Indian among three kidnapped, killed in Kabul
Kabul, Aug 2: An Indian national and two others working for international food company Sodexo in Afghanistan were kidnapped and killed by gunmen here on Thursday.
"An Indian, a Malaysian and a Macedonian citizen were abducted and killed. We have found their bodies," a spokesman for Kabul's police chief said. The Indian national is said to be 39, the Malaysian 64 and the Macedonian 37, according to the BBC.
Investigators said that the trio, believed to be working as cooks for Sodexo, were taken from their Toyota Corolla car on their way to the airport. Their bodies were found later in the Musashi district of Kabul province, reported Afghanistan Times newspaper.
Police were treating it as "a terrorist incident", the BBC reported citing an Afghan government official.
"They were shot dead and their bodies were found inside a car," said Nusrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Kidnapping by militants or criminal gangs seeking a ransom has been rife in Afghanistan in recent years. Locals are most often the targets, but foreigners have also been abducted.
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MP Brijesh Chowta urges centre to grant point of call status to Mangaluru airport
New Delhi: Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta has demanded that Mangaluru International Airport be given Point of Call (TOC) status urgently.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, MP Chowta said that Mangaluru International Airport is a major aviation gateway for coastal Karnataka and neighbouring Kerala. The airport handled around 23.4 lakh passengers, including 7.15 lakh international passengers, during 2024-25. More than 16,800 flights were operated for it. This has registered a growth of more than 15% annually. He said that these figures highlight the importance of the airport in terms of growth and commercial promotion.
A significant number of people from Tulunadu regions work in Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. This working community relies heavily on Mangaluru airport for international travel. However, due to lack of point of call status, foreign airlines are unable to operate direct international services from here. Hence, passengers have to travel via Bengaluru or Cochin airports. This is causing various inconveniences to the NRI community, including high cost, long travel time, Brijesh Chowta has drawn the attention of the House.
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Granting the status to Mangaluru International Airport will enable direct international connectivity for the people of this region. It will also facilitate further expansion of airline operations. It will enable smooth travel for the working class abroad and their families.
Such air connectivity will naturally boost trade and investment activities here. It will also support and encourage regional industries like areca nut, cashew nut processing and petrochemicals. It will also complement the growth of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone, MP Chowta assured the House.
Providing direct international connectivity can not only boost the growth of tourism in the coastal region but also the progress in the education sector. It will also facilitate easy travel for students, researchers and visitors of prestigious institutions like NITK Suratkal and Manipal Institute of Technology to international forums, he said.
