A woman also among 17 Indians in cargo ship seized by Iran
Thrissur (PTI): There is a woman hailing from Kerala among the 17 Indians who are onboard an Israel-linked cargo ship seized by Iran in the gulf region, her family said on Monday.
The family of the woman, Antessa Joseph, said in a video shown on TV channels that she was also among the crew of the ship, but there was no mention of her in the Kerala CM's letter to the External Affairs Ministry. Subsequently, an official in the Chief Minister's Office said that initially there was no information about the presence of the woman. When they came to know about it, the matter was taken up with the Central government, the official said.
The Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) has also been directed to take necessary steps, the official added. The woman's father, in the video, says the absence of his daughter's name from the letter caused anguish and affected him both mentally and emotionally. "All news flashes were also saying three Malayalees," he said. The woman's family hails from Thrissur.
The father said that he has not received any updates from the state or the Central governments regarding his daughter's current status. "It is the company, which owns the ship, that has informed me that my daughter is safe," he said. He further said that he last spoke to his daughter on Friday.
"She calls every morning regularly. When that did not happen on the next day, we tried to call her, but could not reach her. Then in the afternoon, the company which owns the ship called and told us what happened," he said. Meanwhile, Iran has said that Tehran will "soon" allow Indian authorities to meet the 17 Indian crew members onboard the cargo vessel.
Vijayan had on Sunday sought the intervention of the External Affairs Ministry for the safe return of the Indian nationals including three from the state who are onboard the vessel. The ship, MSC Aries, was seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 13.
As per initial reports, three among the crew-Sumesh, P V Dhanesh and Syamnath were confirmed to be from Kerala. The MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) said it is working closely with relevant authorities for the well-being of 25 crew members and the return of the vessel.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
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.
