Human trafficking: Five among 13 arrested remanded to police custody

September 12, 2012

Mangalore, September 12: The JMFC second court remanded five of the 13 human traffickers of Sri Lankan Tamilian refugees to police custody here on Tuesday.

Those taken into custody are: Sri Lankan national Thavarassa (46), Indian national Shajahan (33) from Palakkad in Kerala, Sri Lankan refugees from Tamil Nadu Dinesh Kumar (27) of Nammakal, Yakoob (40) from Kuniyamuthur in Tamil Nadu, and Saleem (28) from Vellore.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Muthuraya said police were collecting more details about earlier attempts to illegally enter Australia. The city police rescued 84 persons, including 56 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, who were planning a risky and illegal sea voyage to Australia. The local police took assistance of their Tamil Nadu counterpart to identify the victims. The Lankan refugees and 21 Indians residing in Tamil Nadu have been sent to that State. The refugees have been handed over to Rehabilitation Commissioner, Chennai. Three of the detained were Tamils living in Kundapur, Karnataka while the remaining four were from Kerala, the police said.

Meanwhile, officials from the Lankan Embassy called the local police to secure details of the case and about the persons who have been arrested. One of the arrested persons is a Sri Lankan.

Pratap Reddy, inspector general of police (Western Range) and stand-in city police chief said police will map the role of these accused in planning the operation and any help they might have got locally. The remaining eight traffickers are in judicial custody.

Meanwhile, Madhava Suvarna of Chitrapura, owner of Sri Raksha, the boat in which the traffickers planned to take the refugees to Australia, failed to obtain bail. City police arrested Madhava on Monday Police who performed a mahazar of the boat on Tuesday recovered five bags each containing 25 kg of rice, pulses, a tin of pickles and vegetables.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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