Veteran Cong leader, former MP minister Arif Aqueel passes away
Bhopal (PTI): Former Madhya Pradesh minister and senior Congress leader Arif Aqueel passed away on Monday at the age of 72 in a private hospital in Bhopal after prolonged illness, family sources said.
Aqueel, who was elected from Bhopal North assembly seat six times in his long political career, is survived by his wife, three sons and one daughter.
He won as an Independent MLA for the first time in 1990 and later joined the Congress. He emerged victorious from Bhopal North seat in the 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 assembly polls. However, he lost the polls from Bhopal North in 1993 as a Janata Dal supported candidate.
He was a prominent Muslim face of the party and was cabinet minister in the Congress governments led by Digvijaya Singh (1996-2003) and Kamal Nath (2018-2020).
Both Singh and Nath expressed grief at the death of Aqueel.
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3 suspected smugglers arrested with drugs worth over Rs 1 cr in Manipur
Imphal (PTI): Three suspected drug smugglers were arrested with 5.89 kg of yaba tablets in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, police said on Monday.
The arrests were made after security forces intercepted their vehicle at a checkpoint in the Tengnoupal police station area.
The accused were identified as James Baite (28), Hatneikim Baite (50) and David T Mate (41).
A total of 5.89 kg of yaba tablets, worth more than Rs 1 crore, was seized from them, police said.
Yaba, meaning 'crazy medicine' in Thai, is a tablet form of methamphetamine, and a very powerful stimulant.
It was introduced in East Asia during World War II to enhance soldiers' performance, and has become increasingly popular among young people in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, as well as Vietnam and Myanmar, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
