Bengaluru: Hair-raising fight between female banker and thief

[email protected] (Bangalore Mirror)
October 7, 2016

Bengaluru, Oct 7: A 27-year-old woman pickpocket was nabbed within 25 minutes after she stole the purse of a bank's assistant general manager in a BMTC bus and was trying to withdraw money from a ATM kiosk on Thursday morning. The victim's husband received an SMS on his mobile about the huge withdrawal of Rs 90,000 and alerted her. The victim got down from the bus and being a bank official, she called the bank to find out the place from where the money was withdrawn. The ATM kiosk was just 500 meters away. The victim, with the help of security guards and a few roadside vegetable vendors, nabbed the accused and handed her to the police.

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The victim, a resident of Rajajinagar, had boarded the BMTC bus near Bashyam Circle to go to her bank on Magadi Road. The victim works in State Bank of India. Around 10.20 am, when she was travelling in the bus, the accused, 27-year-old Abhi alias Prafulla, a resident of Banashankari, managed to steal her purse from her handbag. The accused immediately got down from the bus and walked to an ATM kiosk of State Bank of Hyderabad on Malle Gowda Street. The ATM kisok is 10 minutes walk from Bashyam Circle.

"There were two ATM cards in the purse and the victim, despite being a bank official and knowing the dangers of leaving the ATM PIN near the cards, had still written the PIN in a slip and kept it in the same purse. The accused, using the PINs, had withdrawn around Rs 90,000. The victim had given her husband's mobile phone number for the SMS alert facility. After every withdrawal, the husband kept receiving the alerts. He called his wife who was still in the bus to enquire about the withdrawals. The victim looked at her bag and found that her purse was stolen," said an officer part of the investigations.

Being a bank official, the victim checked with the bank to find out the ATM kiosk from where the money was withdrawn. She immediately got down the bus and rushed to the kiosk and found the accused still inside trying to withdraw more. The ATM cards had a minimum withdrawal limits of Rs 50,000 each. The accused, after using one card, was withdrawing money from the other card. The security guard of the kiosk also suspected foul play due to repeated withdrawals.

"The victim immediately sought the help of the security guard and a few vegetable vendors in the vicinity. The public surrounded the accused and the victim also saw her purse with the accused. The victim called the police control room and the jurisdictional Rajajinagar police were sent to the spot and brought the accused to the police station. The victim was advised not to keep the PIN with the ATM cards," the officer added.

The accused claims she is from Hosur in Tamil Nadu. But according to her voter ID card, she is a resident of Banashankari. The accused seems to be a habitual offender, which is being verified. The entire money was recovered intact and will be returned to the victim after completing the formalities, Rajajinagar police said. Further investigations are on.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 7,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Udupi: The pontiffs of Sri Paryaya Puttige Mutt, the sacred seat of Jagadguru Shrimad Madhvacharya Moola Samsthanam, have submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister seeking comprehensive development for Udupi district. 

Proposal for International Airport

A key request is the establishment of an international airport. Highlighting that around 1,000 acres of land are available and suitable, the pontiffs noted that the existing Mangalore Airport provides limited international connectivity. They suggested the airport be developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or as a Greenfield Airport to boost trade, education, healthcare, and spiritual tourism.

Metro and Rapid Transit Connectivity

The proposal also calls for Metro Rail or Rapid Transit between Mangaluru and Udupi. The 55 km coastal stretch experiences heavy daily commuter traffic, causing congestion. The district administration is ready to prepare an initial project report for a Mass Rapid Transit corridor and requested inclusion under national urban mobility programmes to ensure safe, green, and time-efficient regional transport.

Port and Coastal Development

The pontiffs urged the development of an international-standard port with a cruise terminal along Udupi’s coast. They also requested fast-tracking of pending coastal tourism projects and revising Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to encourage sustainable infrastructure and hospitality investment.

IT, AI and Technological Infrastructure

Support was sought for an IT and AI Innovation Park with incubation facilities under Digital India and Startup India initiatives. The proposal also emphasized the need for strengthened data security and cloud computing infrastructure to boost India’s technological independence.

Sports and Education Initiatives

The pontiffs requested national sports status for Kambala, along with financial and infrastructure support. They also sought the establishment of an AIIMS in Udupi, a new IIT campus, and approval for an IIM to promote higher education in the district.

Representation to the Prime Minister

Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Pontiff and Sri Sushrendra Tirtha Swamiji represented the pontiffs in submitting the comprehensive development proposal to the Prime Minister during his recent visit.

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