4 extortionists held
MUMBAI, Oct 3 (PTI) — The police has busted the extortion racket of gangster Abu Salem by arresting four persons in North-West Mumbai yesterday. On receiving a tip-off that six persons were planning to commit dacoity at the house of a film director and were likely to assemble near Nandi Cinema in Bandra, the police detected their car and arrested four of them while two escaped. The accused were identified as Jaspal Singh, alias Johny Teja Singh Chouhan (Punjab), Mehboob Rekmeddin Shaik (Mumbai), Mohammad Sadruddin Bhaidane (Vasai) and Brahamadutt Diwanchand Raujia (Jammu).

Doctor released
AGARTALA, Oct 3 (PTI) — A government doctor, kidnapped by militants of the banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), was released yesterday, the police said today. Partha Pratim Majumder was kidnapped by the militants on September 21 from the Jirania area in West District, they said. In another development, two non-tribals were kidnapped in Tripura yesterday. Meanwhile, Ranjit Reang, son of state’s CPM MP, Bajuban Reang and another government doctor, Pradip Reang, are still in captivity of the National Liberation Front of Tripura.

5 die in Karachi
KARACHI, Oct 3 (DPA) — At least five persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Karachi today, police and hospital sources said. Four bullet-riddled bodies with torture marks were recovered from the eastern Korangi district, the police said. One body was found in the western Saeedabad area. Business and shopping centres in central north Nazimabad district remained closed today following the murder of a mainstream ethnic Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party worker yesterday.

27 hurt in clash
MUNGER, Oct 3 (PTI) — The police today fired in the air as nearly 27 persons, including a police Sub-Inspector and two constables, were injured in a clash over the immersion of an idol of Goddess Durga at Kharagpur near here today, official sources said. The incident was sparked off when processionists accompanying the idol on its way for immersion were stopped by the police from taking a particular route, they said.

Bhutanese King
NEW DELHI, Oct 3 — King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan is arriving here on a four-day official visit on October 5. During his stay in the Capital, King Wangchuck will meet President, K.R. Narayanan, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and several senior Cabinet ministers. The visit of the King of Bhutan will serve to strengthen the long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan.

BSP men join Congress
NEW DELHI, Oct 3 (PTI) — The former Uttar Pradesh minister and state BSP general secretary, Dr Harak Singh Rawat, today joined the Congress along with a number of BSP and BJP leaders from the Uttarakhand area. They were welcomed to the party-fold by AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar, UPCC president Salman Khursheed and AICC member Vijay Bahuguna.

Howard claims victory
SYDNEY, Oct 3 (PTI) — Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s Conservative coalition won a second term in office after surviving a huge swing to the opposition Labour Party in today’s general election. With around 75 per cent of the primary votes counted, ABC Television projected that Howard’s Liberal National Coalition, which held 92 seats in the outgoing Lower House, was expected to get between 77 to 83 seats in the 148-member House but it will be days before a final outcome from the extremely close-run race is determined. Howard tonight claimed victory saying "it is clear that the coalition will have a working majority in the new Parliament."

1 killed in clash
BIHARSHARIF, Oct 3 (PTI) — One person was killed and two, including a police havildar, injured in an armed clash between two communities over immersion of Durga idol in Katra locality of Biharsharif town today, the police said. Police Superintendent S.K. Singhal told PTI that one person who received a gunshot during the clash died while being taken to Patna Medical College Hospital. The incident occurred when a procession accompanying an idol of Goddess Durga for immersion was obstructed and in the ensuing scuffle shots were exchanged and crude bombs hurled, the police said.

ISI agents held
BAIRGANIA(Bihar), Oct 3 (UNI) — Two suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents were arrested from the Indo-Nepal border today. The ISI agents were arrested on a secret tip-off. Some incriminating documents were recovered from their possession, the police said.

3 ex-ministers jailed
DHAKA, Oct 3 (PTI) — Three former Bangladeshi ministers, arrested for their alleged involvement in the gruesome killing of four imprisoned top aides of late leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were today sent to Dhaka Central Jail after four days of grilling by the police. Main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers, Mr K.M. Obaidur Rahman, BNP leader Nurul Islam Manjur and Shah Moazzem Hossain, co-chairman of the Jatiya Party's breakway faction, were arrested from their residences in a pre-dawn swoop on September 29.