Forest offices, KFC restaurant attacked by Maoists in Kerala

December 22, 2014

Maoists in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 22: Two weeks after Maoists and police exchanged fire in Wayanad, a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet and two offices of the Forest department were today attacked by suspected Maoists in Palakkad and Wayanad districts.

No one was injured in any of these attacks which occurred in the early hours today, police said. Billboards and the group's posters calling for armed struggle were found by police from the premises where the attacks took place.

Police said two persons were taken into custody in connection with the attack on Silent Valley Forest Range office in Palakkad district.

Security in the areas has been tightened in the wake of the attack, police added.

District police officials said the Silent Valley Forest Range office situated at Mukkola in Attapady region of Palakkad was attacked and furniture and computers were damaged.

The group also set ablaze a forest jeep parked in front of the office. Window panes of the building also were damaged in the attack, they said.

The KFC restaurant at Chandranagar in Palakkad was attacked by a group of men, police said adding that posters displaying anti-US slogans were found at the building from where it functions.

In another incident, an office of "Vana Samrakshana Samithi" (Forest aid post) was vandalized by suspected ultras at Kunhom in Vellamunda forest area in Wayanad district.

Wayanad Collector Keshvendra Kumar told PTI that modus operandi indicate that the attacks were carried out by Maoists. "Wordings in the posters and modus operandi indicate that Maoists are behind the attack," he said.

Combing operations were already on and in the wake of the latest incident, vigilance has been intensified especially in the vulnerable areas, he added.

The attacks assume significance as it comes after an exchange of fire between police and Maoists at Vellamunda in Wayanad district on December 7. It took place when personnel of Thunderbolt, a special police wing, was conducting a routine combing operation.

Wayanad had been a hotbed of Naxalite activities during the late 1960s and early 1970s and there had been instances of encounters with police.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

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
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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