36-year-old Bengaluru man found dead in water sump of his house

Crime

: Afroz’s wife Mehraz has alleged that his own family members were behind the death of her husband.

TNM Staff

A 36-year-old Bengaluru man was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the water sump of his house on Friday.  The victim has been identified as Afroz Khan who was working as a BPO professional and was living in Hegdenagar. Afroz’s wife Mehraz has alleged that his own family members were behind the death of her husband. “His family was torturing him since he was not going to work regularly and he was very upset. It is impossible that he jumped into the sump. I suspect foul play behind his death and action has to be taken,” she told The New Indian Express She also said that his brothers had tortured him for visiting her.  According to the police, Mehraz said that lately, Afroz had not been working regularly. She had moved out of their residence and started living with her mother after being married for nine years. Afroz, on the occasion of Eid, had visited Mehraz on Wednesday as he said he was not offered food by his family members. Afroz had then asked Mehraz to return to their house along with their one-and-half-year child. Soon, just two days later, Afroz’s brother Imran called Mehraz and told her that Afroz had gone missing and he could not be reached on his phone. Police suspect that Afroz took his own life as he was upset. While Mehraz has alleged the hand of his family members, they have alleged that Afroz killed himself as he was treated badly by his wife and in-laws. Afroz’s mother Khrushid Unnisa had lodged a missing person’s complaint with Sampigehalli police station on Thursday.   After discovering his body, they informed the police based on which an investigation has started. Police are probing all angles in the case

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Two men arrested for allegedly posting abusive video against CM HD Kumaraswamy

Crime

The abusive rant was reportedly because of the two’s disappointment with the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

TNM Staff

  Police in Bengaluru arrested two men for allegedly abusing Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his family in a widely shared video on WhatsApp. The video was purportedly shot on the day of the Lok Sabha results. In the same video, the two men had also allegedly abused Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of the Chief Minister and also other members of the first family of the JD(S). The accused have been identified as Siddaraju, 26, and his friend Chamaraju, 28.They were working as a petrol pump attendant and cab driver respectively. High Grounds police have booked the duo under Sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505 (2) (intent to incite offence against community) of the Indian Penal Code. They have been remanded to judicial custody by a local court.  The abusive rant was reportedly because of the two’s disappointment with the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls. The JD(S) which is part of the ruling coalition in the state had only managed to win a single seat in Karnataka as did their alliance partner Congress. “When we tracked them down and questioned them, they said they were upset with the CM’s family politics and his party’s poor showing at the Lok Sabha elections,” a policeman told The Hindu. Police had started the probe after some JD(S) party workers filed a complaint regarding this. In August 2018, a 24-year-old Mangaluru man Prashant Poojary was arrested for an abusive post againstKumaraswamy on Instagram. In that case, the arrest was made by the Central Crime Branch based on a suo motu complaint.   In that case, the arrest was made by the Central Crime Branch based on a suo motu complaint.

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Karnataka CM unlikely to intervene in govt's land deal with Jindal Steel

Policy

Meanwhile, the BJP has threatened a state-wide protest over the sale of iron-ore rich land to the company at a throwaway price.

Soumya Chatterjee

Even with the BJP threatening a state-wide protest over the controversial Jindal Steel land deal, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is unlikely to intervene in the government decision to hand over 3,667 acres of land with the iron ore to JS Steel Ltd in Ballari district after the expiry of lease period.  “Essentially, the issue has nothing to with the Chief Minister or his office. The deal was penned by the state industry department headed by the Industry Minister. Following this, there was a cabinet meeting in which it got clearance. All the specifics have been approved by the Industry Minister and the Chief Secretary,”  a source close to the CM told TNM.  “On Monday, Congress leader HK Patil may meet the Chief Minister and express his objections to the deal but the latter will not change anything as seemingly there is nothing illegal (in the deal). The Chief Secretary has already given his approval,” the source added.    What is the controversy?  The BJP and a certain section of activists are opposing the lease and sale of 3,700 acre land to JSW Steel at a throwaway price. Even senior Congress leader HK Patil, too, has spoken publicly against the deal, embarrassing the state Congress leadership. "They might have taken commission, that is why they want to sell the land. If necessary, we will sit on dharna after three to four days,” BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa said recently. Incidentally, BS Yeddyurappa himself was accused of accepting a bribe from Jindal during his chief ministership. He was acquitted in a CBI court in 2016. Meanwhile, the government, including the state’s Industry Minister, KJ George, has maintained that this deal is according to the MoU signed between the company and the government, according to a 2005 deal. The deal In 2006, the state government had allotted 2,000 acres of land to Jindal on a lease-and-sale agreement for six years at a rate of Rs 90,000 per acre, in addition to another 1,700 acres for 10 years at Rs 1.22 lakh per acre. Accordingly, these two land parcels were to be sanctioned for sale based on conditions of employment generation.  In the cabinet meeting on May 27, the government gave a nod to the sale deal, setting the price at Rs 1.22 lakh per acre for the first parcel of land and Rs 1.5 lakh per acre for the second parcel of land.  The opposition to this deal is on grounds that the market rate for the parcels of land in the area is currently Rs 1 crore per acre. Some others pointed out that the state’s industrial policy talks about selling a parcel of land permanently only after a lease period of 99 years and not 10 years as in this case.  To this, the government responded, stating that the same could not be followed as the deal predates 2014 when the policy framework came in place. In 2014, the state government extended the lease period given to industries through the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) from 30 years to 99 years. This was later scrapped in 2017, paving the way for absolute sale deed.      

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Male companion of 22-year-old woman found dead in Mangaluru arrested

Crime

According to the police, the victim, Anjana Vasista, refused to marry Sandeep Rathod, which led to an argument between the two.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Representational image

The Mangaluru police on Saturday arrested Sandeep Rathod from Vijayapura district for allegedly murdering 22-year-old Anjana Vasista in Mangaluru on Friday. According to the police, after committing the murder, Sandeep fled to his native at Benkotagi Tanda in Sindagi taluk in Karnataka via Sirsi, from where he was arrested. After questioning the suspect, the police have learnt that both Sandeep and Anjana had met each other through a social media site, fell in love and subsequently decided to meet each other in Mangaluru. The duo rented an apartment in Attavar on June 2, Sunday, and told the landlord, Louis Pais, that they were married and were appearing for an examination. “While Anjana told that she was appearing for coaching for a banking exam, Sandeep said he was a constable in Bijapur and had joined a coaching centre in the city to prepare for police sub-inspector examination,” Flossy Pais, the wife of Louis Pais, told the police in her statement. After making the rental agreement, Anjana left to her native in Chikkamaglur the same evening, and returned on Friday, only to tell Sandeep that she did not wish to marry him. The police said that Anjana was apparently put off by Sandeep’s behaviour and she returned to inform Sandeep that she will enter a marital alliance fixed by her parents. “Sandeep, however, remained persistent about their marriage. On Friday morning, the couple got into a heated argument over the same matter and in a fit of rage, Sandeep killed Anjana with a cable cord,” the police said. The body of the 22-year-old was discovered on Friday evening by the landlord and the maintenance staff, who were on routine cleaning of the rented room. When Sandeep was arrested, the police found a mangalsutra in his possession, which he said he had planned to offer to Anjana.

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Now, a frog wedding in Udupi to ‘appease rain god’, complete with mangalsutra and lunch

Superstition

The two frogs were named Varun and Varsha and were taken in a procession before they were wed at a hotel.

Harsha Raj Gatty

In the midst of the ongoing water crisis in the coastal districts of Karnataka, superstitious practices by people desperate for rain are flourishing. In Udupi, residents got two frogs married to each other to ‘appease god Varuna’. The ‘Manduka Kalyanostsava’ (wedding of the frogs) of frog-groom Varuna from Kalsanka, and frog-bride Varsha from Kolagiri, was hosted at a hotel in Udupi on Saturday. Organised by Udupi Nagarika Vedike and Pancharatna Trust, the wedding invite of the prospective couple referred to them as Chi. Varuna, son of Kalsanka, and Sou Varsha, daughter of Kolalgiri Kilinje. The wedding procession that started off from Maruthi Veethika, brought the ‘couple’ in a cage, on a decorated cycle rickshaw. The procession passed the KEB Office Mitra Hospital, proceeding towards Old Diana Circle, and arrived at Kediyoor Hotel. The wedding was hosted at 12.05 pm on the weekend at Simha Lagna muhurtha, with over 50 people in attendance. The organisers felt that Lord Varuna, according to the Hindu mythology is the authority over sea and rains, and the wedding was held to appease the deity to receive monsoon shower. Speaking to the media, Nityananda Volakadu, secretary of Udupi Nagarika Vedike, said that the wedding was organised to solve the dire water crisis in the district. Under the pretext of ‘appeasing the rain god’, the former CMC councillor from Udupi Nithyananda has also conducted frog weddings in 2008, frog baby shower (seemantha) in 2009, and hosted a cradling ceremony for six frogs in 2012 – naming all of them ‘Maleraya’. Facing severe water shortage in the absence of pre-monsoon shower, District Authorities have administered water-rationing in Udupi since the beginning of April – water supplied once in three days in the district. The depleting water level of Baje reservoir on Swarna river has already affected the lives of the local residents, including educational institutions. Read: To appease rain gods, Bengaluru priests sit in water-filled vessels with phones Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)  

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Bengaluru man killed over mobile ludo game, five arrested

Crime

The victim, who had come from West Bengal, was residing with his wife and two children in Bendre Nagar.

TNM Staff

A 32-year-old man was killed in Bengaluru over a mobile board game on Saturday. The victim, Mohammed Ali Shaahib, was allegedly stabbed by his friend Sheikh Milan. Police identified the victim as a fabrication worker hailing from West Bengal. The stabbing took place at Ilyas Nagar.   Police said the incident occurred soon after 10 pm when Milan and Shaahib were playing Ludo on their mobile phones and had placed a bet of Rs 200. The group was playing at a place near Ilyas Nagar in Kumaraswamy Police Station limits in south Bengaluru.   “After attacking Shaahib, he called the other accused, Nayaz, Ajju and two others to the spot. All the five then assaulted the victim, stabbed him behind the ear and escaped. A profusely bleeding Milan was shifted to a nearby hospital and from there to another hospital in Jayanagar enroute to which he died,” a police officer told Bangalore Mirror.   According to Deccan Chronicle, the murder took place after Shaahib reportedly rolled the dice, although it was Milan's turn. Soon, the fight escalated and Milan reportedly brought out a knife from his pocket. He then reportedly slit Shaahib’s and ears, which made him bleed profusely. When the other players took him to the hospital, doctors declared him dead on arrival.   Police said the victim, who had come from West Bengal, was residing with his wife and two children in Bendre Nagar.    The victim’s body was shifted to the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences for post mortem.   According to reports, police arrested Shaahib, Nayaz, Ajju, Ali and one other person. They are investigating whether his other friends who were part of the game are involved in the crime. Police added the group would meet often for the game and placed bets.

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Bengaluru clinic offers magnetic therapy for brain cancer cure

Health

According to a recent study, an estimated 4-5 lakh Indians, including 20 per cent children, have been diagnosed with brain tumor.

IANS

 SBF Healthcare & Research Centre would offer sequentially programmed magnetic field therapy for treating patients suffering from brain tumor with cancer cells in India and the US, a top official said on Saturday. "The magnetic therapy, which treated 500 brain tumor cancer patients at our hospital as part of the pilot project, has been adopted in the US for treating malignant brain tumor cancer," SBF founder Chairman Wing Commander (retired) V.G. Vasishta said in a statement here. The 13-year-old private healthcare firm also claimed to have treated about 8,500 patients across the country suffering from acute pain in their worn-out knee joints (osteo-arthritis) with the patented magnetic therapy treatment. "We have signed an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California in Los Angeles for neuro-oncology research to treat brain tumors with our magnetic therapy," Vasishta said. According to the new US Health Bill of President Donald Trump on "Right to Try Law", the SBF therapy can be used for treating US citizens without the regulatory FDA approval. According to a recent study, an estimated 4-5 lakh Indians, including 20 per cent children, have been diagnosed with brain tumor. "Brain tumors are treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation though the survival span of the patients is not more than 14 months. Our magnetic therapy, however, has enabled such patients to survive over 5 years on an average," claimed Vasishta. The non-invasive and painless treatment for brain tumour evaluates the efficacy of its therapy, using MRI and the Karnofsky performance score, considered a standard in the domain. "The treatment is administered through a medical device called Aktis Soma for an hour over 28 days," the former Indian Air Force (IAF) official said. Noting that there was a need for non-surgical intervention without side-effects in treating cancer, Vasishta said his invented therapy halted the disease, improved the quality of life and extended survival chances. Commemorating the World Brain Tumor Day, which falls on June 8 every year, the private hospital is offering a week-long consultation programme from June 12 at its facility in the city's southeast suburb.

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