Farmers' register protest against Dasara Celebrations, block Mysuru-Bengaluru expressway; Detained
Mysuru: Farmers, led by Kuruburu Shanthakumar, the State President of the Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers' Association, were taken into custody by local police as they protested against the celebration of Mysuru Dasara.
The farmers observed a 'Karala Dasara' (Dark Dasara) on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, demanding attention to their plight amidst the state's struggle with drought.
The police detained the protesting farmers, who had blocked a stretch of the highway outside the Columbia Asia Hospital, as a precautionary measure. The protesters were later shifted to the CAR Maidan.
Addressing the demonstrators, Shanthakumar expressed his discontent with the government's focus on Dasara celebrations while the state grappled with drought-related challenges. He criticized the government's lavish expenditure on festivities, highlighting the dire conditions faced by farmers.
"The state government's neglect of the farmers' plight and its excessive focus on Dasara celebrations, even during times of drought and distress, is a shameful act. More than 200 taluks in Karnataka are drought-hit, and 300 farmers have tragically taken their lives out of desperation. However, the government has failed to provide adequate relief to the farming community," Shanthakumar remarked, expressing his frustration.
Shanthakumar also criticized the lack of response from the government, stating that despite informing the authorities about the planned protest four days in advance, no ministers or officials had engaged with the protesting farmers.
Farmer leaders Attahalli Devaraju and Hallikerehundi Bhagyaraj were among the demonstrators voicing their grievances.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
