In a gruesome murder case, miscreants killed a woman, dismembered her, and dumped her body parts in VTPS cooling canal at Ibrahimpatnam, in West Zone in NTR Police Commissionerate limits.

“Police on Saturday (September 19, 2026) recovered the torso and limbs in the canal, and are searching for other missing parts,” said West Zone Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) N.S.V.K. Durga Rao.

The victim was around 25 years old. An alert has been sounded in the neighbouring police stations to check the ‘woman missing’ cases, the ACP said.

“Efforts are on to identify the victim. Clues team and sniffer dogs squads were pressed into service,” Mr. Durga Rao, who visited the scene of offence told The Hindu.

The Andhra Pradesh police have launched a single window system to issue permissions for setting up Ganesh pandals across the State, with no fee charged for permissions, said Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta on Wednesday.

The initiative aims to simplify the process, maintain uniform standard, better coordination between various departments and for the peaceful conduct of the festival, the DGP said in a release.

Ganesh Utsav Committees and pandal organisers can log on to www.ganeshutsav.net, and submit the required details related to the proposed pandal and the location.

The application will be routed to officials from the police, fire, municipality, electricity and revenue departments for scrutiny and joint verification. On completion of scrutiny, a QR-code-based digital No Objection Certificate (NOC) will be issued.

The State police chief has urged Ganesh Utsav Committees and organisers to use the online single-window system and display the QR-code at the pandal for verification. The organisers have also been asked to cooperate with officials to ensure safe and peaceful conduct of the Ganesh celebrations.

Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (AP-Genco) Managing Director S. Nagalakshmi and other officials felicitated Indian international cricketer Nallapureddy Sree Charani, the daughter of Chandrasekhar Reddy, an employee of Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant, at Vidyut Soudha here on Wednesday. 

On the occasion, Ms. Nagalakshmi said that it was a matter of pride that outstanding sportspersons representing India in international cricket have emerged from the families of power sector employees. 

She recalled that former Indian men’s cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin, the son of late Mohammad Azizuddin, who had served in the erstwhile A.P. State Electricity Board, had brought great honour to the nation through his distinguished cricketing career. Similarly, Ms. Sree Charani has now earned a place in the Indian women’s cricket team and won laurels on the international stage, she said.

Ms. Nagalakshmi lauded Sree Charani’s impressive display of 14 scalps in five matches during the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup as a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler and added that she also made her mark as a left-handed batter. Meanwhile, Ms. Sree Charani is the first women cricketer from Kadapa district to represent India. 

AP-Genco Directors V. Usha, M. Sujay Kumar and P. Ashok Kumar Reddy, APPDCL Director Srinivasa Rao, AP-Transco Directors A.K.V Bhaskar, J.V. Rao and Venkata Ramana Murthy and Sree Charani’s family members were also present on the occasion. 

With the shrimp prices falling in the market due to the impact of US-Israel-Iran war, which is causing huge losses for the aqua farmers, the latter are selling their produce in local shandies at lower prices.

Many aqua farmers and fishermen were seen selling shrimp and fish on the roadsides to prevent losses. A couple, Kumba Venkatesh and his wife, Kondalamma, were seen selling 10-count prawns (10 prawns per kg) on Vijayawada outskirts on Saturday. “We sold the large-sized shrimp at ₹400 per kg. In fact, 20-30 count prawns are being sold at ₹450 to ₹500 in the market. As exports have dropped, the prices of fish and shrimp have decreased in the domestic market,” Ms. Kondalamma told The Hindu.

According to shrimp farmers, good quality shrimp of a large size (10-20 count) and crab raised in Andhra Pradesh are in high demand in Vietnam, Thailand, China, and other markets.

Meanwhile, many farmers were seen selling their produce on the roadsides, particularly during the weekends, at Eluru, Gudivada, Kaikaluru, Machilipatnam, Avanigadda and other places to overcome the losses. “Catla (Bocha in Telugu) Common Carp (Bangaru Teega), Rohu (Seelavathi), Grass Carp (Gaddi Chepa) and other varieties are being sold at ₹200 to ₹300 per kg,” said a fish vendor Lakshman.

Shipments to the Middle East and other countries were disrupted as the crude oil prices rose globally, increasing freight expenses, which directly impacted seafood exports for the last few months.

Shrimp and fish farmers are the worst-affected in A.P., which contributes about 35% of the total marine exports from the country. Besides, some lakhs of stakeholders in aquaculture have reportedly suffered losses in the State.

Educators should move beyond merely imparting knowledge and become mentors who inspire students to think critically, act ethically, and serve society, said Fr. Francis P. Xavier, former Rector of Loyola College, Chennai, and former Provincial of the Jesuit Madurai Province.

Participating in the staff orientation programme organised by Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada on Monday, the educator and scholar explained the importance of resilience, teamwork, discipline, adaptability, and servant leadership, using concepts such as teabag leadership, honey bee leadership, and ant leadership. He also noted that Jesuits have contributed immensely to the fields of education, science, social justice, and leadership.

Addressing contemporary challenges such as social media and artificial intelligence (AI), Fr. Xavier stressed the need for a student to cultivate a deep mind and soul.

Principal Fr. Melchior, newly-appointed correspondent Fr. Francis Xavier, staff association chairman Sahaya Baskaran, the teaching staff participated in the programme.

The Board of Secondary Education, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday informed that hall tickets for the SSC Public Examinations, scheduled to commence from March 16, 2026, will be officially released on March 5, 2026 (Thursday) at 11 a.m.

In a statement, Director of Government Examinations K.S. Reddy said students can download their hall tickets either from the official website of the Board www.bse.ap.gov.in, WhatsApp Governance- Mana Mitra service (No. 9552300009), or LEAP application of the School Education Department.

Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja on Wednesday said concerted efforts to prevent teenage pregnancies were crucial, requiring a multi-stakeholder approach to address the health, social, and economic consequences of early motherhood.

Speaking at a State level consultation on “Multi-Sectoral Strategies to Prevent Teenage Pregnancies in Andhra Pradesh”, Dr. Sailaja stressed the need to scale up awareness among not only children but also their parents to prevent child marriages and teenage pregnancies. She said the focus should be on skill development through vocational education courses to enhance employability among youth and suggested that sarpanches and local leaders in village and mandal-level committees be involved and assigned with specific responsibilities.

The women’s panel chief said as part of comprehensive efforts to curb teenage pregnancies, the Commission was implementing an integrated action plan with the target of reducing such cases to below 5 % through coordination among all departments.

She said young girls should be made to understand the adverse consequences of teenage pregnancies and child marriages through structured health modules. She said teenage pregnancy cases were being reported from various parts of the State, with relatively higher prevalence in agency areas such as Paderu and later in Kurnool district. She directed the authorities concerned to initiate immediate and effective steps to implement the decisions and strategies formulated during this awareness seminar.

Speaking about the importance of creating awareness among school children regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) rights and personal safety, she said identifying school dropouts and re-enrolling them in educational institutions would significantly help in addressing the issue.

She said the officials concerned should focus on providing vocational training to girls aged 15 to 16 and above, strengthen them economically, and channel their time towards productive activities. The Health Department would prepare and distribute special health modules focusing on reproductive health and menstrual hygiene, she said.

The Madanapalle police of Annamayya district on Wednesday (November 12) booked seven persons, including a senior government doctor and two government hospital technicians, on the charge of illegally removing the kidney of a 29-year-old woman from Visakhapatnam, who died after the procedure.

According to the police, the incident took place at Global Multi-Speciality Hospital in SBI Colony here around 2.30 p.m. on November 9. A case was registered at the II-Town police station on November 12 after a relative of the woman, identified as Sadi Yamuna from Boddapalem village at Anandapuram mandal in Visakhapatnam district, reported her as missing.

According to preliminary investigation, Anjaneyulu (A-1), District Coordinator of Health Services (DCHS- Annamayya district) who also worked for Global Multi Speciality Hospital, in collusion with a doctor from Bengaluru (A-2) and dialysis technicians Balu (A-3) of Government Hospital, Madanapalle, and Meharaj (A-4) of Government Hospital, Kadiri, performed an illegal kidney removal/transplantation procedure without seeking permission from the competent authority as per the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act. The kidney was said to have been meant for a dialysis patient in Goa.

They were allegedly assisted by Pilli Padma (A-5), Sathya (A-6) and Suri (A-7), all residents of Visakhapatnam who were part of the conspiracy for money.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP-Madanapalle) S. Mahendra told The Hindu that the accused convinced the Yamuna, a widow, to sell her kidney so she could overcome her financial problems. The kidney was allegedly removed and sold illegally without the knowledge of her family members.

After the procedure, Yamuna reportedly slipped into a coma and was rushed to the SVRR Hospital in Tirupati on November 9, but she died in the early hours of November 10. After her death, the accused allegedly tried to transport Yamuna’s body to her native village without informing her family.

The Deputy SP said the body was brought back to the Government Hospital in Madanapalle from Tirupati on Wednesday. “We are waiting for the post-mortem examination report,” he said. Criminal cases under sections of the BNS and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act have been registered against the accused.

Busa Suramma, Yamuna’s mother, reached Madanapalle on Wednesday and lodged a formal complaint with the police.

Andhra Pradesh have seen several cases of illegal kidney trade. In 2018, the Guntur police busted a racket where fake Aadhaar and family-relation certificates were used to pass off unrelated donors as relatives. In 2023, a private hospital in Visakhapatnam’s Pendurthi area was sealed after the arrest of six persons in a case pertaining to illegal kidney transplants. In 2024, two separate cases in Guntur exposed rackets where an autorickshaw driver was duped into selling his kidney for a fraction of the promised sum, while another group arranged illegal transplants using forged documents.