Madikeri: In a tragic incident, a 19-year-old youth drowned while swimming in Kaveri river on Wednesday near Guddehosur.

The deceased youth has been identified as Pradeep(19), son of Suresh Acharya, a resident of Tondur.

The incident took place when Pradeep along with his friends went to the Kaveri river near Balugodu in Guddehosur.

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The Kushalnagar rural station police and fire brigade personnel reached the spot and recovered Pradeep’s lifeless body. In addition, the police have also registered a case in connection with the incident.

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Ahmedabad: In Gujarat, where alcohol prohibition is in place, authorities have seized one bottle of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) every four seconds in 2024, according to police data.

A total of 82 lakh liquor bottles, valued at Rs 144 crore, were confiscated across the state. Of these, 4,38,047 bottles were seized in Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad rural, and Western Railways' Ahmedabad jurisdiction, as reported by the Times of India on Tuesday.

Ahmedabad city alone accounted for 2,139 cases involving 3.06 lakh IMFL bottles, while 7,796 cases were linked to the confiscation of 1.58 lakh litres of countrymade liquor.

Authorities seized Rs 9.8 crore worth of IMFL bottles hidden in secret compartments of trucks and godowns in Vadodara rural. Additionally, police uncovered Rs 8.9 crore worth of liquor disguised as household goods in an interstate smuggling operation in Surat rural, added the report.

Navsari recorded a seizure of 6.23 lakh IMFL bottles traced to high-tech manufacturing units in neighbouring states, while Godhra authorities seized liquor worth Rs 8.8 crore. In Bhavnagar, law enforcement intercepted Rs 8.7 crore worth of IMFL and countrymade liquor concealed inside water tanks and beneath fresh vegetables.

A senior official told TOI that these raids serve as a reminder to smugglers that, irrespective of their innovative tactics, they will not be allowed to violate the law. “The message is clear: There's no room for the spirit of lawlessness in the land of Gandhi," the official asserted.

However, a retired Director General of Police (DGP) acknowledged that completely halting liquor smuggling is a massive challenge due to supply chains from neighbouring states. He emphasised the need for stricter action against local breweries to curb illegal liquor distribution.