HDFC Life manager held for cheating people of Rs 40 cr

Bengaluru, Dec 18: Vishalakshi, the manager of HDFC Life’s BTM?Layout branch in the City, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on charges of cheating hundreds of people, including Housing Minister M H?Ambarish’s kin, of Rs 40 crore.

A police team from the City tracked and arrested her at Etawah on Wednesday night. She was brought to the City on Thursday morning.

The police said Vishalakshi used to befriend people from business sectors, film industry as well as top government officials and collect money from them as premium towards life insurance policies.

But she did not deposit the money with the company. Vishalakshi, a native of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district, has a degree from Kuvempu University, Shivamogga.

In 2007, she joined the marketing division of HDFC. A senior police officer said they have information that she has cheated hundreds of people of Rs 40 crore.

It is suspected that there are more people cheated by her who are yet to lodge a police complaint. Also, the HDFC officials will be contacted to gather information about the nature of her work, the officer added.

B S Lokesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), said: “Following numerous complaints, two special teams were formed. They traced her mobile phone logs to Etawah. We gathered more information and two teams went to Etawah from where she was arrested on Wednesday night. She was subjected to medical examination and after completing the formalities, she was produced before a local court which remanded her in police custody for five days.”

The police said she was residing in an ashram in Etawah. She had roamed around several places in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi, among others before reaching Etawah.

She will be further subjected to questioning to ascertain the modus operandi. The police are also ascertaining whether more people were involved with her. There are several cases lodged against her in Madiwala, Subramanyapura and J P Nagar police stations. She had also cheated Renuka Devi, sister of actor Sumalatha, wife of Housing Minister M?H Ambarish.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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