Bengaluru: A gang of three allegedly hijacked and fled with a truck laden with tomatoes, whose prices have shot up to more than Rs 100 a kg, under the garb of a road rage at Chikkajala near here, according to police.

The police have registered a case following the incident and efforts are on to nab the culprits. Farmer Mallesh from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, was transporting a load of tomatoes to Kolar on Saturday, and the truck accidentally bumped into and broke the mirror of the car in which the accused were travelling.

Following this, the accused abused the farmer and his driver and demanded a huge amount of money as compensation. Both of them did not have the money and tried to negotiate with the accused, police said.

The accused then allegedly took control of the truck forcefully and started driving it demanding money. However, subsequently on realising that the farmer and driver did not have money, the accused pushed them out of the vehicle and sped away with the truck containing tomatoes totalling about 2.5 tonnes, worth between Rs 2.5 to 3 lakh.

Last week, a farmer from Belur in Hassan district complained that tomatoes worth over Rs 2.7 lakh were stolen.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.