Mangaluru techie Prabha Shetty stabbed to death in Australia

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 8, 2015

Melbourne, Mar 8: A 41-year-old Mangaluru-origin IT consultant was brutally stabbed to death in Australia, just 300m from her home, police said today as they launched a probe into the horrific attack.

prabha

Prabha Shetty Arun Kumar was on the phone to a member of her family when the "horrific" attack happened yesterday in Westmead, a suburb in Sydney.

Kumar told the relative, "I think I've been stabbed" in the lane way that runs through the park close to her Westmead home.

The mother of one was found stabbed in Parramatta Park last night. The police described it as a "horrific attack".

She was found by a man lying in a large pool of blood.

A friend of Kumar, who was walking home from work when she was brutally stabbed, said she always felt guilty about getting a lift home late at night.

The woman, who asked not to be named, told The Daily Telegraph she has warned

Prabha about the dangers of the park.

"I told her that it is not a safe way to come through because there are people that stop and ask you for money, like 2 dollars," she said.

Superintendent Wayne Cox from Parramatta police said earlier that the woman left the station, walked along Argyle Street and onto Park Parade before being attacked in Parramatta Park.

"At this point she has taken a lane way connected up to Amos St in Westmead, and during this journey she has been attacked by a person or unknown persons," he said.

She suffered a life threatening injury. She was transported to Westmead Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

"There was a large amount of blood so she obviously suffered a significant wound," Cox said.

A crime scene has been established and is being examined by specialist forensic officers.

State Crime Command's Homicide Squad is assisting Parramatta detectives in the case. Police have appealed to the public to come forward with any information related to the case.

Thrijesh Jayachandra, the nephew of the victim said, "At 3 pm IST my uncle was talking on the phone to my aunt and then this is her usual time when she finishes her job and walks to her house. They are always in conversation. But today she told her husband that there was big person around her in the park where she was walking."

"Then all he could hear was 'just let me go' and 'don't hurt me. Take my bag, Take whatever you want.' and then she said she has been stabbed and her phone switched off after this"

G Mohan, her brother-in-law said, "I talked to my friends there and they said that Parramatta (park) has had a racial history but not lately. I am not sure whether this is racial attack or mugging. There were no witnesses around at this time. We understand she was in a pool of blood when the police found her. She lost critical time there.

A native of Nandagokula in Amtoor near Kalladka in Bantwal taluk, Prabha Shetty was the daughter of Mahabala Shetty. She has three brothers and two sisters. After graduation, Prabha joined Softlinks, an IT firm which Mindtree acquired later. Prabha had come to Bengaluru six months ago and returned after two months.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Puttur: The long-cherished dream of a government medical college in Puttur has moved a decisive step closer to reality, with the Karnataka State Finance Department granting its official approval for the construction of a new 300-bed hospital.

Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai announced the crucial development to reporters on Monday, confirming that the official communication from the finance department was issued on November 27. This 300-bed facility is intended to be the cornerstone for the establishment of the government medical college, a project announced in the state budget.

Fast-Track Implementation

The MLA outlined an aggressive timeline for the project:

•    A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the hospital is expected to be ready within 45 days.

•    The tender process for the construction will be completed within two months.

Following the completion of the tender process, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project.

"Setting up a medical college in Puttur is a historical decision by the Congress government in Karnataka," Rai stated. The project has an estimated budget allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the medical college.

Focus on Medical Education Department

The MLA highlighted a key strategic move: requesting the government to implement the hospital construction through the Medical Education Department instead of the Health and Family Welfare Department. This is intended to streamline the entire process of establishing the full medical college, ensuring the facilities—including labs, operation theatres, and other necessary infrastructure—adhere to the strict guidelines set by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The proposed site for the project is in Bannur.

Rai also took the opportunity to address political criticism, stating that the government has fulfilled its promise despite "apprehensions" and "mocking and criticising" from opposition parties who had failed to take similar initiatives when they were in power. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept his word," he added.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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