11 Fall Ill After Eating ‘Punugulu’ In West Godavari District, 3 Critical

West Godavari district medical and health officer Dr. According to Geetabai, around 9:00 am, all 11 people ate “Punugulu” prepared with flour stored for more than a year. After about three hours, they started vomiting and some fainted.

Learning about the development, district health authorities shifted them to hospitals in Bhimavaram for treatment. It was stated that the health condition of 3 of the 11 people was critical.

Authorities sent Punugulu and flour samples to the food laboratory for analysis.

District collector Ch. Nagarani visited patients in hospitals and inquired about their condition.

Three people arrested for murder in Vijayawada

Police arrested three persons in connection with the murder of a man in NTR area on Wednesday.

According to Ajith Singh Nagar police, 36-year-old Meesala Kumar was addicted to alcohol and had frequent arguments with his wife Mounica.

On May 11, after a dispute at home, Kumar went to his friend Pandi Prasad’s house. Police said Kumar and Prasad later got into a heated argument on May 12, during which Prasad killed her by hitting her on the head with a stone.

After the murder, Prasad reportedly sought help from two of his friends to cover up the crime.

The police registered the incident, arrested all three suspects and referred them to the courthouse.

Article 30 is implemented in Kurnool until the end of May

Kurnool Commissioner DSP M. Upendra Babu said Section 30 of the Indian Police Act, 1861 was implemented in Kurnool town and rural areas to maintain law and order and maintain public peace.
The orders, as directed by Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil, were issued considering the increasing number of protests, dharnas, rallies and road closures in Kurnool subdivision could potentially disrupt public peace.
DSP announced that no public meetings, protests, rallies, marches or campaign programs will be allowed without prior written permission from police authorities.
He advised the organizers to approach the relevant police authorities in advance to obtain permission.
The restrictions will remain in effect from May 1 until May 31, 2026.

AP prepared an action plan to combat cyber and 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 artificial intelligence-based tools, to detect suspicious transactions and prevent fraud.

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, finance minister Payyavula Keshav, senior police officials, RBI representatives and executives of various banks attended the review meeting.

Naidu emphasized the importance of rapid response immediately after a fraud report, pointing out that millions of UPI-based transactions are processed within seconds. He said Andhra Pradesh should adopt innovative technologies to improve recovery of stolen funds and reduce losses suffered by victims.

The Prime Minister has instructed authorities to examine measures to prevent cybercriminals from using unsuspecting people’s bank accounts. It also called for scrutiny of shell companies launched without proper Aadhaar authentication and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance.

Bankers, police department, AP Technology Services (APTS) and finance department have been asked to jointly create detailed protocols to combat online financial scams.

Naidu suggested flagging suspicious mule accounts while ensuring genuine account holders are protected.

Underlining the need for stronger monitoring systems, the CM instructed banks to closely monitor high-value financial transactions, especially on weekends. He also advised officials to consult the RBI on regulatory changes and use AI-based tools such as the RBI’s ‘Mule Account Hunter Artificial Intelligence’ to detect fake and suspicious accounts.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to study the best practices adopted in states like Haryana and Maharashtra and prepare a foolproof strategy to curb cyber and financial crimes. He also emphasized the need for continuous public awareness campaigns on cyber fraud and online financial fraud.

During the review meeting, DDGP Harish Gupta informed the CM that 9.29 lakh complaints related to cyber and financial crimes have been received through 1930 cyber crime helpline in AP. He said victims in the state have lost approximately $652 billion due to cyber fraud so far.

However, he added that the CID Cyber ​​Crime wing, working with banks, managed to prevent over ₹ 116 crore from reaching cyber criminals.

Authorities said victims are increasingly losing money through phishing, vishing, credit and debit card scams, online credit scams and “digital capture” scams.

Officials informed the CM that the state-level CID cyber crime investigation unit is actively working to combat cyber crimes and special cyber police stations have been set up in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati.

Katamaneni Bhaskar, secretary of the IT department, said the state cybersecurity operations center protects the government’s websites and official data infrastructure.

MP seeks NHRC probe into police excesses against Kurnool resident

Tirupati MP Dr. Maddila Gurumurthy has called on the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to initiate an independent investigation into human rights violations by the Kurnool Three Towns Police.

In his complaint to the NHRC, the MP alleged that Kurnool police officers repeatedly summoned and pressured Kurnool resident Balu without registering any complaint or criminal case against him.

Gurumurthy claimed that constant mental harassment and intimidation forced the victim to attempt suicide by cutting off her own hand.

In his letter to the NHRC chairman on Wednesday, the MP demanded immediate action against the alleged actions of the police officers. He asked that the victim and his family be protected from further harassment or retaliatory actions.

Gurumurthy alleged that the police acted under pressure from some ruling party leaders and subjected Balu to harassment without legal justification. He stated that the victim claimed that although he did not commit any crime, cases related to counterfeit alcohol and narcotics were filed against him.

Describing the incident as a serious case of police misuse for political victimization, the MP said that the police action amounted to a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, including the right to equality, dignity, life and personal liberty.

BJP angry over demolition of party office in Nellore; Heat angers Minister Narayana

A political controversy has broken out in Nellore after municipal authorities allegedly removed a container serving as a BJP office in Kisan Nagar, leading to protests by party leaders and cadres.
It was reported that the original BJP office in the area was earlier demolished during road widening works. Following this, party leaders continued their activities from a container placed in the same location.
BJP leaders alleged that civilian personnel removed the container and threw away the party flag after midnight, leading to protests against municipal administration minister Ponguru Narayana and Nellore municipal commissioner YO Nandan.
Senior BJP leader Sannapareddy Suresh Reddy spoke to the minister over phone and expressed his displeasure over the incident.
“We are all partners in the NDA government. Is this the respect shown to the BJP?” he asked, describing the party office as a “temple for BJP workers”.
“How can our party’s flag be thrown away? Who would tolerate such an insult to their temple?” he asked.
On Wednesday, BJP cadres led by Sannapareddy Suresh Reddy and P. Surendra Reddy started construction of a new office structure in the area amid heavy mobilization of party workers. A large number of BJP workers gathered there anticipating possible intervention by police or municipal authorities.
BJP leaders alleged that the former YSRC leaders surrounding the minister misled him and acted against the interests of the BJP. They demanded action against the municipal commissioner and questioned why only the BJP office was targeted while other alleged violations were left untouched.
District BJP president S. Vamsidhar Reddy also participated in the protest.
While the incident highlighted tensions within the NDA alliance in Nellore, BJP cadres warned against ignoring the party’s organizational strength in the region.

13-man theft gang caught in Kadapa, transport worth Rs 53 lakh recovered

Kadapa police busted a gang involved in motorcycle theft, chain snatching and gold shop robberies and recovered stolen goods worth ₹ 53.01 lakh from them.

District police chief 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 defendants were referred to the courthouse.

Police recovered 19 stolen motorcycles worth ₹18.15 lakh, along with cash worth ₹2.79 lakh, silverware worth ₹2.80 lakh and other items worth ₹50,000 in motorcycle theft cases, taking the total recovery in these cases to ₹24.24 lakh.

In the chain snatching cases, police seized 91 grams of gold ornaments worth ₹13.52 lakh, while in the gold shop theft cases, 103 grams of gold ornaments worth ₹15.25 lakh were seized.

“The total value of properties recovered from all cases is ₹ 53.01 lakh,” the SP said, adding that further investigation was on.

Theft attempt 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 who was allegedly trying to steal cash offerings from devotees.

Officials said that the accused kept ₹17,100 cash in his hand during the counting process around 11.20 am and tried to leave the building. The Special Protection Force personnel on duty became suspicious, called the person and took the money back.

It was learned that the detained suspect confessed during interrogation.

Following the instructions of the temple EO, deputy EO Singam Radha handed over the accused to Gopalapatnam police for further action.

Temple authorities took strict legal action stating that such actions affect the sanctity of the temple. Officials also said that security arrangements around the Hundi counting area will be further strengthened to prevent similar incidents.