Heavy rains lash parts of Karnataka; 3 dead

Mangaluru: A routine midnight tea run turned into a horrifying tragedy when a motorcycle carrying three young men — in clear violation of traffic rules — slammed into an open divider on National Highway 66 at SKS Junction in the early hours of April 8. Two of them lost their lives, while the third is recovering from injuries.

The victims have been identified as Sankeerth, who was riding the motorcycle (KL-58-Q-6381), and Dhanurved C, the first pillion rider. Sibi Sam, the second pillion rider, was injured but survived the crash.

According to the FIR registered at the Traffic East Police Station (Crime No. 48/2025), the friends had set out from Lohith Nagar around 2:30 am, heading towards Pumpwell for tea. While Rohan Joby and Meghnath rode separately on a different bike (KL-13-AH-2388), Sankeerth was accompanied by two pillion riders — a clear case of triple riding, which is both illegal and dangerous.

As they sped along NH-66, Sankeerth reportedly lost control near SKS Junction and collided with the edge of an open road divider at approximately 2:50 am. The impact threw all three men onto the highway with violent force.

Sankeerth and Dhanurved suffered critical head and facial injuries and died while being rushed to the hospital. Sibi Sam is undergoing treatment for his injuries.

The FIR invokes Sections 281, 125(a), 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 128(a) read with 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which include provisions related to rash driving and traffic violations.

The police have launched a full investigation. The accident has reignited public concern about reckless driving, triple riding, and the hazards posed by poorly maintained road dividers, especially during low-visibility hours.

Palestinian officials have raised the alarm about the dire situation of abductees held in Israeli prisons. The warning came after several abductees released from Israeli jails gave harrowing accounts of conditions in the regime’s prisons.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said in a statement on Monday that the number of Palestinian abductees killed in Israeli jails since the regime’s genocide in Gaza started has surged to 65, including a child.

It added that inmates abducted in Gaza account for at least 40 of those fatalities.

The society emphasized that among the slain detainees are 74 whose bodies are still being held by the Israeli regime, 63 of whom have been held since the beginning of the genocidal war.

Meanwhile, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs warned of inhumane conditions at Israel’s Damon Prison, where female abductees are enduring extreme hardship.

The Commission reported that food is scarce and of poor quality, leading to digestive issues and severe weight loss among inmates.

The Commission warned that Palestinian abductees are held in filthy, blood-stained cells, given only a small mattress and no food.

Most of the abductees also face insults and humiliation during their incarceration by the regime.  

It added that prisoner Karam Musa, 53, from the town of Surra in the Nablus Governorate, who was detained on February 25, 2025, was kept in a blood-stained and filthy cell, with no room for prayer, no food, and only a small mattress.

According to Karam, the Israeli Prison Service provides one plate of legumes for eight prisoners. The break period has been reduced to one hour, during which the prisoners shower.

A 44-year-old prisoner named Hanin Jaber lost eight kilograms due to malnutrition during her five months of detention.

Jaber was arrested on December 3, 2024, while out on a walk with her children in the park, on charges of sheltering and feeding her son, whom the Israeli regime claims is "wanted."

Prisoner Fidaa Suhail Assaf, 49, from the town of Kafr Laqif in the Qalqilya Governorate, has been suffering from leukemia for a year before her detention.
 

Mangaluru: A seemingly harmless YouTube advertisement has cost a Mangaluru man his life savings, after he fell victim to an elaborate investment scam and lost a staggering ₹55 lakh.

According to the police complaint, the victim was lured in by a man named Shardul Jani, who claimed that a trading app called Abans Pro would deliver high returns. On February 11, the man made an initial investment of ₹15,000. A trading account was created for him, which soon began displaying encouraging profits.

Buoyed by these promising numbers and under constant persuasion from the accused, the man was convinced to invest more. Reassured that the money could be withdrawn at any time, he not only continued investing himself but also involved his relatives, who collectively transferred ₹39 lakh into his account for further investments.

Between February 11 and March 27, the victim transferred a total of ₹55 lakh to multiple bank accounts provided by the accused. But when he finally attempted to withdraw the funds, nothing came back. The profits were a mirage—his money had vanished.

Realising he had been conned, the man approached the Bajpe police, who have registered a case and begun an investigation into the fraudulent scheme.