Shop owners exonerated in Kanakapura blast case
Bengaluru (PTI): Two shop owners from whose shop gelatin sticks were illegally purchased leading to the blast in Kanakapura in 2021, that killed one person, have been exonerated in the case.
The High Court quashed the case against Prakash Rao M and his son P Sunil Kumar, the shop owners after finding that they were not involved in the sale and it was one of their employees who had sold the gelatin sticks without their knowledge.
Rao and Kumar approached the HC with a criminal petition which was heard by Justice K Natarajan. The two were facing a case pending in the II Additional District and Sessions Judge court at Kanakapuara.
The case was registered at the Satanur police station under various Sections of the Explosive Substances Act and Explosives Act and Indian Penal Code.
A car parked in the Satanur police station limits was involved in a blast leading to the death of one person on August 16, 2021.
The deceased was one Mahesh who was carrying gelatin in his car. After investigation police filed a charge sheet in which Rao and Kumar were also named as accused as they were the shop owners where the gelatin was purchased.
The two contended before the court that they were not present in the shop when the alleged sale took place. A worker in the shop, Harish Kumar, who is also one of the accused, had sold it to the deceased Mahesh. No bill was also raised by the other accused. They claimed that they had no knowledge of the sale and therefore were not responsible for the crime.
The government advocate, however, contended that these two accused were licence holders and "they have no authority to sell to any other persons except the contractors who have obtained the contract for blasting stone in quarries."
The HC in its judgment noted, "Accused No.3/Harish Kumar categorically stated in the voluntary statement that in the absence of the owners, he used to sell the explosives without the knowledge of the owners and money received by him was spent on himself.
The accused no.3 who is employee has categorically stated that without the knowledge of the owners, he used to sell the same through accused No.2 and spent money on themselves without accounting to the petitioners/owners. Such being the case, the question of implicating this petitioner for having violated the license cannot be accepted."
Quashing the case against the two shop owners, the HC said, "Any offence committed by the servant cannot be said to be vicarious liability by the owners/ employer in the criminal law. Therefore, considering the facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that conducting criminal proceedings against the petitioners is an abuse of process of law. Hence, liable to be quashed."
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3 Indians arrested in Canada for shooting outside home
Ottawa (PTI): Three Indian nationals have been arrested by Canadian police on an anti-extortion patrol and charged after bullets were fired at a home.
Harjot Singh (21), Taranveer Singh (19) and Dayajeet Singh Billing (21) face one count each of discharging a firearm, and all have been remanded in custody until Thursday, the Surrey Police Service (SPS) said in a statement on Monday.
The suspects were arrested by patrol officers after an early morning report of shots fired and a small fire outside a home in Surrey's Crescent Beach neighbourhood, the LakelandToday reported.
On February 1, 2026, the SPS members were patrolling in Surrey’s Crescent Beach neighbourhood when reports came in of shots being fired and a small fire outside a residence near Crescent Road and 132 Street.
The three accused were arrested by SPS officers a short time later, the statement said.
SPS’s Major Crime Section took over the investigation, and the three men have now been charged with Criminal Code offences, it said.
All three have been charged with one count each of discharging a firearm into a place contrary to section 244.2(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming. All three have been remanded in custody until February 5, 2026.
The SPS has confirmed they are all foreign nationals and has engaged the Canada Border Services Agency, it said.
One of the suspects suffered injuries, including two black eyes, the media report said.
Surrey police Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said on Monday that the suspect had refused to comply with instructions to get out of the ride-share vehicle and started to "actively resist."
"As we were trained, he was taken to the ground and safely handcuffed," said Houghton.
A second suspect with a black eye was also injured in the arrest after refusing to comply, Houghton said.
The arresting officers were part of Project Assurance, an initiative that patrols neighbourhoods that have been targeted by extortion violence.
Houghton said the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is also involved because the men are foreign nationals, and the trio may face additional charges.
It's not clear if the men are in the country on tourist visas, a study permit, or a work permit, but Houghton said CBSA has started its own investigation into the men's status.
Surrey has seen a number of shootings at homes and businesses over the last several months, but there's been an escalation since the new year.
