Bengaluru police deploy over 11,000 personnel for New Year celebrations, enforce 1 am deadline
Bengaluru (PTI): Given the New Year celebrations, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Monday that thousands of police personnel have been deployed and all necessary preparations have been made to ensure that no untoward incidents happen in Bengaluru City and the entire state.
He also appealed to the public not to get involved in any untoward incidents.
"All the necessary preparations have been made to ensure that no untoward incidents happen in Bengaluru City and the entire state. We have also warned people who want to create disturbances, and at the same time, we have made extensive preparations. Thousands of cops have been deployed, and I appeal to the public not to get involved in any untoward incidents. Celebrate the New Year happily. Let your New Year be very joyful," he told reporters here.
Elaborate arrangements have been made by the Bengaluru Police for the upcoming New Year celebrations in the city, with tight security deployment in areas with heavy footfall to ensure public safety and the smooth flow of traffic.
A total of 11,830 police personnel, including senior officers along with civil defence staff and others, will be maintaining strict vigilance across the city, monitoring any potential rave parties and drug-related activities.
Police said the government has permitted New Year celebrations only until 1 am, and the public is allowed to conduct celebrations only within the prescribed time limit.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
