HDK’s actor son Nikhil likely to contest LS polls from Mandya, Revanna’s son Prajwal from Hassan

Mangaluru, June 16: Muslims in Mangaluru observed Eid al-Adha today by offering prayers in mosques and Eidgahs, exchanging greetings, and sacrificing animals, as the monsoon rain took a break in the region.

Congregational Eid prayers were held in dozens of mosques across the city. Thousands of Muslims gathered at the Masjids and Eidgahs early in the day. Hundreds of women and children also participated in prayers at some of the Masjids. Special 'dua' was offered for peace in the country and around the world, including Gaza.

Dressed in new clothes, Muslims visited their relatives' houses, where they were treated with special sweet dishes. Platters of a variety of delicious cuisines were prepared in Muslim households.

Children in festival attire added color to the celebrations. People wished each other Eid Mubarak and hugged as a large number of photographers captured the poignant scenes of the festival prayers and greetings.

In their Eid sermons, Khateebs exhorted the believers to follow the ideals of Prophet Ibraheem (pbuh), who had decided to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismaeel (pbuh) as ordained by Allah.

Eid al-Adha is an occasion of joy and peace, where people celebrate with their families, let go of past grudges, and make meaningful connections with one another. It commemorates Prophet Ibraheem’s willingness to sacrifice everything for God.

An Indian expatriate working in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk, has been cleared of allegations related to a hacker's scam and is now permitted to return to India for leave. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, hails from the outskirts of Mangaluru city in Karnataka.

Employed by the Greek company for nearly three years, he had been diligently performing his duties. On November 15, 2022, he received a call from an individual pretending to be an officer from the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry. The “officer” informed him that his Iqama (Residency Permit) was about to expire and sent him an OTP (One-Time Password) to validate it. Trusting the caller’s identity, the man accepted the OTP and continued his work without issues until he planned to take a vacation.

On September 30, 2023, while traveling from Tabuk to Jeddah International Airport for his flight to India, he was contacted by his company and instructed to return to Tabuk because his exit re-entry had not been processed due to a case against his Iqama.

Upon his return, he discovered that SAR 17,000 had been withdrawn from a citizen’s bank account through his account. The man had no knowledge of this transaction and did not have any money in his account. Recalling the OTP incident from a year earlier, he realized he had been a victim of a cyber-scam.

A case was filed against him at the concerned police station, and he made a clear statement to the police about the incident. After an investigation lasting more than nine months, he was exonerated and is now allowed to go on leave to India.

The man expressed his gratitude to all those who supported him during the ordeal, including the authorities, his company, and social workers advocate P. A. Hameed Padubidri and Naufal Mulky for their unwavering support and constant follow-up.

This incident serves as a stark warning to other expatriates: be cautious and vigilant against unknown callers and unsolicited requests for sensitive information.

A 40-year-old expatriate from Karnataka’s Mangaluru had a lucky escape to survive even as a huge fire engulfed an apartment complex in Kuwait, killing over 49 people. 

Praison Roby Peter, who was working as an administrator in a private company for the last seven years, was asleep when the fire started.

“He was on the fourth floor. Fire started from the ground floor when they were asleep at 4 am. Suddenly, the smoke spread to the upper floors. To escape from smoke he jumped from the fourth floor and hence was injured,” said Joy Mathew from the Kuwait Pentecostal Mission Church.

Mathew is working closely with Indians who were injured in the Kuwait tragedy.

Kannadiga among victims

One person from Aland Taluk from Kalaburagi is one among the 45 Indians who lost their life in the Kuwait fire tragedy. 

The deceased has been identified as Vijay Kumar Prasanna (43) and his body is expected to reach Kalaburagi tomorrow. “We are coordinating with the Kochi Airport authorities. Once all the bodies arrive in Kochi, the body of the deceased will be transported to Hyderabad via flight on Friday night. From Hyderabad, the body will be moved to his native village in Aland using a district ambulance. We are hoping that the body will reach the family by early morning on Saturday,” a senior official from the Kalaburagi district administration said.

According to sources in Kalaburagi district administration, Prasanna was working as a driver in a private company in Kuwait for the last ten years. He is survived by his wife and three children, sources revealed. Prasanna is one of the deceased in the Kuwait apartment blaze that killed close to 45 Indians on Wednesday.