40 Dental Students Hospitalised After Food Poisoning in Kadapa

KADAPA: Around 40 dental students of the Government Dental College in Kadapa fell ill following a suspected case of food poisoning after consuming food served at the girls' hostel on Tuesday night.

Several students complained of nausea, vomiting and uneasiness soon after dinner. They were immediately shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Kadapa (RIMS) for treatment. Hospital authorities said all the students were recovering and their condition was stable.

Parents alleged that poor-quality food served in the hostel caused the incident, while student unions blamed the mess contractor for negligence and demanded strict action against those responsible.

Food safety officials inspected the hostel kitchen and food materials and interacted with the affected students to collect details. Students said this was the first such incident at the hostel. Officials said a detailed inquiry would be conducted and a report submitted to the district collector. Further investigation is underway.

Provide best treatment to students: Minister

Kadapa district in-charge minister S. Savita on Wednesday directed officials to provide the best treatment to students who fell ill after allegedly consuming contaminated food at the RIMS medical hostel.

The minister spoke to district collector Cherukuri Sridhar, DMHO Dr Ravi Rathod and the superintendent of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Kadapa (RIMS), seeking a report on the incident and directing that the affected students remain under close medical supervision.

"Provide the best medical care and ensure there is no negligence," the minister said, warning of strict action over any lapse.

Officials informed her that all students were stable. Some were expected to be discharged by Wednesday night, while others would continue treatment.

Elderly couple killed as electric pole collapses on them

A tragic incident occurred in Mydukur town, Kadapa district, in the early hours of Wednesday, where an elderly couple lost their lives after an electric pole collapsed on them.

According to police, the victims have been identified as Panditi Nadipi Subbarayudu, 85, and his wife Obulamma, 75, residents of Akula Street in Mydukur. The couple was sleeping outside their house when the mishap took place.

Police said a lorry carrying a high load of paddy husk passed through the narrow street. Due to the excessive height of the load, it came into contact with overhead electric wires, resulting in the electric pole snapping and falling on the couple. Both individuals died instantly.

The incident triggered grief in the locality, with residents expressing shock over the sudden tragedy. Locals managed to stop the lorry, but the driver fled the scene, police said.

Upon receiving information, Mydukur police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to the government hospital for a postmortem. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. Police are also probing how a heavily loaded vehicle was allowed to ply on the route, raising concerns over traffic regulation and safety measures in the area.

Man kills hospitalized wife in Kadiri

A man killed his wife by slitting her throat on the Kadiri Government Hospital premises in the Satya Sai district on Wednesday, suspecting an extramarital affair. In fact, the victim was previously thrashed by her husband and shifted to hospital for treatment.

According to police, the couple Gangaraju and Sunitha were residing at Eedulapalli village in Mudigubba mandal in Satya Sai district. Gangaraju was suspecting an extra marital affair to his wife Sunitha, 32 and a quarrel between the wife and husband for the past few days. On Tuesday Gangaraju severely beat his wife Sunitha who suffered serious injuries during the attack.

Family members shifted her to Kadiri Government Hospital for treatment. Gangaraju hatched a plan to eliminate her and came to Kadiri Hospital and convinced the wife and other family members that he would provide quality treatment at a private nursing home and took his wife from the women ward. Soon after he took his wife outside the ward, Gangaraju suddenly attacked her and slit throat with a sharp knife. Sunitha died on the spot.

The hospital authorities alerted the Kadiri police over the incident. Inspector K. Narayana Reddy rushed to the spot and took the accused Gangaraju into custody. The case was registered against Gangaraju and the body of Sunitha was shifted to postmortem.

Burglars loot temple after destroying surveillance system

Burglars struck the historic Udbhava Lakshmi temple, part of the Lord Narasimha Swamy temple complex at Penna Ahobilam in Uravakonda mandal, late on Tuesday, decamping with ornaments adorning the deity after disabling the temple's surveillance system.

According to temple authorities, the thieves first removed CCTV cameras, the DVR unit and monitor installed in and around the temple premises before breaking open the locks of the sanctum sanctorum. They allegedly stole valuable ornaments of Goddess Lakshmi and broke open the hundi. However, officials said the hundi had been emptied during counting a couple of days earlier, leaving little cash inside.

Temple priests discovered the burglary when they arrived to perform the morning pooja on Wednesday and alerted endowment department officials, who informed the Uravakonda police.

The police, along with a clues team, inspected the scene and collected evidence. A case has been registered and an investigation has been launched to trace the culprits.

Rayalaseema cops recover mobile phones worth ₹18.8 crore

In a major success for cyber policing, police in Kadapa and Kurnool districts have collectively recovered mobile phones worth over ₹18.8 crore through sustained, technology-driven operations, bringing relief to thousands of victims whose phones had been stolen across Rayalaseema.

In Kadapa district, superintendent of police Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath handed over 610 recovered mobile phones worth ₹1.22 crore to victims during the ninth phase of “Operation Mobi Track.” With this, the district police have so far recovered 6,487 mobile phones valued at ₹12.67 crore across nine phases; making Kadapa one of the leading districts in the state in mobile recovery efforts.

Addressing media, the SP said their success has been driven by the effective use of advanced tools, such as the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, IMEI-based tracking, GPS monitoring, and cyber intelligence systems. “The use of data analytics and network surveillance has enabled us to trace lost and stolen devices quickly. We urge citizens to register complaints through the CEIR portal for faster recovery,” he said.

In Kurnool district, superintendent of police S. Vikrant Patil distributed 679 recovered mobile phones worth ₹1.36 crore to victims during the fifth phase of the Mobile Recovery Mela held at the district police office.

With this, Kurnool police have recovered a total of 3,081 mobile phones worth ₹6.20 crore in five phases. The recoveries include 600 phones in the first phase, 604 in the second, 669 in the third, 529 in the fourth, and 679 in the latest phase.

The SP said district police coordinated with multiple states, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, to retrieve the phones.

Victims expressed gratitude to the police after receiving their phones, many of which had been traced from distant locations. Officials felicitated police personnel involved in the recovery operations, appreciating their efforts in leveraging technology to tackle mobile theft cases.

Woman killed in Gannavaram wall collapse

A woman was killed and a worker injured when a compound wall collapsed during demolition work at Gannavaram in Krishna district on Wednesday morning.

According to Gannavaram police, K. Venkata Narasamma, 25, who ran a small hotel, died on the spot after the wall fell on her. The mishap occurred when an earthmoving machine was removing a water servicing unit, causing an adjoining wall to collapse.

A cook, Gangaram, sustained injuries and was shifted to a government hospital.

Police had not registered a case when reports last came in.