Student missing case: Miscreants raped her before killing
Two accused held
Madikeri, February 13: Busting the Emmegundi Estate girl missing case, Kodagu police arrested two accused in the case
The arrested accused have been identified as Ranjith and Sandeep, daily wage workers from West Bengal. It is also being said that the duo also raped the girl before killing her.
A case was registered at Siddapura police station that the girl was kidnapped from Emmegundi Estate. The police interrogated the workers working in the local estate. After collecting information that Ranjith and his friend had quarreled with the girl, the police took Ranjith who was working in Karadikadu estate near Emmegundi, into custody and interrogated him.
During interrogation, Ranjith confessed that in order to take revenge on the girl, he and Sandeep kidnapped the girl on February 4, raped her and strangulated her to death with rope fearing that she would disclose the incident, said SP Dr Suman Pannekar.
They hid the body amidst the boulders near Ganapathi temple of Emmegundi Estate. When Sandeep was arrested and interrogated, he also gave clue about Ranjith's involvement, the SP said.
Under the direction of SP Suman Pannekar and guidance of DySP Sundar Raj, Kodagu district crime inspector M Mahesh, CPI Anoop Madappa, Siddapura PSI Dayanand, staff Yogesh Kumar, Venkatesh, Anil, Vasanth, Niranjan, MA Girish, CK Rajesh and Manjunath of SDR Cell, Lava Kumar, Pruthvisha, Mallappa and drivers Shashikumar, Poovaiah, Mohan participated in the operation.
Action if not given information
Across Kodagu district, daily wage workers from Assam, West Bengal and other states have been working in coffee estates and the estate owners should compulsorily provide the details of such daily wage workers from other states to the nearest police stations. All the estate owners have been informed about it. But some estate owners have neglected to provide the details to the police stations. The police would take legal action against such estate owners, said the SP.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
