Aide of minister Priyank Kharge arrested by Thane police for transporting banned substance

KALABURAGI: The Thane police of Maharashtra have arrested the Kalaburagi South block Congress president Lingaraj Kanni in a case related to peddling of banned substances. Lingaraj Kanni is said to be close to IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge.

Lingaraj and another individual were intercepted when they were transporting 120 bottles of the banned Codeine syrup in their car. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Kalyan police station.

After Public TV broadcast a report of the arrest, Kalaburagi district Congress president issued orders suspending Lingaraj Kanni from the primary membership of the party on the instructions of Priyank Kharge.

Reacting to the arrest, Priyank Kharge said in Bengaluru, “I haven’t got the complete details as yet, but the news is that he was peddling some cough syrup worth Rs 27,000 in Mumbai. Whatever it is, there is zero tolerance towards all this in Congress and he’s been suspended from the party.

To a question, Priyank Kharge said, “He is from our party, that is something I cannot deny. So, if BJP really wants to serve justice to people, first let them start with the POCSO case that is pending. Did they take action against Munirathna who has committed atrocities on Dalits, who’s accused of rape? They’re still keeping them in the party. Here, we have taken action and thrown him out of the party. We go by the law of the land and we have taken action”.

Mastermind of robbery case held in Mumbai

The Kalaburagi police have arrested two people, hailing from Hyderabad, who were in touch with the robbers who struck at the shop of a goldsmith last week. The two were facilitating the sale of stolen gold.

The police are now on the lookout for four others who were involved in the robbery. A team which to Mumbai after getting specific information managed to arrest the mastermind Farooq Mullah, a resident of West Bengal. He was brought to Kalaburagi on Monday evening. Four others are believed to have fled to Hyderabad and Kolkata.