Muhammad' Ali, the only STAR mounted on Walk of Fame wall, not on floor

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar visited Kesavanahalli village in Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district, on Wednesday to inspect the trial run of the Yettinahole project, particularly near the Kumbaradadi coffee estate.

During his visit, Shivakumar announced, "Today, we have initiated trial runs for five of the eight check dams, lifting around 1,500 cusecs of water. The remaining works will be launched by the Chief Minister at an auspicious time. I will discuss this further with the Chief Minister."

Highlighting the importance of the project, he added, "The Yettinahole project is a key initiative for our government. I commenced the trial run with a 'Ganga puja.' Although officials provided me with documents and videos, I wanted to see the progress firsthand, which is why I visited the site today."

Shivakumar also shared the financial progress of the project, stating that Rs 16.152 crore has been utilized as of July 2024. He outlined plans to prioritize the project's completion by March 31, 2027.

The Yettinahole project aims to supply 24.01 tmc of water for drinking purposes to several districts, including Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Hassan, and Chikkamagaluru. Approximately 14.056 tmc of water will be distributed to 38 towns and 6,657 villages across 29 drought-affected taluks, benefiting 7.559 million people. Additionally, the project plans to release 9.953 tmc-ft of water to 527 lakes in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, and Tumakuru.

Addressing delays, Shivakumar stated, "During my previous visit, I had set a deadline, but the project has been delayed by two to three months. However, we have managed to complete most of the work, except for tasks related to the Forest Department. We will engage with the department to address these pending issues."

Also present at the inspection were Minister D. Sudhakar, MP Shreyas Patel, MLA K.M. Shivalingegowda, Sharat Bachegowda, Additional Principal Secretary of Water Resources Gaurav Gupta, Deputy Commissioner Satyabhama, and other officials.

Udupi: The Udupi CEN Police have arrested two people from Gujarat in connection with a cybercrime where they posed as customs and police officers and swindled Rs 1.33 crore from a 53-year-old man in the name of FedEx courier. The police have recovered Rs 13.95 lakh and five mobile phones from the arrested. 

Udupi Superintendent of Police Dr Arun K said that the arrested are Navadia Mukeshbhai Ganeshbhai (44), from Surat and Dharamjeet Kamlesh Chauhan (28), from Rajkot in Gujarat.

Complainant Arun Kumar had stated that he had received a call on July 29 from an unknown number, posing as a customs official and falsely claimed that a FedEx courier booked using the victim's Aadhaar number contained five passports, five ATM cards, 200 grams of MDMA, and $5000.

When the victim denied booking a courier, the fraudsters connected him to a senior officer who claimed to be a police officer who in turn had informed him that his Aadhaar card had been linked to several bank accounts used by terrorists to purchase SIM cards.

The victim was then put under "virtual arrest" wherein he was monitored via Skype. Based on the instructions of the ‘officers’ he was confined to a room in his house from July 29 to August 9. He was asked to transfer money to various bank accounts to resolve the case.

Based on the complaint, Udupi CEN police had registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act, and Section 318(4) of the BNS.

The SP had formed a special police team led by Inspector Ramachandra Nayak comprising PSI Ashok and officers Praveen Shettigar, Rajesh, Arun Kumar, Yateen Kumar, Raghavendra Karkada, Dikshit, Prashant, Mutteppa Adin, Mayappa Gadade, Parashuram, and Sudeep to investigate the case.

Sources said that the police was closely monitoring the bank accounts involved in the scam and acted immediately when the money was withdrawn, and suspects were arrested.

Mangaluru: In a tragic case that shocked the city, the principal district and sessions judge Ravindra M Joshi sentenced Sandeep Rathod of Sindagi, Vijayapura, to life imprisonment for the murder of 22-year-old college student Anjana Vashishta.

According to public prosecutor Judith OM Crasta, the gruesome crime occurred on June 7, 2019, when Anjana's body was discovered at Pais Cottage in Attavar. The victim was found with cable wires wrapped around her neck, her head wedged between the cot's rods, painting a chilling picture of her final moments.

Anjana, an MSc student in Ujire, had met Rathod, then 23, through Facebook in July 2018. Rathod, posing as a constable-in-training, developed a relationship with her, even securing a place at the Royal Academy Coaching Centre in Mangaluru. However, things took a dark turn when Anjana informed Rathod that her family had arranged a marriage proposal for her, which she planned to accept.

Devastated by her decision to end their relationship, Rathod called Anjana to his room. In a fit of rage, he strangled her. After the murder, he stole her phone, withdrew Rs 15,000 from her account using her ATM card, and fled to Sindagi, where he stayed at Sangam Lodge.

The Mangaluru South police investigated the case and filed charges under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 380 (theft), and 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property). The court's thorough investigation included testimony from 45 witnesses and the review of 100 documents.

The court ultimately sentenced Rathod to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000. He was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for the theft and misappropriation charges, along with fines totaling Rs 1,500. Additionally, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation to Anjana’s parents for their immense loss.