Indian man among four charged over Doha restaurant blast

April 16, 2014

doha
Doha, Apr 16: An Indian and three other foreign nationals were today charged with negligence of duty over a deadly blast at a Turkish restaurant here that killed 11 expatriates, including five Indians, in February.

The public prosecution charged an Indian, an Egyptian and two Turkish men for the blast that tore through the Hala Istanbul Restaurant on February 27, leaving 35 others injured.

The four persons were charged with negligence in undertaking their work duties, which caused loss of lives, severe injury to many, risked the safety of others and caused undue destruction of the material assets of others.

The accused are to be held temporarily in jail until the hearing of the case, the Gulf Times reported.

The Indian man, who was working as supervisor at Qatar Fuel (Woqod), has not been identified. The Egyptian national was employed as supervisor at Qatar Gas Group, while the two Turkish men were a baker and an accountant at the restaurant.

The Indian victims of the blast have been identified as Riyas Kizhakemanolil, Abdul Saleem Palangad, Zakaria Padinjare Anakandi, Venkatesh and Shaikh Babu.

Four Nepali nationals and two people from the Philippines were also killed in the explosions.

The prosecution has accused the Indian man of negligence in reporting to the distribution department at Woqod to stop gas supply to the restaurant until the maintenance work was completed and an inspection report submitted by the company concerned. This was to ensure compliance with the required standards and safety regulations.

The Egyptian has been charged with negligence for connecting the restaurant's apparatuses with the new gas line without any check-up of the maintenance works and without the issuance of an accomplishment certificate by the parties concerned.

A fire expert at the Ministry of Interior gave a report, stating that the main cause of the fire and explosion was a gas leak from the oven of the restaurant due to negligence in attending to it.

The gas explosion damaged other buildings in the vicinity too apart from wrecking a number of vehicles.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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coastaldigest.com news network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has issued a high-alert warning to vehicle owners regarding a surge in cyber fraud targeting those looking to pay traffic violation fines. Fraudsters are reportedly exploiting recent government discount schemes on traffic penalties to deceive citizens.

The Scam: How Fraudsters Strike

Criminals are using SMS, WhatsApp, and social media to circulate suspicious links and APK files (Android application packages). They claim these apps allow users to pay e-challans at a discount.

•    Device Hacking: Downloading these unauthorized apps gives hackers full access to the victim's smartphone.

•    Financial Theft: Once the phone is compromised, fraudsters intercept OTPs and personal data to drain bank accounts.

•    Phishing Sites: Fake websites mimicking official portals are also being used to harvest banking credentials.

Already, two residents within Mangaluru city limits have reported significant financial losses after falling victim to these fraudulent apps.

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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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