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Mangaluru couple arrested for honey-trapping priest after ‘puja’

News Network
January 21, 2022

Mangaluru, Jan 21: A couple living in a rented house at Padavinangadi in Mangaluru had called a priest cum astrologer from Chikkamagaluru for conducting a puja at home and extorted Rs 49 lakh from him. Unable to meet further demands of the duo, the victim filed a complaint to the police, said City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar.

The police have seized two golden rings worth Rs 37,000, Rs 31,000 cash and four mobile phones from the arrested. They were produced before the jurisdictional court, which remanded them in five days of police custody for further investigation, said the Commissioner.

The arrested are Bhavya M N (30), a native of Shanivarasanthe hobli and Kumar alias Raju (35), a native of Arakalagoodu in Hassan.

Explaining the incident, the Commissioner said that the arrested had asked the complainant priest from Chikkamagaluru district to conduct puja in the house. Later, Bhavya had clicked photos of an astrologer in a compromising position with her and started threatening him of posting the photos on social media.

Suspecting a few others were also trapped by the couple, the Commissioner said that the victim was receiving calls from different identities from different phone numbers including in the name of police sub inspector, women organisations, political leaders.

Of Rs 49 lakh extorted, Rs 15 lakh was collected in cash and the remaining was transferred to various bank accounts. The victim had raised money from friends and relatives to pay the duo.

Of the money collected, the duo had used for purchasing a vehicle, for availing a house on lease, for purchasing household products and travelling to different places, said the Commissioner. The duo had been engaged in extortion since August last year.

Following a complaint, a case was registered at Mangaluru Rural Police Station. Taking up the investigation, CCB police inspector Mahesh Prasad and team were successful in arresting them.

The City Police Commissioner urged the victims to come forward to file complaints in any police station coming under Mangaluru police Commissionerate jurisdiction or Office of the police commissioner or with the DCP.

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News Network
November 14,2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over his claim that the BJP had offered Rs 50 crore each to 50 Congress MLAs in an attempt to "topple" the state government.

Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar, also the Congress state president, said, “The BJP indeed lured 50 Congress MLAs with Rs 50 crore each.”

He defended Siddaramaiah’s statement and said the Congress MLAs were briefed about the BJP’s alleged 'Operation Lotus', a term used to describe the BJP's attempts to destabilise ruling governments through horse-trading.

“Some of our MLAs informed the Chief Minister about this matter, and he, in turn, shared it with the media,” Shivakumar said.

At an event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah reiterated the claim that "none of the Congress MLAs had accepted the offer".

He also accused the BJP of filing false cases against him in a bid to "remove him and overthrow his government".

The BJP has yet to respond to the allegations.

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News Network
November 14,2024

srirang.jpg

Bengaluru: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi led union government has requested the Karnataka High Court to direct the Mandya district administration and the state government to clear a madrasa operating within the premises of the historic Jama Masjid in Srirangapatna.

The Waqf Board, opposing this move, has claimed the mosque as its property and defended the right to conduct madrasa activities there.

The matter was brought before a division bench headed by Chief Justice N V Anjaria following a public interest litigation filed by a person named Abhishek Gowda from Kabbalu village in Kanakapura taluk. The petition alleged “unauthorised madrasa activities” within the mosque.

Representing the Central government, Additional Solicitor General of India for High Court of Karnataka, K Arvind Kamath argued that the Jama Masjid was designated as a protected monument in 1951, yet unauthorised madrasa operations continue there.

He noted that concerns over potential law and order issues have so far prevented any intervention. Kamath urged the court to direct the Mandya district administration to take action and vacate the madrasa from the mosque.

In defence, lawyers for the state government and the Waqf Board contested this request, stating that the Waqf Board had been recognised as the owner of the property since 1963 and, thus, conducting madrasa activities there is lawful.

After hearing both sides, the bench adjourned the case for further arguments, scheduling the next hearing for November 20.

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News Network
November 17,2024

Mangaluru: District-in-Charge Minister and Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao, announced that a day-care chemotherapy centre will soon be established at District Wenlock Hospital. Speaking to mediapersons after reviewing the activities at Wenlock and Government Lady Goschen Hospital, he shared the government’s plans to enhance healthcare services in the region.

Key Initiatives Announced

•    Day-Care Chemotherapy Centre:

  • Ten beds will be reserved for cancer patients.
  • The government will collaborate with Yenepoya Hospital to provide chemotherapy treatments.
  • All required facilities for the centre are already in place, awaiting inauguration by the Chief Minister.

•    Wenlock Hospital Facelift:

  • Critical Care Block: To be built at a cost of ₹24 crore.
  • Integrated Public Health (IPH) Lab: Planned with a budget of ₹1 crore.
  • New OPD Block: As per a 2017 agreement, KMC Hospital will take up construction. Discussions with KMC management are underway.

•    Additional Requirements:

  • A new mortuary and post-mortem building.
  • Paramedical college building.
  • Modern kitchen.
  • Bridge connecting two buildings within the hospital.

•    Total facelift cost: ₹6 crore to ₹10 crore, utilizing funds from the Department of Health and Family Welfare and CSR contributions.

•    Timeline:
By December or January, priority works will be finalized. The superintendents of Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospitals are scheduled to visit Bengaluru next week to discuss these projects.

•    MRI Fee Allegations:
The minister assured that allegations of patients being charged for MRI scans at Wenlock Hospital will be resolved at the earliest.
These measures aim to improve healthcare accessibility and infrastructure, positioning Wenlock Hospital as a state-of-the-art facility in the region.

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