated with a Sangh Parivar organisation was brutally hacked to death at the Krishnapura-Katipalla road on Wednesday by a gang of four assailants  who waylaid his bike. The assailants were reportedly following Deepak .  Though a critically injured Deepak was immediately rushed to the hospital, he had breathed his last by then.

The Police who swung into operation immediately had chased the car of the miscreants and had zeroed in on them at  Mijar where  the cops had to even open fire injuring one of the assailants. All the four were later arrested.

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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.

The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.

The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.

Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.

“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.

“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.

Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.

“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.

“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.

Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.

“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.

“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.

In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.

“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.

“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.