Suspected Maoist killed in gunfight with police in Kerala
Wayanad (Kerala): A suspected Maoist has been killed in a lengthy exchange of fire with police here, officials said on Thursday. The gunfight started Wednesday night and went on till early Thursday morning. Police were yet to reveal the identity of the suspected Maoist.
A group of Maoists allegedly reached a private resort on Wednesday night and demanded food for 10 members of the team and money, sources said.
The resort staff informed police about the presence of the extremist group and a specialised 'Thunderbolt' squad of the Kerala Police rushed in.
"One person was killed during the exchange of fire on Wednesday. No officer was injured in the fire fight," a police official told PTI.
Police have cordoned off the forested locality near Vythiri in Wayanad district and combing operation is underway to capture the rest of the members of the armed group.
A high-level meeting of police and district officials has been convened by the Inspector General of Police, Kannur Range.
Kerala Thunderbolts is an elite command force of the Kerala Police under the India Reserve Battalion.
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Air India's A350 aircraft enroute to London faces tech issue; returns to Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Air India's A350 aircraft enroute to London Heathrow returned to the national capital due to a technical issue on Thursday afternoon after being airborne for nearly seven hours.
The same A350-900 aircraft VT-JRF had faced a technical issue on March 15, following which the plane operating the flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to the Irish town of Shannon, sources said.
An Air India spokesperson said its flight AI111, operating from Delhi to London on Thursday, made a precautionary air-return to the national capital following a suspected technical issue.
"The aircraft landed safely and consistent with Air India's high safety standards, it is currently subject to extensive technical evaluations, which will require additional time to complete," the spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the sources, noises were heard in the aircraft following which it was diverted.
The spokesperson also regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the unforeseen situation and said the airline was making every effort to ensure passengers are able to continue their journey to London at the earliest.
Details about the number of passengers onboard could not be ascertained.
The aircraft operating the flight AI111 was airborne for around four hours before the decision was taken to divert the plane when it was in the Saudi Arabia airspace. In total, the plane was airborne for nearly seven hours before landing back in the national capital, as per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.
The flight had taken off from Delhi around 6 am on Thursday and landed back at about 12.30 pm.
Air India started operating A350-900 planes from January 2024.
