Kannur/Bengaluru (PTI): Manuel Frederick, the first person from Kerala to win an Olympic hockey medal, died in a Bengaluru hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, on Friday morning, family sources said.

He was 78.

Frederick, who hailed from Kannur district of Kerala, was the goalkeeper of the Indian team that won the bronze medal by defeating Holland in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

He played for the Indian team for seven years and was honoured with the Dhyan Chand Award in 2019 for his contributions to sports.

He also has the distinction of being the goalkeeper who helped his team win 16 national championships in tiebreakers.

Frederick started as a striker in football and a goalkeeper in hockey. He became active in hockey through the St. Michael's School team in Kannur.

Born on October 20, 1947, Frederick played in the Bombay Gold Cup at the age of 17 and played his first international match for India in 1971.

He is survived by his two daughters.

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New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.

The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.

The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.

As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.

The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.