HYDERABAD: Swift action by fire officials averted a major disaster in Bowrampet after a blaze ripped through an automobile workshop, gutting three of the 22 private buses parked there. The workshop was located barely 100 metres from a petrol pump. Three buses were gutted in the fire, while 19 others parked at the shed were saved, district fire officer Jaya Krishna said.
“We received a fire call at 12.45 am on Sunday. Seventeen firefighters, along with a water bowser and Multipurpose Tenders (MPTs) from Kukatpally and Jeedimetla fire stations, were rushed to the spot. Our personnel engaged in firefighting operations and extinguished the blaze by 1.45 am,” K. Srinivas, Assistant District Fire Officer (ADFO), Medchal-Malkajgiri district, told Deccan Chronicle.
“All the buses were parked very closely, with hardly 9 to 10 inches of space between them, making it difficult for us to gain access. We intensified the firefighting operation after noticing that a petrol pump was located just 100 metres away. We managed to stop the fire from spreading to the diesel tanks. Had the tanks exploded, the fire could have spread to the petrol pump, leading to a serious disaster. Luckily, no one was present at the shed,” Srinivas said.
“We urge automobile shed owners and parking in-charges to ensure that adequate distance is maintained between vehicles as per norms. Moreover, commercial vehicles are not supposed to be parked in residential areas,” the ADFO added. Police registered a case of fire accident. “The shed owner is absconding. We will take action against him as per law,” a police officer from the Medchal zone said.
EAGLE Force busts inter-state e-cigarette supply network
HYDERABAD: In a major crackdown on the illegal e-cigarette trade, the Telangana EAGLE Force busted an inter-state supply network operating between Kolkata, Hyderabad and Karimnagar, arrested two persons and seized 31 banned e-cigarettes, a mobile phone and multiple SIM cards in two separate operations.
On November 12, at a hotel in Karimnagar, Mohammed Asif was allegedly caught selling vapes to a minor. Further investigation led police to Rahil Khan alias Omer, who was arrested in Mirchowk in Hyderabad on Saturday. Nineteen e-cigarettes and a mobile phone were seized from his possession, EAGLE Force director Sandeep Shandilya said on Sunday. The accused, Rahil, during interrogation revealed that he procured vapes from an outlet in Kolkata through courier services and supplied the contraband to customers in Hyderabad and Karimnagar through courier and transport networks.
“To evade arrest, the accused used digital payment platforms and operated multiple SIM cards registered in different names to facilitate transactions,” Sandeep said. “Our teams are examining bank records, mobile data, courier details and payment transactions to trace the remaining suppliers and dismantle the network. Accused Rahil has been handed over to Mirchowk police station, while Asif has been handed over to Karimnagar police station for further investigation,” he added.
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