Kerala

Kannur, Nov 7 (PTI) Maoist leader Murukeshan, wanted in a case related to weapons training at Edakkara in Kerala in 2017, was arrested on Sunday and handed over to the National Investigation Agency, police said.

He was apprehended during a raid, based on a tip off, they said.

"He is an accused in the 2017 Edakkara case registered by the NIA . He was known by various aliases, including Gautham and Murukeshan. The NIA will conduct further interrogation and investigation," Kannur city police commissioner R Illango told the media.

Kochi, Oct 20 (PTI): A 32-year-old priest has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor girl, police said on Wednesday.

Sibi Varghese, a native of Varapuzha, was arrested by the Ernakulam Rural police.

Varghese, a co-vicar at a church here, had been hiding in various States after the parents of the girl approached the rural police in July this year seeking action against the priest.

Kochi, Oct 19 (PTI) Kerala police on Tuesday registered a case against self-styled antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, who was arrested last month in a cheating case, for allegedly sexually abusing a minor girl for the last two years.

Police registered the case under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and handed over the matter to the Crime Branch special investigation team which is probing all allegations against Mavunkal.

Kottayam/Idukki, Oct 17 (PTI) The toll from disastrous flooding caused by heavy rains and landslides in hilly areas of two central Kerala districts rose to 18 as rescue workers recovered more bodies from the rubbles on Sunday.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan said the rescue workers have recovered 15 bodies from the debris and slush of the landslides that had hit various places of Idukki and Kottayam districts on Saturday.

Kochi, Oct 4 (PTI) The Kerala High Court has once again asked police officials in the state to behave politely while dealing with the general public.

In an order issued on October 1, Justice Devan Ramachandran, while hearing a petition filed by a person alleging that he was threatened by a police officer, said some officers still do not appear to understand their constitutional obligations while dealing with the citizenry.

Coimbatore, Sept 27 (PTI): The custody of a lieutenant in the Indian Air Force (IAF), charged with raping a woman officer, was extended till September 30 by a Mahila Court here on Monday.

The flight lieutenant Amitesh Harmukh, belonging to Chattisgarh, was arrested by the city police on Sunday based on a complaint from the officer that she was raped while sleeping after taking pills for some injury.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (PTI) Kerala was featured in the 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) as one of the top 20 global ecosystems in terms of affordable talent, which is an encouraging development for startups in the state during the COVID pandemic, KSUM said on Sunday.

Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), in a release said the report also ranks the state as the fifth Asian Ecosystem in the affordable talent category.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 24 (PTI): Amid high number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala, the Health Department of the State bagged three national awards.

State Health Minister Veena George, in a statement, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced the awards.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in the social media, said Kerala bagged the award in the Aarogya Manthan 3.0 for providing the most number of free treatments in the country.

Kottayam (Ker), Sep 23 (PTI): Are you struggling hard to find a suitable partner but not interested to avail the service of matrimonial websites paying high subscription fee?

Don't worry as you have a solution for this right now, as a nondescript village panchayat in Kerala is now offering 'credible' matchmaking service that too free of cost to help unmarried people and widows to find suitable partners from across the state.

Kochi, Sep 18 (PTI) Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday called for a permanent president to head the party, which is 'now at an interim stage'. He said all the Congress leaders have sought a permanent president for the party. "We all liked the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. But we are now at an interim stage.

For the last two years we haven't had a permanent president. That must be remedied. We need to instill energy in the organisational structure of the Congress party. We all have sought for a permanent president for the party," he said.