In Brief

Three die as lobby collapses in Surat
SURAT: Three persons died and another sustained injuries after the lobby of their building collapsed at Pandesara on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Mithailal Nishad (33),Shanker Nishad (27) and Rajkumar Nishad (30). The injured woman was identified as Sunita Nishad (35). Fire officials said that the building was too old.

Cellphones worth Rs 7.8 lakh stolen
AHMEDABAD: Cellphones worth Rs 7.8 lakh were reportedly stolen from a shop in the Navrangpura area of the city on Monday night. The theft was discovered on Tuesday afternoon when shopowner Rajesh Lalchandani,a resident of Sumero Bungalows at Vastrapur,came to work. The police said 41 handsets were reported stolen,adding that investigation is on.

Man held with 20 kg Ganja in Anand
Vadodara: A man was arrested from the Anand railway station late on Tuesday for possessing 20 kg ganja.
The police said Vijay Mochi was arrested with a bag filled with narcotics while on his way to Ahmedabad from Karnataka. The police added that forensic tests confirmed that Mochi was carrying ganja. The narcotic has been seized and interrogation of the accused is on,they said.

Surat cracker burst: Jharkhand man detained
SURAT: The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has taken one Shabbir Ansari (40) into custody suspecting his involvement in the bursting of firecrackers at four different locations in Surat on February 18. He was recently arrested by Jharkhand Police,who then alerted the Surat police authorities about Ansari’s possible involvement in the case.
Ansari was produced before a Surat court on April 23,which remanded him in ATS custody until 27 April. On Tuesday,the court remanded him in judicial custody. It has been learnt that Ansari visits Bangladesh frequently as his wife belongs to that country.
ATS Inspector General Ajay Tomar said Ansari has been picked up on suspicion,but he refused to give any details about the interrogation. He also said that Ansari has claimed that he has never visited Gujarat before.
Earlier,firecrackers had been burst in the toilets of SPB BRCM College at Athwalines,Surat District Court building,Surat Municipal Corporation’s Athwalines zone office and the RTO office.

Morbi priest held for molesting minor girl
RAJKOT: A 60-year-old priest has been arrested on charges of molesting an eight-year-old girl at Jetpur village in Morbi taluka of Rajkot district.
According to a police complaint filed by one Harshadbhai Chandubhai,his daughter was molested by Jetpur village temple priest Bharatdas Devnarayandas on Tuesday evening.
In his complaint,Harshadbhai alleged that when his daughter was playing in the temple premises with other children around 6.30 pm,Devnarayandas called her to his room and molested her. Based on the complaint,the police arrested the priest on Wednesday and booked him under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code for assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty. The priest,on his part,said he was victimised by the complainants,who are involved in a fight with another family of the same village.

GSRTC launches online ticket booking for bus passengers
AHMEDABAD: The first Internet-based online ticket booking system for bus passengers will be launched by state Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday. With the launch of this service,GSRTC will come on par with airlines and railways as far as online advance booking of tickets is concerned. First time users will be required to get themselves registered on the GSRTC website (www.gsrtc.in) to get a user ID and password to avail the facility.

Liquor worth Rs 50,000 seized at Khara creek
RAJKOT: Police seized a liquor consignment worth Rs 50,000 at Khara creek between the Union Territory of Diu and Kodinar in Junagadh district on Wednesday. The police said some labourers were carrying the liquor in sacks. “Nearly 1,100 bottles and six cans were recovered from the abandoned consignment,” said an officer of the Kodinar police,adding that the labourers fled after seeing the police team. Based on a tip-off,the police had kept a watch in the area. After spotting a group of labourers carrying sacks,they tried to approach them. But the men abandoned the consignment and fled. Investigations are on to ascertain as to which bar or factory had supplied the liquor,police said.

Sola couple booked for kidnapping
AHMEDABAD: The Madhavpura police have lodged a complaint of abduction against a couple from Sola. According to the complainant,Leela Dantani,her minor daughter was kidnapped by Ashok alias Lalo Daataniya and Sharda Daatniya,who reside at hutments near the Sola Civil Hospital,on Monday. Dantani suspects her daughter has been kidnapped for money. Further investigations are on,the police said.