3 girls stage own kidnapping to fulfil dream of meeting BTS pop band members
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dec 30: Dreams of three minor girls from a village in Maharashtra came to an abrupt halt after police detained them for allegedly staging their own kidnapping in order to raise funds to travel to South Korea and meet hugely popular BTS pop band members.
The girls, one 11 years' old and two aged 13, hailing from Dharashiv district, on Friday planned to go to Pune to earn money which they needed to travel to South Korea and meet their favourite K-pop band members, an official from Omerga police station said on Monday.
They were later handed over to their family members after counselling by the police.
On December 27, the Dharashiv police received a call on their helpline number with a person claiming three girls were forcibly taken away in a school van from Omerga taluka in the district, the official said.
The police swung into action and found the number belonged to a woman, who was travelling in a state transport bus going from Omerga to Pune.
They tracked the bus while it was passing through Mohol area in the state's Solapur district, the official said.
The Omerga police got in touch with their counterparts in Mohol as well as a woman who runs a shop at the Mohol bus stand, he said.
The three girls were subsequently taken down from the bus with the woman's help and brought to a local police station.
The Omerga police team along with the minor's parents later reached there, the official said.
The next day, the police enquired with the girls, who told them that they had a plan to go to Pune, work there and earn money which they needed to go to South Korea and meet their favourite members of the BTS pop band, the official said.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
