Bhubaneswar, July 28: Within 24 hours of the gruesome murder of a woman allegedly by her husband in the Chakeisiani area under Mancheswar police station limits, another brutal killing occurred in the same police station area of Odisha’s Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, with a 50-year-old man allegedly beaten to death by his drug-addicted son.

Police identified the victim as S. Duryadhan (50), while the accused, S. Debaraj (25), is his only son.

The deceased Duryadhan worked as a labour contractor.

Upon being informed, the police along with the scientific team immediately reached the crime spot and launched an investigation into the case.

Speaking to reporters, Biswaranjan Senapati, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Zone V), said, “Preliminary investigation suggests that Debaraj killed his father following a dispute over his drug use.”

He also added that accused son was a habitual brown sugar addict and had earlier been admitted to a de-addiction centre by his father.

“Following medical advice, Duryodhan used to mix the prescribed de-addiction medicine into a bidi and ask his son to smoke it whenever he would ask for any normal cigarette or bidi. However, Debaraj disliked the arrangement and frequently engaged in heated arguments with his father over the issue,” Senapati said.

The ACP said a heated argument over the issue erupted on Monday night, forcing the accused’s mother and other family members to leave the house out of fear.

According to Senapati, only the father and son were at home on Tuesday morning when they again got into an argument after the victim offered his son a bidi containing the prescribed medicine, while the latter demanded a regular bidi.

Meanwhile, the accused suddenly went into a fury after Duryadhan insisted and attacked the victim with an iron pipe. He later bludgeoned his father with a stone.

“The family members also told us that the accused has a brain tumour and often gets furious all of a sudden. He has been detained at the police station and will be produced before the court later,” Senapati added.

New Delhi, July 28: In a significant step towards strengthening railway infrastructure and enhancing network capacity, Indian Railways has sanctioned the upgradation of the electric traction system on the Parbhani-Mudkhed double line section in Nanded division of South Central Railway, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday.

The project, which also includes associated power supply installation works, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 163 crore, converting the existing 1×25 kV electric traction system to a more advanced 2×25 kV system over a stretch of 164 track kilometres, supported by upgraded power supply infrastructure to meet the enhanced electrical load, the statement said.

The Parbhani-Mudkhed section forms part of the strategically important Highly Utilised Network (HUN) Route-9, connecting Ajmer-Indore-Khandwa-Akola-Purna-Mudkhed-Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar-Dhone.

The upgraded traction system will strengthen power supply for train operations, enabling the section to handle higher freight volumes and support the running of Vande Bharat Express trains. It will also contribute to Indian Railways’ goal of achieving 3,000 million tonnes of freight loading by 2029-30, the statement said.

The project is part of the continuing efforts of Indian Railways to modernise electrical infrastructure and improve operational efficiency on high-density corridors across the country.

The country has emerged as the global leader with the largest electrified railway network in the world. With 99.6 per cent electrification of the country’s broad gauge track network, India is second only to Switzerland which has 100 per cent railway electrification, but the network is much smaller, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

India’s railway network electrification is ahead of China (82 per cent), Spain 67 (per cent), Japan (64 per cent), France (60 per cent) the United Kingdom (39 per cent).

Indian Railways has undertaken one of the fastest railway electrification programmes in the world.

Electrification of the track network on Indian Railways has been taken up in mission mode with a massive 48,072 route km being electrified between 2014-2026. This represents a sharp acceleration compared to the 21,801 route km that was electrified in the 60 years before this period, the minister stated.

Patna, July 28: The Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU) on Tuesday carried out simultaneous raids at multiple locations in Jamui as part of an investigation into alleged benami (proxy-owned) assets linked to Zila Parishad Chairperson Dulari Devi and her husband Guddu Yadav.

The operation was still underway at the time of filing this report.

According to an official, the EOU launched coordinated searches at the residences of Dulari Devi, Guddu Yadav, and four to five of their close associates.

The raids have attracted significant attention across the district.

The search operation is being conducted at several locations, including Guddu Yadav’s in-laws’ residence in Damarkola village under the Khaira police station area, his residence at the district headquarters, and the official Zila Parishad residence.

Investigators are examining documents, financial records, property-related papers, and other materials relevant to the probe.

Preliminary information indicates that the raids are part of an investigation into allegations of benami assets.

However, the EOU has not yet issued an official statement detailing the basis of the searches or the scope of the investigation.

The operation was continuing when this report was filed, and it remains unclear whether any incriminating documents, cash, valuables, or other evidence have been recovered.

Officials are expected to release further details after the search operation is completed.

Earlier on June 11, the EOU had conducted another raid at the properties of Manish Kumar — an accountant working at the Hajipur Municipal Council office in Vaishali — for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Preliminary investigations have revealed evidence of assets worth approximately Rs 2.02 crore in excess of his income.

According to the EOU, a case (Case No. 10/26, dated June 10, 2026) was registered against Manish Kumar at the Economic Offences Unit police station following the verification of information received from reliable sources.

The case has been registered under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018).