Overseas education: Australia, New Zealand university representatives in Mangaluru on March 4

Mangaluru, July 8: In a deeply alarming incident that has once again drawn attention to the rising number of heart attacks among young people, an 18-year-old engineering diploma student collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack near Surathkal on the outskirts of the city on Monday, July 7.

The deceased, Aftab, son of Asgar Ali, was a resident of Krishnapura Hillside and a student pursuing a diploma in electrical engineering at a local institute. The incident occurred around 12 noon while Aftab was walking home to take a bath. He suddenly collapsed near his house and could not be revived. Initial reports indicate the cause as a heart attack.

Aftab was the only son in a family of four children. His mother had passed away during the Covid pandemic, and he had been living with his father since then. His three sisters are married. On the day of the incident, his father, Asgar Ali, an auto-rickshaw driver, had been home with him until 1 pm, shortly before leaving for work. The tragedy struck soon after.

The sudden death of an apparently healthy teenager has shocked the community and reignited growing concerns about the increasing incidence of heart attacks among youth in India. Once considered a condition of the middle-aged and elderly, cardiac arrest is now increasingly being reported in individuals in their teens and twenties, often without any prior symptoms.

Health experts have been raising red flags over the past few years, linking early heart complications in youth to factors such as sedentary lifestyle, dietary habits, chronic stress, undiagnosed conditions, and post-Covid aftereffects.

Aftab's untimely passing is a tragic reminder of how vital it is to monitor cardiac health regardless of age, and raises urgent questions about awareness, early screening, and preventive measures in young populations.

Mangaluru, June 26: In two separate but strikingly similar incidents, two individuals from Mangaluru lost a total of ₹36.89 lakh to sophisticated "work from home" scams that originated on Instagram and WhatsApp, and later extended to platforms like Telegram. The scams, disguised as easy online jobs with high returns, lured victims with small initial payouts before demanding larger investments, which ultimately vanished without a trace.

Case 1: ₹27 Lakh Lost in ‘Global Part-Time Job’ Scam

One of the victims, a woman from Mangaluru, said she was watching Instagram reels on June 11 when she came across an advertisement offering a "Work From Home" opportunity. Intrigued, she clicked on the link, which redirected her to a WhatsApp chat, promoting a scheme called "Global Part Time Job".

The offer promised ₹120 per task for simply liking content on ShareChat, with daily earnings up to ₹5,000. She completed 20 tasks on the first day and was credited ₹320 to her bank account — a tactic often used by fraudsters to gain trust.

Encouraged by the payout and the lure of larger profits, she began transferring money to the scheme in phases from June 13 to June 20 — not just from her account, but also from those of her father, sister, and husband. Altogether, she claims to have transferred ₹27.01 lakh to various bank accounts.

When she could no longer withdraw any funds and received no response from the operators, she realized she had been defrauded and filed a complaint at the CEN Crime Police Station.

Case 2: ₹9.88 Lakh Lost in Telegram Investment Fraud

In another similar case, reported at the Mangaluru Rural Police Station, a second victim lost ₹9.88 lakh after being contacted on WhatsApp by someone named Ishika Joshi on May 22. She shared a link offering money for rating movies online. After the victim gave 5-star ratings, ₹150 was credited to their account, building confidence in the legitimacy of the task.

Soon after, a man identifying himself as Naveen Aurora, a "data tutor," contacted the victim via Telegram. He claimed that by paying a ₹5,000 task fee, the victim would gain access to more profitable assignments. The victim was then persuaded to invest in “US Copper”, a so-called foreign stock opportunity, initially depositing ₹53,000.

When the victim inquired about the expected returns, Aurora claimed the investment had been misdirected to “UK Copper” by mistake, and that a "repair task" was needed to recover the funds — prompting a further transfer of ₹8 lakh. Later, Aurora demanded an additional ₹8.5 lakh to complete “Level 2” and unlock the refund.

Realizing something was amiss, the victim checked with the bank and confirmed the fraud, eventually reporting it to the police.

Mangaluru, July 4: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested a key accused, who had been living abroad for the last two years, in connection with its probe into the sensational murder of BJP leader Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka, officials said.

The accused, Abdul Rahaman, was taken into custody by the NIA team at the Kannur International Airport in Kerala on his arrival from Qatar, they said.

A total of four accused, including Rahaman and two other absconders, were chargesheeted by the NIA in the case in April this year, taking the total chargesheeted in the case to 28.

The NIA had also declared rewards for information relating to six absconders. Rahaman was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh for this arrest. He is the 22nd accused to be arrested in the case.

Investigation officers claim that Rahaman, on directions of PFI leadership, harboured the main assailants and others involved in the case, the agency said in a statement, adding that he fled to Qatar after the attackers were arrested.

Nettaru was killed with sharp weapons by assailants on July 26, 2022, in Bellare village of Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, the statement said.

According to NIA, the killing was part of a larger conspiracy aimed at striking terror among the people and unleashing communal hatred and unrest in the society.

The NIA, which re-registered the case on August 4, 2022, is trying to track down the remaining absconders.