Man rams SUV into Farooq Abdullah's house, shot dead

Udupi: A 53-year-old woman fell victim to a sophisticated online fraud, losing ₹19.7 lakh to scammers posing as officials from telecom companies and the police.

According to the complaint filed by Vidya, the incident began on October 4 when she received a call from an individual claiming to be from Airtel. The caller alleged that a SIM card linked to her Aadhaar was being misused in Mumbai for spam and fraudulent activities. They warned her that all her mobile numbers could be blocked and connected her to a supposed "Sahara police station."

A man identifying himself as Mohan Kumar, an "investigation officer" from the Sahara police station, then contacted Vidya. He alleged that a fraudulent bank account had been opened in her name at an SBI branch in Mumbai. This account, he claimed, was being used for human trafficking and money laundering activities by someone named Vivek Das. He insisted that all her bank accounts needed to be reviewed.

On October 5, the scam escalated when Kumar, posing as a police officer, threatened Vidya with arrest and warned her not to leave her location without his permission. He demanded that she transfer funds from her accounts to specific UPI IDs and bank accounts under the pretext of "reviewing" her finances. Fearing legal consequences, Vidya complied and transferred ₹19.7 lakh in installments between October 16 and November 7.

The fraud came to light only after she realized she had been deceived. A case has been registered at the CEN (Cyber, Economic, and Narcotics) police station, and an investigation is underway.

Public Warning:

• Beware of unsolicited calls claiming to be from telecom companies, banks, or police stations.
• Never share sensitive personal or banking details over the phone.
• Always verify the identity of callers through official channels before taking any action.
• If in doubt, contact your local police or cybercrime cell immediately.
• Stay vigilant to avoid falling prey to such scams!

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.

Hamas says the Israeli regime’s sole objective lies in “erasing” the entirety of the Palestinian population from across the Palestinian territories.

Khalil al-Hayya, a ranking official with the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement, made the remarks to the Palestinian al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday.

“The occupation targets everyone—it strikes hospitals, civil defense, women, children, and the elderly,” he said, adding that the regime sought to “empty Gaza of its residents, and displace the Palestinian people to fulfill its dreams of building a Zionist Jewish state across all of Palestine.”

The remarks came amid the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the coastal sliver that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

“This unprecedented aggression in modern times evokes scenes from the dark ages of human history, having crossed all red lines and exceeded every expectation of brutality in the modern era,” the Palestinian official lamented.

He also regretted that the regime had added “systematic and dangerous starvation to its aggression, falsely claiming before the world that it allows 250 [aid] trucks into Gaza daily. In reality, the number of trucks is far fewer.”

Hayya, meanwhile, regretted that “scenes of children torn apart, women screaming over their children, and heart-wrenching destruction have failed to stir enough humanity to stop these crimes.”

He decried the United States for vetoing the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions that are aimed at bringing about a potential ceasefire in the war, saying this indicated Washington’s “partnership in the aggression” and a simultaneous siege that the Israeli regime has been enforcing on Gaza.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official asserted that, despite what the Israeli official is after, Hamas would not hand over the regime’s captives “without [the regime’s] stopping the war.”

He called Netanyahu “the main obstacle” in the way of cessation of the aggression, saying the Israeli premier “blocks any progress for political reasons,” and citing his preventing conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in July.

Hayya also warned that the regime sought to expand the war beyond Gaza, but asserted that its goals are “impossible and will never happen.”

“Today, the enemy exposes its true intentions of extermination and displacement, but it will fail,” he stressed.

“The Palestinian people are resilient and will not surrender, as they believe in their humanitarian and political cause. The enemy and its allies will not succeed in achieving their goals. This steadfast people will endure, and the occupation will not prevail against them.”