In brief

Fake notes seized in Gandhinagar
AHMEDABAD: The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) seized fake notes to the tune of Rs 35,000 from two persons at the Sindbad Hotel in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The ATS suspects an inter-state fake currency racket in this case. The accused were identified as Ramesh Mali from Dantiwada in Banaskantha and Sava Vaghri from Vadnagar in Mehsana. The ATS seized 30 notes of Rs 500 denomination from Mali and 40 notes of Rs 500 denomination from Vaghri. The serial numbers of a couple of notes seized from them were reportedly same. The ATS said the accused carried out their operations near Gangaram village on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border.

Exhibition on Sir Sayajirao’s rule opens
VADODARA: An exhibition to mark the birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III was thrown open for public viewing at the Vadodara Museums and Picture Gallery on Thursday. The exhibition which comprises Sir Sayajiao’s portraits,pictures and sculptures also has sketches of his reign and various works done during his tenure. RD Parmar,the director of museums,Vadodara,said: “The museum itself was built by him at the age of 35. Besides,he contributed a lot in the area of education,health and the infrastructure during his tenure. We want people to be aware of the city’s history and heritage.”
The exhibition was inaugurated by MSU V-C Professor Ramesh Goyal and it will be open for public for a fortnight.

Surat civic officials attacked during demolition drive in Dindoli area
SURAT: Three officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) were injured in a stone pelting incident during a demolition drive in the Dindoli area of the city on Thursday afternoon.
Officials from the Limbayat municipal zone had gone to remove encroachments from a reserved land near the Dindoli bus stop.
The residents pelted stones at them and set JCB machines on fire.
The officials injured in the incident were identified as deputy engineer J L Bhatt,assistant engineer Sandeep Dhimmer and junior engineer R S Patel. They sustained minor injuries and were immediately taken to a local hospital.
Later,police were called in to control the situation and a complaint was lodged with the Limbayat police station.
Limbayat Zone executive engineer J H Khatwani said,“We tried to persuade the residents to allow us to carry out the work but they got agitated. We are trying to find out from whom they bought the plots.”

Cops held for abducting trader
AHMEDABAD: Two city constables were arrested for reportedly abducting and robbing a textile trader near the Sardar Patel International Airport on Monday. The victim,who was asked to pay ransom next day,lodged a complaint with the Sardarnagar Police late on Wednesday. The police said the victim,Haresh Balvani,a resident of Kubernagar,was on a business trip and had come back from Mumbai on Monday.
As he was coming out the airport,the accused — Vikram Singh of Shahibaug headquarters and Narendra Gadhvi of Sardarnagar Police Station — blocked his way and alleged that he was drunk and they would arrest him under the Prohibition Act. When Balvani argued,one of the constables caught hold of him and forced him to sit on the bike.
The duo took him to the Hanuman Camp and reportedly beat him up and demanded cash. They took away Rs 700,his gold rings and demanded Rs 20,000. When Balvani refused to pay,they settled for Rs 10,000. After he was released,Balvani went to the Sardaranagar police station to lodge a complaint. He reportedly met Gadhvi,who requested him to keep mum. Inspector D S Goswami said,“Both were arrested early on Thursday. They will be remanded for two days. A departmental action would be initiated against them.”