Rs 100 crore fraud charge: Absconding chairman of Cooperative Society arrested in Udupi

Mangaluru: A man fell victim to an online scam, losing Rs 1.7 crore after fraudsters posed as officials from TRAI. According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, the incident began on November 11, when the complainant received a call from an unknown number at 9:49 am.

The caller, claiming to represent TRAI, alleged that another mobile number registered under the complainant's name was involved in illegal activities in Andheri (East), Mumbai. The caller further stated that an FIR was lodged against the complainant for harassment under the guise of marketing. He was instructed to contact Andheri (East) police station immediately or risk his mobile service being deactivated within two hours.

The complainant was subsequently connected to an individual named Pradeep Sawant, who claimed the complainant was implicated in a money laundering scheme linked to the Naresh Goyal fraud case. Sawant alleged that a fraudulent bank account under the complainant's name was opened at Canara Bank, Andheri, and used to purchase a SIM card for illegal activities. He warned that the complainant could face arrest.

Later, the complainant was contacted via WhatsApp video call by individuals posing as Rahul Kumar (a police officer) and Akanksha (a CBI officer). They allegedly sent fabricated CBI documents to his WhatsApp number. The fraudsters demanded money to "resolve" the case. Fearing threats, the complainant allegedly transferred Rs 1.7 crore through RTGS in batches of Rs 53 lakh, Rs 74 lakh, and Rs 44 lakh between November 13 and 19. A case has been registered at the CEN police station and an investigation is ongoing.

Mangaluru: A tragic incident unfolded on Sunday, November 17, at Vazco Resort (VAZCO), situated at Battappadi Cross Road in Someshwara on the outskirts of the city, when three young women drowned in the resort’s swimming pool. 

Disturbingly, an iPhone recording and CCTV footage captured their final moments, providing insights into the heartbreaking accident.

According to City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, the tragedy occurred at approximately 10:05 AM. The victims were identified as:

Keerthana N (21) from Devaraj Mohalla, Hebbal Second Stage, Vijayanagar Post.
Nishitha M.D (21) from 4th Cross, Kuribarahalli, Mysuru.
Parvathi S (20) from Ramanuja Road, K.R. Mohalla, Mysuru.

Sequence of Events

The three women had checked into Room No. 2 of the resort on the morning of November 16 and stayed overnight. On Sunday morning, around 10 AM, they entered the swimming pool to play. Reports suggest that they placed their clothes poolside and set an iPhone to record the activity.

Initial findings indicate one woman slipped underwater and began to struggle. When the second attempted a rescue, she too drowned, followed by the third woman. Within minutes, the tragedy claimed all three lives. CCTV footage from the resort corroborates the sequence, showing the young women struggling before succumbing to the water.

Investigation Underway

The resort staff discovered the lifeless bodies and immediately raised the alarm. Ullal Police Inspector H N Balakrishna and his team are conducting an investigation. Preliminary reports suggest the women were non-swimmers, and the lack of safety measures contributed to the tragedy.

The resort is owned by Manohar, as per police records. While the formal case is yet to be registered, the incident has raised serious questions about safety protocols at resorts offering pool facilities.

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.”