Archives for August 2023

Mangaluru: The City Crime Branch (CCB) police have apprehended a 28-year-old man who was facing multiple charges and had been evading authorities for about a year and a half, failing to appear before the court for a scheduled hearing.

The detained individual has been identified as Mohammad Naushad, also known as Ullanje Naushad, hailing from Ullanje in the Mennabettu village. The CCB officers apprehended him near Miyapadavu in the Kasaragod district and subsequently handed him over to the Surathkal police for further legal proceedings.

According to the police, Naushad is connected to four cases, including the high-profile murder of Deepak Rao in 2018, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Surathkal Police Station. The authorities revealed that Naushad had been on the run since being released on bail.

Additionally, he is accused in cases related to assault, making death threats under the jurisdiction of the Mulki Police Station, attempting to murder police officers on duty, and a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) case registered at the Women’s Police Station.

Mangaluru: A woman residing in KPT Vyasanagar has lodged a formal police complaint against her husband, alleging the theft of a substantial amount of gold jewelry that she had meticulously stored in her home cupboard. The complainant, Renisha Noronha, has accused her husband, Mohammad Ilias, of being involved in the alleged theft.

Renisha Noronha, who resides in an apartment with her husband and their son, revealed that she had entrusted her gold jewelry to the cupboard locker at their residence. The stolen jewelry, amounting to 75 pawns of gold, encompassed a variety of pieces. These included 25 pawns of wedding gifts from her parents, 20 pawns gifted by her parents, an additional five pawns she had acquired herself, and a final set of 25 pawns bestowed by her in-laws. Renisha underscored that the knowledge of this cache of gold was shared exclusively between her and her husband.

The situation took a turn in April when a disagreement led Renisha to temporarily move to her mother’s residence. Upon her return to their apartment a month later, she discovered her husband’s week-long absence. This raised suspicions, prompting her to examine the cupboard locker, revealing the shocking disappearance of her gold holdings.

Efforts to contact Ilias bore no fruit until he finally responded to her calls three days later. He openly admitted to taking the gold and subsequently divulged his actions. Renisha claims Ilias had challenged her and even stated that he had pledged the gold at a bank for a sum of Rs 28.5 lakh. Moreover, Ilias confessed to enlisting an accomplice named Prabhakar who helped manage the gold transaction. Reportedly, Prabhakar arranged for the melted gold worth Rs 12 lakh to be sold.

Renisha Noronha’s formal complaint, lodged with the Kadri Police, targets both her husband Ilias and his associate Prabhakar.

Gundlupet: Tragedy struck on Wednesday morning as a 15-year-old girl, identified as Philish, succumbed to a sudden heart attack while taking a walk within the premises of the CMS Children’s Home in Gundlupet town.

Hailing from Bengaluru, Philish was a Class 10 student at Nirmala Convent in Gundlupet. As she was strolling within the Children’s Home grounds, she collapsed unexpectedly. She was rushed to the nearby public hospital in Gundlupet. However, despite the efforts of medical professionals, it was confirmed that the young girl had passed away due to a heart attack.

Selvaraj, the warden of CMS Children’s Home, shared that the deceased had been residing at the facility for the past five years. Her father, Prabhu, had enrolled her in the home to facilitate her studies in Gundlupet.

The body of Philish has been transferred to the hospital mortuary. Following the completion of the necessary post-mortem procedures, her remains will be handed over to her family for the final rites.

Hassan: In a shocking incident that unfolded on Wednesday, a confidant of JD(S) leader and former minister HD Revanna was brutally killed in broad daylight near Nagatavalli village on the outskirts of Hassan city.

The victim, identified as Krishna Gowda, was the proprietor of Sriram Marbles and maintained a close association with HD Revanna.

Krishna Gowda met a tragic end when he was mercilessly attacked by a group of assailants wielding lethal weapons. The horrifying incident transpired outside his granite factory in Hassan. Police have responded by registering a case at the Hassan Rural Police Station and launching an investigation into the incident. Officers have visited the scene of the crime to gather crucial evidence.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday said the elephant population in the state has increased by 346. Releasing the elephant census report conducted in May this year, he said in 2017 census, there were 6,049 elephants in the state and now there are 6,395 pachyderms.

”Although elephants are mighty wildlife species, they are under threat worldwide, including in India. In order to protect the endangered animal, the World Elephant Day is being celebrated on August 12 to create awareness about conservation of their habitat so that they can also live comfortably,” the minister said at a press conference here. According to Khandre, the elephant census is conducted every five years and the previous census was held in 2017.

In 2022, an attempt was made to take survey part of the All India Tiger Census but it did not include sample block count and population structure assessment of elephants. This method is very important for census and numerical classification of the jumbos (sex and age), he said. The minister said the elephant census was conducted from May 17 to May 19 this year simultaneously by Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A similar census was conducted in Andhra Pradesh on the same period, he said.

The census was carried out by the Karnataka Forest Department with the technical assistance of the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) headed by Prof R Sukumar, who guided in preparing the format of the census, training the field staff, analysis of census results and report preparation, he said. According to Khandre, more than 3,400 personnel from 32 divisions of the state participated in this elephant census, which was undertaken in three ways – direct enumeration or block enumeration, transect survey or dung count method, and waterhole counting. The census was conducted in 32 divisions of the state and pachyderms were found in 23 divisions. The total number of elephants enumerated directly on the day of survey was 2,219. It was conducted in 6,104 sq km area out of 18,975 sq km area in these 23 divisions, he explained.

”Since this is the first time such a large area has been surveyed, this survey and report are highly accurate and reliable,” the minister said.