New Delhi, Aug 23: Indigenously-developed light combat aircraft Tejas on Wednesday successfully test-fired an ASTRA beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa.

The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 feet, officials said."Tejas, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) LSP-7 successfully fired the ASTRA indigenous beyond visual range air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa on August 23," the defence ministry said.

It said all the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect text book launch.

The test launch was monitored by the test director and scientists of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with officials from Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DG-AQA).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented ADA, DRDO, CEMILAC, DG-AQA and the industry for the successful test firing of the missile from the Tejas-LCA.

He said the launch would significantly enhance the combat prowess of Tejas and reduce the dependency on imported weapons.

Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.

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Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.

Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.

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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.

On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.

Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.