Anti-Israel angle ‘created’ in Bengaluru blast; loopholes emerge in NIA claim

[email protected] (News Network)
January 30, 2016

Bengaluru, Jan 30: The National Investigation Agency’s shocking revelation that terrorists had tried to target an Israeli delegation by planting bomb on Church Street in Bengaluru, has left behind some loopholes in the case raising questions over the credibility of its claim.

blast
While a communiqué by NIA on Friday stated that Alam Jeb Afridi alias Rafeeq had confessed to planting the bomb on Church Street in 2014, city police officers who carried out the initial probe are ‘surprised’ they did not zero in on him till now.

“He had carried out the instructions of his handler who had informed him about the probable visit of an Israeli delegation to the said café (Coconut Grove) for dinner that night,” the communiqué stated.

However, local police as well as the Israeli consulate claimed that they had no knowledge of such a delegation or a visit to Coconut Grove on December 28, 2014. What has them ‘worried’ is the revelation that it could have been a planned attack targeting the Israeli establishment in the city, said a senior police officer who probed the case.

According to the NIA, Alam Jeb Afridi alias Rafeeq, has also confessed to the arson attack on the Israeli visa centre in Mittal Towers on M.G. Road on the intervening night of 29th and 30th November, 2015. A lot of ‘anti-Semitic hate literature’ was recovered from Afridi’s residence, the statement said.

In the said incident, someone had hurled a kerosene bomb, setting off a fire and also dropped a note written in Arabic. The city police had dismissed it as the result of a ‘civil dispute’ in the building. Several city police officers said that this is the first time they heard of an Israeli delegation planning to visit the restaurant or that the blast was part of a planned attack on the delegation. They added that it is surprising that they were not aware of any such delegation. “We had been co-ordinating with all the central intelligence agencies on the probe and nowhere did we come across this information,” a senior police officer, now posted out of the city said.

Ziv Shalvi, Deputy Chief of Mission and Spokesman, Consulate General of Israel, Bengaluru also denied knowledge of any such delegation. “There was no official delegation or any official from the consulate that I know of visiting Coconut Grove on the day of the bombing,” he said adding that the consulate did not believe that there were any specific anti-Semitic sentiments in the city. “We are constantly co-ordinating with the city police, confident of their protection and work.”

Comments

Abu Maryum
 - 
Saturday, 30 Jan 2016

Truth will reveal after 10/15 years!! that s what happening now in our
country when ever some tragedy happen and some people arrested in this regards!!

BOOM
 - 
Saturday, 30 Jan 2016

Many twists with lies & deceptions are done to justify cases on the innocents. Any way The one who gave us soul will not live these deceivers, He will live some troubles on their own stupidity so that the smart & intelligent people to recognize the reality of their deception.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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