Two shipyard workers arrested in Udupi for allegedly spying for Pakistan
Udupi: Karnataka Police have arrested two employees of a shipyard in Udupi on charges of spying for Pakistan, setting off a major security alert along the coastal belt.
The accused have been identified as Rohit and Santhri, both residents of Uttar Pradesh. They were employed at the Malpe unit of Cochin Shipyard on contract through Sushma Marine Pvt. Ltd.
Police said the duo had been sharing sensitive information from inside the shipyard for over 18 months. The material allegedly included details of vessels being built for the Indian Navy as well as private clients. Investigators believe the information was sent to handlers in Pakistan through WhatsApp in return for monetary rewards.
The arrests were made after the CEO of Cochin Shipyard filed a written complaint, prompting police to take the two workers into custody. They were produced before court soon after the arrest.
Officials said the nature of the information leaked by the accused had the potential to compromise national security and operational secrecy.
According to sources, agencies suspect the involvement of a larger network and believe the two arrested workers may not be the only ones in contact with foreign handlers. National security and intelligence agencies are expected to join the investigation as it moves forward.
Further details are awaited as the probe continues.
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Karnataka Minister urges Centre to launch Bengaluru–Vijayapura express train
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil has urged the Centre to launch an express train service between Bengaluru and Vijayapura.
The demand comes following the completion of the 9.60-km double-line railway work between Alamatti and Wandal, which has been open for traffic since March 25, the Minister's office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"He has written a letter regarding this on March 30 to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister V Somanna," it said.
In the letter, Patil stated that the Alamatti–Wandal section, part of the Gadag–Hotgi double-line project, has now been completed. During an earlier meeting, it was mentioned that once this work was finished, an express train between Bengaluru and Vijayapura could be introduced. He has now requested that this be given priority.
He highlighted that thousands of people from Vijayapura and Bagalkote districts travel daily to Bengaluru for education, healthcare, administrative work, and business, and this train service would greatly benefit them.
According to him, currently, the train journey between the two cities takes about 15 hours, which is inconvenient.
He stressed the need to reduce this travel time to around 10 hours.
The minister also requested that trains departing from Bengaluru be given a limited stops upto Hubballi, and that trains proceeding to Vijayapura should be routed via the Hubballi and Gadag bypass lines.
