Briefly nation

40-year-old dies in accident
Noida: A 40-year-old manager with IBM died after the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a speeding dumper near Great India Place mall. The manager,who was on way to Gurgaon when the accident occurred,succumbed to his injuries before reaching a hospital. A case has been registered and the police are looking for the driver of the dumper.

Man run over in north Delhi
NEW DELHI: A 35-year-old printing press employee was run over by an unidentified vehicle in Burari,North Delhi,on Friday,the police said. The police identified the man as Pawan Kumar,a resident of Mukherjee Nagar. “A heavy vehicle seems to have rammed his motorcycle from behind and fled the spot,” a police officer said.

Traders’ bandh evokes mixed response
New Delhi: The bandh called by traders’ associations of Delhi against the increase in VAT recently announced by the state government had a mixed response with several major markets,including Connaught Place,remaining open on Saturday. Many shops including those of Karol Bagh,Khan Market,Sadar Bazaar and the Walled City,however,kept their shutters down till noon. Traders claim that VAT hike will lead to a 30 per cent decline in annual trade,a loss of business worth Rs 5,000 crore.

Fire at Sarojini Nagar shop
New Delhi: A fire broke out at a shoe shop in Sarojini Nagar Market on Saturday around 8.30 pm. Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot and were trying to douse the blaze till late night. There were no reports of casualty. The cause of fire is yet to be known.

2.5 kg hashish recovered
NEW DELHI: The police on Saturday claimed to have recovered 2.5 kg of hashish concealed in two gramophones,which were to be sent as parcel to Bangkok,from a courier office in GTB Nagar. The police also claimed to have arrested a 48-year-old Nepal national,Kesh Bhadur Gurung,in this connection. “The contraband was concealed in cavities of the gramophones. The drug was wrapped in carbon paper and kept in six packets,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Neeraj Thakur said. The parcel was booked in the name of one John Michael of Bangkok.

Businessman looted
Ghaziabad: A businessman was looted in Loni area of Ghaziabad on Saturday when he was returning home in Indirapuram. Mukul Malhotra,a garments exporter,has a factory in Loni industrial area and he was carrying Rs 80,000 in a briefcase,which was looted at gunpoint by five motorcycle-borne assailants near Bansala Chowk.

Driver held for stealing
NEW DELHI: A transport company driver was arrested on Friday in Nangloi for allegedly stealing electronics goods worth around Rs 1.1 crore. The police identified the accused as Rajbir (28),resident of Tonk in Rajasthan. “The goods were loaded in a truck from Samsung godown in Noida on March 16 and were to be delivered in Pune. The driver of the truck in collusion with a supervisor of the transport company Bhoop Singh misappropriated the goods and abandoned the truck near Indore,” a senior police officer said. “They had planned to sell the goods and share the loot,” the officer said. Bhoop Singh is absconding.

INTACH gets new chairman
New Delhi: Maj Gen (Retd) L K Gupta has been elected the chairman of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH),an NGO working towards heritage conservation.