Eleven persons, including a two-year-old boy, fell critically ill after consuming contaminated food at S. Kondepadu village in Ganapavaram mandal of West Godavari district on Wednesday.
According to West Godavari district medical and health officer Dr. Geetabai, around 9:00 a.m., all the 11 persons ate “Punugulu” prepared with flour stored for over a year. After about three hours, they developed vomiting and some of them fell unconscious.
On learning about the development, district health authorities shifted them to the hospitals located in Bhimavaram for treatment. Among the 11 persons, the health of three persons is said to be critical.
Officials have sent samples of Punugulu and the flour to the food lab for analysis.
District collector Ch. Nagarani visited the patients in hospitals and inquired about their situation.
Three held for murder in Vijayawada
Police arrested three persons on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a man in NTR district.
According to Ajith Singh Nagar police, Meesala Kumar, 36, was addicted to alcohol and frequently quarrelled with his wife, Mounica.
Following a dispute at home on May 11, Kumar went to the house of his friend Pandi Prasad. Police said Kumar and Prasad later got into a heated argument on May 12, during which Prasad allegedly killed him by hitting him on the head with a stone.
After the murder, Prasad reportedly sought help from two friends to cover up the crime.
Police registered a case, arrested all three accused and produced them before a magistrate.
Section 30 imposed in Kurnool till May-end
Section 30 of the Indian Police Act, 1861 has been enforced across Kurnool town and rural areas to maintain law and order and ensure public peace, Kurnool In-charge DSP M. Upendra Babu said.
Acting on the directions of Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil, the orders were issued in view of the increasing number of protests, dharnas, rallies and road blockades in the Kurnool sub-division that could potentially disturb public peace.
The DSP clarified that no public meetings, protests, rallies, processions or campaign programmes would be allowed without prior written permission from police authorities.
He advised organisers to approach the concerned police officials in advance to obtain permissions.
The restrictions will remain in force from May 1 to May 31, 2026.
AP draws up action plan to tackle cyber, financial crimes
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan to curb cyber and financial crimes in Andhra Pradesh, with a strong focus on “golden hour” fund recovery systems to protect victims from online fraud.
Reviewing the state’s cybercrime response and control mechanisms, the chief minister instructed police, banking and IT officials to strengthen coordination and adopt advanced technologies, including AI-based tools, to identify suspicious transactions and prevent frauds.
Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha, finance minister Payyavula Keshav, senior police officials, RBI representatives and executives from various banks attended the review meeting.
Naidu stressed the importance of rapid intervention immediately after a fraud is reported, noting that millions of UPI-based transactions are taking place within seconds. Andhra Pradesh, he said, should adopt innovative technologies to improve the recovery of stolen funds and reduce losses suffered by victims.
The chief minister directed officials to examine measures to prevent cyber criminals from using bank accounts of unsuspecting individuals. He also called for scrutiny of shell companies being floated without proper Aadhaar authentication and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance.
Bankers, the police department, AP Technology Services (APTS) and the finance department were asked to jointly formulate detailed protocols to tackle online financial frauds.
Naidu suggested flagging suspicious mule accounts while ensuring protection for genuine account holders.
Highlighting the need for stronger monitoring systems, the CM instructed banks to closely track high-value financial transactions, especially during weekends. He also advised officials to consult RBI on regulatory changes and utilise AI-based tools such as the RBI’s “Mule Account Hunter AI” to identify fake and suspicious accounts.
The chief minister asked officials to study best practices adopted in states such as Haryana and Maharashtra and prepare a foolproof strategy to curb cyber and financial crimes. He also stressed the need for continuous public awareness campaigns on cyber frauds and online financial scams.
During the review meeting, DDGP Harish Gupta informed the CM that 9.29 lakh complaints related to cyber and financial crimes had been received through the 1930 cybercrime helpline in AP. He said victims in the state had so far lost nearly `652 crore to cyber frauds.
However, the CID Cyber Crime wing, working with banks, had managed to prevent more than `116 crore from reaching cyber criminals, he added.
Officials said victims were increasingly losing money through phishing, vishing, credit and debit card frauds, online loan scams and “digital arrest” frauds.
Officials informed the CM that the state-level CID cyber crime investigation unit was functioning actively to tackle cyber offences, while dedicated cyber police stations had been established in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati.
IT department secretary Katamaneni Bhaskar said the state cyber security operation centre was safeguarding the government websites and official data infrastructure.
MP seeks NHRC probe into police excesses against Kurnool resident
Tirupati MP Dr. Maddila Gurumurthy has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to order an independent inquiry into human rights violations by Kurnool Three Town Police.
In his complaint to the NHRC, the MP alleged that Kurnool police officials repeatedly summoned and pressured Balu, a resident of Kurnool, without registering a complaint or criminal case against him.
Gurumurthy charged that the continuous mental harassment and intimidation forced the victim to attempt suicide by cutting his own hand.
In his letter addressed to the NHRC chairperson on Wednesday, the MP sought immediate intervention into the alleged actions of the police officials. He sought protection for the victim and his family from any further harassment or retaliatory action.
Gurumurthy alleged that police are acting under pressure from certain ruling party leaders and subjected Balu to harassment without lawful justification. He stated that the victim has alleged that false liquor and narcotics-related cases have been filed against him even though he has not committed any offence.
Describing the incident as a serious case of misusing police for political victimisation, the MP said the police action amounts to violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, including the right to equality, dignity, life, and personal liberty.
BJP furious over demolition of party office in Nellore; heat turns on minister Narayana
A political controversy erupted in Nellore after municipal authorities allegedly removed a container functioning as a BJP office at Kisan Nagar, triggering protests from party leaders and cadres.
The original BJP office at the site was reportedly demolished earlier during road widening works. Following this, party leaders had been operating from a container placed at the same location.
BJP leaders alleged that civic staff removed the container after midnight and discarded the party flag, leading to protests against municipal administration minister Ponguru Narayana and Nellore municipal commissioner Y.O. Nandan.
Senior BJP leader Sannapareddy Suresh Reddy spoke to the minister over phone and expressed displeasure over the incident.
“All of us are partners in the NDA government. Is this the respect being given to the BJP?” he asked, describing the party office as “a temple for BJP workers.”
“How can our party flag be thrown into garbage? Would anyone tolerate such an insult to their temple?” he questioned.
On Wednesday, BJP cadres led by Sannapareddy Suresh Reddy and P. Surendra Reddy began construction of a new office structure at the site amid heavy mobilisation of party workers. A large number of BJP workers gathered there anticipating possible intervention by police or municipal authorities.
BJP leaders alleged that former YSRC leaders surrounding the minister were misleading him and acting against BJP interests. They demanded action against the municipal commissioner and questioned why only the BJP office was targeted while other alleged encroachments remained untouched.
District BJP president S. Vamsidhar Reddy also joined the protest.
The incident has brought tensions within the NDA alliance in Nellore to the fore, with BJP cadres warning against ignoring the party’s organisational strength in the region.
13-member theft gang held in Kadapa, ₹53-lakh haul recovered
Kadapa police busted a gang involved in motorcycle thefts, chain snatching and gold shop burglaries and recovered stolen property worth ₹53.01 lakh from them.
District superintendent of police Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath said 13 accused were arrested in connection with 22 cases during a major operation carried out under the supervision of Pulivendula police. All the accused were remanded to judicial custody.
Police recovered 19 stolen motorcycles valued at ₹18.15 lakh, besides ₹2.79 lakh cash, silver articles worth ₹2.80 lakh and other items valued at ₹50,000 in motorcycle theft cases, taking the total recovery in these cases to ₹24.24 lakh.
In chain-snatching cases, police seized 91 grams of gold ornaments worth ₹13.52 lakh, while 103 grams of gold ornaments valued at ₹15.25 lakh were recovered in gold shop burglary cases.
“The total value of property recovered from all the cases is ₹53.01 lakh,” the SP said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Theft bid foiled during hundi counting at Simhachalam temple
A theft attempt was foiled during hundi counting at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple on Wednesday after security personnel caught a man allegedly trying to steal devotees’ cash offerings.
Officials said the accused concealed ₹17,100 in his hand during the counting process around 11.20 am and attempted to leave the premises. Personnel of the Special Protection Force on duty grew suspicious, searched him and recovered the cash.
The accused was taken into custody and reportedly confessed during interrogation.
Following instructions from the temple EO, deputy EO Singam Radha handed over the accused to Gopalapatnam police for further action.
Temple authorities sought strict legal action, stating that such acts affect the sanctity of the temple. Officials also said security arrangements around the hundi counting area would be strengthened further to prevent similar incidents.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
