Mangaluru: Two sentenced to life for black magic murder of 3-year-old girl

[email protected] (CD Network)
April 1, 2016

Mangaluru, Apr 1: Nearly six years after a three-year-old girl was murdered in a black magic ritual in the city, a District and Sessions Court has sentenced an elderly man and his suspected foster daughter to life imprisonment.

blackmagic

Pronouncing the order Bhavani Nerale Veerabhadraiah, the judge of IV Additional District and Sessions court, Mangaluru, sentenced Kamalaksha Purusha (79) and Chandrakala (33), both residents of Kampadakody near Yeyyadi, here. The convicts were also sentenced to three years imprisonment for the offence of destroying evidence.

On December 17, 2010, the body of Priyanka, daughter of Firan Kumar Jha and Anjali Devi, a poor couple, was found with burns in the areca-nut garden of Kamalaksha Purusha at Yeyyadi. The girl had gone missing since December 16 afternoon from her parents' rented residence owned by Kamalaksha Purusha's brother.

Chandrakala had befriended Priyanka and used to take the girl to her residence in the neighbourhood frequently. Jha, a native of Madhubani district in Bihar, worked with an electronics retailer in Bengaluru for over two decades before being sent to the retailer's Mangaluru showroom.

After Chandrakala took Priyanka home in the afternoon of December 16, 2010, the girl did not return and a search launched by her parents was futile. The next day, the girl's body was found in the plantation of Kamalaksha Purusha. The post-mortem report said that the child was strangled to death after she had been doused with boiling water.

Though there was no eyewitness to the incident, neighbours told the police that the family of Kamalaksha Purusha was engaged in sorcery for materialistic gains. There were people who had seen Chandrakala taking the girl to her house, they said.

Prosecutors Harishchandra Udyawar and Pushparaj Adyantaya examined 18 witnesses during trial. While the then Mangaluru East Police Inspector Niranjan Urs initially investigated the case, Assistant Commissioner of Police Raveendra K. Gadadi filed the charge sheet before court.

Considering the circumstantial evidence, the judge convicted the two for offences under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destroying of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. While Kamalaksha Purusha was directed to pay fine of Rs. 60,000, Chandrakala was asked to pay Rs. 20,000 for the two offences.

A sum of Rs. 10,000 out of the total fine has to be paid to the government while the balance is to be paid to the deceased girl's parents. The court has also directed the District Legal Services Authority to pay compensation under the Karnataka Victim Compensation Scheme to the parents.

The then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had released Rs. 2 lakh compensation to the family of Priyanka through the district administration.

Comments

Aakhash
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

Instead of making un necessary issues like Bharath Maathaa Ki Jai., RSS should concentrate to address the people to come out from these types of ugly practice in the community.

Meenakshi Rao
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

This is ridiculous,..murderers should be murdered as same like they killed that innocent girl.

Karan
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

who knows this may not be the first time they killed, which has came to light.

Deepika
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

Ghostly act by these two, dont want to c their face , coastaldiget please blur their face, felt like watching some horror movie.

Mohan
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

Planet SKS land belongs to him, builder succeed.

Priyanka
 - 
Friday, 1 Apr 2016

syco path in mangalore, both should be hanged.

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News Network
December 31,2024

prajwal.jpg

From shocking sex scandals to high-profile scams and intense factional power struggles, Karnataka's political landscape in 2024 played out like a gripping thriller. The state's three dominant parties—Congress, BJP, and JD(S)—found themselves entangled in controversies, scandals, and unexpected alliances, keeping the political stage turbulent throughout the year.

Shocking Hassan Sex Scandal Hits JD(S)
The JD(S) faced a monumental crisis with the Hassan sex scandal involving its MP Prajwal Revanna. Allegations of sexual exploitation surfaced through pen drives containing incriminating videos, sending shockwaves across the nation. Revanna fled the country but was arrested on May 31 upon his return. The scandal not only embarrassed the JD(S) but also led to the party losing its stronghold in Hassan, a seat it had held since 1999.

Congress' Struggles with Scams and Infighting
The Congress, riding high after its 2023 Assembly poll victory, faced a series of setbacks. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reputation as “Mr. Clean” was tarnished by allegations in the MUDA site-allotment scam, for which he is under court-ordered investigation. The Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited scam also led to the resignation and arrest of Minister B Nagendra.

Adding to the Congress' woes, the BJP spotlighted a controversial marking of farmers' lands as Waqf properties, further intensifying the political storm. However, the Congress bounced back by sweeping three critical by-elections in Channapatna, Shiggaon, and Sandur, silencing critics and bolstering support for its flagship guarantee schemes.

BJP-JD(S) Alliance: A Rocky Path
The BJP and JD(S), forced into an alliance after 16 years, saw relative success in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While the BJP won 17 of the 25 seats it contested, the JD(S) secured two seats, enabling its state president H D Kumaraswamy to join the Modi 3.0 Cabinet.

However, the BJP faced its own internal strife, with factional tensions erupting after the appointment of B Y Vijayendra, son of B S Yediyurappa, as the state party president. MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal openly criticized Vijayendra’s leadership, earning a show-cause notice. Adding to the BJP’s troubles were sexual assault allegations against Yediyurappa and MLA Munirathna, which tarnished the party's image.

Power Tussle within Congress
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s ambitions for the top post grabbed headlines after a controversial interview where he hinted at an "agreement" for chief ministership. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah denied such an arrangement, Shivakumar’s comments reignited debates about factionalism within the Congress.

Legislative Drama and Bitter Exchanges
The year ended with heated debates in the Belagavi session. The BJP cornered the Congress on the Waqf land issue, while Congress countered with statistical defenses. Tensions flared when Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar accused BJP leader C T Ravi of using derogatory language against her, leading to Ravi's arrest and subsequent bail.

Karnataka in 2024 was a year of intense political drama, marked by scandals, power struggles, and shifting alliances—offering a preview of the state's evolving political dynamics in the years to come.

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News Network
January 14,2025

Udupi: Karnataka Kreedakoota-2025, a sports event organised by the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, Karnataka Olympic Association, and the District Administration, will be held in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts from January 17 to January 23.

The event will feature 1,373 athletes participating in a variety of sports, including kayaking, canoeing, archery, cycling, wrestling, boxing, hockey, lawn tennis, table tennis, Kabaddi, Judo, and athletics.

Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari K addressed a press conference on Monday, providing details about the events in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

According to her, while volleyball, basketball, and swimming competitions will take place in Dakshina Kannada, events like kayaking and canoeing will be held in Brahmavara’s Swarna River, and archery will take place at the MJC Ground in Manipal.

Marena Sports Complex in Manipal will host lawn tennis and table tennis matches, she added.

The opening ceremony will take place on January 17 in Mangaluru and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be inaugurating the event.

The closing ceremony will be held in Udupi on January 23, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Home Minister G Parameshwar attending.

The district administration, in collaboration with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, has made provisions for accommodation and food for the participants, said the DC.

She also said the synthetic track at the Mahatma Gandhi District Stadium in Ajjarakad is undergoing repair work after its 10-year durability period ended in 2023, to provide athletes better infrastructure.

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News Network
January 6,2025

Bengaluru: An eight-month old baby has been detected with the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in a Bengaluru hospital on Monday, with reports going viral online. This is likely the first reported case of HMPV in the country after the recent spike in China.

The baby is reportedly undergoing treatment in a private hospital in northern Bengaluru.

The Karnataka state health department has maintained that there is no cause for concern.

"We don't know what strain of virus is spreading in China. Without knowing that, we cannot say that this reported case is concerning. We have been reviewing all influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) from December to check for any strain that is concerning. There is no such concerning spike across the state or country," said a well-placed source in the state health department.

The HMPV is a known virus (first discovered in 2001) that causes respiratory symptoms similar to that of a common cold, largely affecting children below the age of five. It is not a new virus.

Cases have been reported in the past, especially in the winter season, note experts and health department officials, making it not an immediate concern, unless an unusual spike is observed.

In December 2024, 714 suspected cases of HMPV were tested in 16 Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) across the country, of which only nine were confirmed positive.

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