Chamarajnagar: In an accident that occurred near Somwarpet, one youngster was killed on the spot and five people were seriously injured when a truck collided with a motorbike and a car near the National Highway Bypass.

The truck reportedly collided with the motorbike on which four minor youngsters traveling, initially. The driver, in an attempt to avoid hitting the youngsters, is learned to have collided with a car.

While one of the riders reportedly died on the spot, the health condition of three others is learned to be critical. The collision between the truck and the car also resulted in one person sustaining severe injuries.

The traffic police, who rushed to the accident spot on learning of the incident, shifted the injured to the Chamarajnagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS). Two of the boys are learned to have been taken to a hospital in Mysuru for further treatment.

Superintendent of Police Dr. BT Kavitha has visited the accident spot and CIMS for an inspection.

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Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.

As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.

The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.

"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.

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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.

According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.

The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.

Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.

Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.

At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.

The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.