Bengaluru:Karnataka government on Wednesday urged auto drivers, owners, and the public not to pay attention to any rumours regarding the shortage of auto gas. It stated that some private auto gas supply companies are experiencing a shortage; to remedy this, state-owned oil companies are supplying higher quantities of gas.

“It has been noticed that some media outlets have published false reports that auto owners and drivers are standing in queues in front of auto gas stations in the State, based on rumours that there is a shortage of auto gas,” the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Disputes Department said in a release. It said there is a shortage in private auto gas supply companies.

To compensate, the public sector gas companies -- IOC, BPCL and HPCL -- have enhanced the supplies to retail outlets, the department said. Earlier, these three companies supplied 56.67 metric tonnes of auto gas per day, and currently, 83.58 metric tonnes/day are being supplied. “Therefore, it has been advised that auto owners and drivers in the State should not panic by listening to any rumours and cooperate with us,” it added.

Karnataka Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs K H Muniyappa on Monday said he will call a meeting on April 10, aimed at resolving the Auto LPG supply issue in the state.

Arif murder case: Seven key accused arrested

Mangaluru:In a breakthrough in the Arif murder case, police have arrested seven key accused so far, with investigations revealing crucial details about the conspiracy and the support network behind the crime.

According to police, the murder was a premeditated act. On the day of the incident, the main accused — Rifat, Juttu Ashfaq, Khaleel, Shakir, Irfan and Rizwan — allegedly chased Arif’s motorcycle and rammed it from behind using an Innova car. They then carried out a brutal assault before fleeing the scene. During interrogation, it has come to light that the crime involved coordinated efforts by multiple individuals. While six accused directly participated in the attack, another accused, Irshad, is said to have provided shelter and facilitated their movement to the crime spot. Investigators also revealed that Suhail had arranged the rented vehicle used in the crime and later fled abroad. Arshad is believed to have supplied weapons and kept the attackers informed about police movements.

In a development, a previous case accused, Ashwir, allegedly used digital methods to help the group evade surveillance. He is said to have enabled the use of WhatsApp accounts through Dubai-based OTPs to avoid detection.

Further, the probe has uncovered that Mustafa and Ashwir, currently abroad, extended financial assistance to the accused.

Police said that while seven persons, including the six main accused and Irshad, have been arrested, efforts are ongoing to trace and apprehend the remaining suspects. Certain sensitive details are being withheld at this stage in the interest of the investigation, officials added.