Army joins rescue operations to track trapped miners in Meghalaya
Shillong, Jan 29 : The Indian Army has joined the multi-agency operations to search for the remaining 13 miners trapped inside a 370-foot-deep coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, officials said on Tuesday.
"The Indian Navy had requested the Army to assist in rescue operations by providing administrative support and it has now set up camps at the site," defence spokesperson Ratnakar Singh told PTI.
An Army team comprising about 20-25 members has been deployed to support the Navy, he said.
"This is only administrative support to the Navy in case need be, for efficient, smooth and round-the-clock operations," Singh added.
Nearly 200 rescue personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Navy, Odisha Fire Service and state agencies are involved in the search-and-rescue operation.
Although two decomposed bodies of the miners have been found over 200 feet away from the bottom of the main shaft, only one of them could be pulled out and was handed over to family members in Assam.
Efforts are underway to retrieve the remains of the second miner, but the operation is taking longer as there are many obstacles like the turbidity of water, the officials said.
On December 13, water from the nearby Lytein River flooded a network of tunnels in the illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping the 15 men and prompting the multiple-agency rescue attempt.
The owner of the mine, Krip Chullet, was arrested from his home on December 14. His accomplices are on the run.
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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