11 arrested for kidnap, assault of Kannada film director; actor among accused
Bengaluru (PTI): Eleven people, among them a woman, were arrested for allegedly kidnapping and brutally assaulting a Kannada film director and robbing him of gold ornaments and cash, police said on Thursday.
The matter came to light after he filed a complaint at Adugodi police station on February 11, they said.
Among those arrested is a female actor named Aishwarya, who is also a social media influencer, police added.
According to police, in his complaint, T A Anish stated that he had directed a new film titled 'Jeevanada Bhashe', which is yet to be released.
An investor in the film, along with another associate working with him, developed a financial dispute with Anish.
About two months ago, the complainant moved from Bengaluru to Mumbai.
During this period, he informed a female actor friend residing in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, that he was planning to sell his car. The accused came to know of this through the actress and told the complainant they would help him sell the vehicle, a senior police officer said.
On February 9, they called him from Mumbai to Bengaluru. Thereafter, the accused, along with others, asked the complainant to come to a location within the limits of Adugodi police station, he said.
On the same night, they allegedly kidnapped him in a car and took him to a house within the jurisdiction of Byadarahalli police station, where they wrongfully confined him.
Five to six persons then allegedly assaulted him with cricket stumps and hockey sticks and robbed him of the gold ornaments he was wearing and Rs 30,000 in cash, police said.
Later, they took him by car to Mandaragiri Hill near Panditanahalli in Tumakuru district, where two more persons joined them and allegedly assaulted him again, police said.
Based on the complaint, a case of kidnapping and assault was registered at Adugodi police station.
“During the investigation, police pursued multiple angles and secured a total of 11 accused, including one woman, involved in the crime,” the officer said.
Police also seized six mobile phones used in the offence, gold ornaments, a car and cash from the accused.
The accused were produced in a court, which remanded them to custody, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
