Three killed in Bengaluru building collapse
Bengaluru: Three construction workers were killed, and at least ten others were feared trapped under the debris after a four-storied under-construction building collapsed here on Thursday, officials said.
"Three men were killed and 11 others injured after the building in Kasavanahalli (suburb) crashed down at around 4 p.m.," Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy told media here.
"The number of those still trapped under the debris is unclear. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel will continue to carry out rescue operations," he said.
State fire services personnel estimate at least ten others to be still caught under the debris.
Out of the 11 injured, four suffered minor injuries, while seven were hospitalized.
"The building seems to have been constructed using poor quality material due to which we suspect the crash occurred. Police are on the lookout for the building owner, Rafiq," the Minister said.
The building was at least six years old and was under renovation, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield division, Abdul Ahad told the media here.
The exact reason for the collapse and the details of the workers are yet to be ascertained, he said.
Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, Karnataka Director General of Fire and Emergency Services M.N. Reddi and senior police and civic body officials inspected the premises of the collapsed building.
"The government will give Rs 5 lakh compensation to each of the families of the deceased," George said.
In October last year, five men and two women were killed as a building collapsed in the city's southern suburb of Ejipura after a cooking gas cylinder exploded.
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Mangaluru: Man arrested for posing as Lokayukta official
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A man was arrested for posing as a Lokayukta officer and attempting to extort money via WhatsApp, Ullal police said.
According to a press release from the Commissioner of Police, Mangaluru, Dhananjaya Reddy Thota (31) allegedly called Purushottam, a panchayat officer, posing as a Lokayukta official. He demanded money to "resolve" an alleged corruption case. Suspicious of the caller’s identity, Purushottam alerted authorities, prompting an investigation.
Tracing the call led police to Andhra Pradesh, where Thota was apprehended on Saturday. Preliminary investigations revealed that he had no connection to the Lokayukta and was using the scheme to exploit officials by leveraging fear of legal action.
Ullal police are now probing whether Thota was involved in similar scams elsewhere. The case highlights the need for vigilance against such fraudulent activities targeting government employees.
Thota has been remanded to police custody and further investigations are underway.
