Archives for May 2021

Pramesh Jain

Bengaluru CCB sleuths of special inquiry squad wing has busted a fake reverse transcription (RT), the polymerase chain reaction (PCR),RT-PCR racket and arrested four persons including two lab technician and recovered 5 fake RT-PCR negative certificate and mobile phones.

The accused has been identified as,Mukesh Singh,25 of Rajasthan,and Nagaraj,39 of Bengaluru,Bhagya and Anil kumar both lab technician.

Senior officer,told media persons,we received a credible information about the fake RT-PCR negative certificates are being given to people who wants negative RT-PCR reports to travel Maharashtra,West Bengal and many other places where RT-PCR negative certificate is compulsory.

Our team got a credible inputs that person near Sarjapur road in Varthur police station limits are running this racket and issuing certificate for Rs.900.

Based on the information team led by ACP, Hanumantharaya and team swung into action the team formed a team of decoy and approached the duo as travellers.

Two police officials posing as travellers approached the duo and sought RT-PCR negative reports which enables people to travel anywhere.

The duo took our officials as decoys Aadhar card and details for RT-PCR negative report the duo dint collect the swab of both of our decoy and asked to come next day to collect the report.

Our team on the next day approached them to collect report and the duo charged Rs.700 for each report.

When the report was received by our decoy after receiving the report we conducted a raid on his office near Sarjapur road and recovered 5 Fake Certificates and mobile phones used to commit the crime.

During interrogation the duo accused confessed the crime and a detailed investigation led our team to arrest two more accused based on their statement the team arrested Bhagya and Anil Kumar a lab technicians with those duo help as lab technician the prime accused is Mukesh Singh in this racket.

The duo’s modus operandi was simple as they used to collect Aadhaar cards and never collected swab samples to issue these certificates.

The police team got to know that the duo was running this racket for quite some time and charged Rs 700 per certificate.

 The police has registered a case and further investigation is on.

Finally Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Kamal Pant,has appreciated Joint CP Crime,Sandeep Patil,DCP Crime-1,KP Ravikumar,ACP, Hanumantharaya N,and other staff who are the part of the busting the fake RT-PCR negative certificate racket and for the exemplary work done by them a suitable reward will be given to the team he added.

BENGALURU: For those wondering why the curfew restrictions need to be taken seriously — call it ‘lockdown’ if you want — consider this: On Friday, with Karnataka recording a maddening addition of 48,296 fresh Covid-19 cases to its tally, the total number of active cases in Bengaluru alone has crossed the individual figures of the entire states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. If it is any consolation, Kerala is the only other southern state whose active cases — currently under treatment — are more than Bengaluru’s.

The Health Department data says that on October 7 last year, 1,04,348 tests were conducted to detect a single-day addition of 10,974 cases. On Friday, 1,89,793 tests revealed an addition of 48,296 cases. This is an 81 per cent increase in the number of tests, but the comparative increase in the single-day addition is a whopping 340 per cent!

With the worsening situation in Bengaluru, and Karnataka in general, the state’s recovery rate has fallen to 73.85 per cent from Thursday’s 75.26 per cent. The recovery rate was a robust 98.06 per cent on January 30, when the first wave was on the wane. Correspondingly, the state’s positivity rate has been rising since April 4, when it was 4.63 per cent. On Friday, the state’s positivity rate was at 5.95 per cent, up from 5.80 per cent on Thursday.

The mortality rate, however, has been falling and is now 1.01 per cent — an indication that the deaths, compared to the Covid-19 tally — have been just a fraction. It was 1.03 per cent on Thursday.Bengaluru’s Covid-19 tally now stands at 7,56,740 cases recorded since the pandemic reached the state on March 8 last year. It was 7,29,984 on Thursday. 

BENGALURU: If you are in the 18-44-year age group and have registered on the CoWIN portal to get vaccinated in Karnataka, you will have to wait for some more time. A day after TNIE reported that the fourth phase of the Covid-19 inoculation drive may begin only by mid-May, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said vaccine supplies have not reached Karnataka and hence, the rollout cannot happen from May 1. 

“We have placed an order for more than one crore doses. It is now official that it won’t be delivered on May 1 as thought earlier. We request those aged between 18-44 to refrain from going to hospitals for vaccination. We will definitely intimate all when we get word from Serum institute. I request everybody to register on the CoWIN portal and to await your turn. We are trying our best to get the vaccines at the earliest. We are also requesting the Government of India to help us get the vaccines on priority,” said Dr Sudhakar, on Friday on the eve of the planned vaccination drive for those above the age of 18 and below 45. 

“There is no question of failure. We were supposed to get vaccine supplies, but it has been delayed. As soon as we get it, we will begin the drive. There is no need to drag the Prime Minister’s name. The Union Government is also making attempts and other counties are helping us as well in various ways. Things will take a turn for the better soon,” said Chief Minister Yediyurappa on Friday, when asked if the PM’s plan of opening up vaccines for all on May 1 had failed. Free vaccines for those aged 45 and above, however, will continue.

BENGALURU: It’s bad news for the BJP, which managed to win just one of 10 civic bodies — the Congres won seven and the JDS bagged two. This comes just ahead of the May 2 counting of votes for the bypolls in Karnataka, and assembly elections in other states.Traditionally, the ruling party holds an advantage in civic body elections, but that is not so for the BJP this time. It is especially disheartening for Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa who saw a setback in Thirthahalli in his native district Shivamogga.

In an indication that BJP’s popularity is declining, the Congress won 21 of the 39 seats in Ballari, leaving just 13 for the BJP, while the JDS drew a blank. In Ramanagara, where the JDS has traditionally done well, the Congress managed to do exceedingly well thanks to the personal involvement of DK Shivakumar and his brother-MP DK Suresh. Congress won 19, JDS won 11 here and BJP drew a blank, which is a great setback for the party which has tried to project DyCM Dr CN Ashwath Narayan as its Vokkaliga face here.

The Congress retained Bhadravati, its old bastion, and managed to storm Thirthahalli, which the BJP had been holding for 25 years in the CM’s home constituency. The Congress won a convincing 9 of 15 seats, reducing BJP to just 6 seats, while the JDS drew a blank.

In Belur, in Hassan district, the Congress won 17 seats while BJP won just one seat. The JDS won 5 seats in Gudibande civic body in Chikkaballapura district, while the opposition Congress gained a clear majority, winning 6 of 11 seats, in spite of Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar working very hard here. Reacting to the victory, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, and DK Shivakumar said they could not contain their joy as the elections were held on April 27, just when Covid cases were peaking.