Mangaluru: Youth detained for allegedly waylaying MLA Harish Poonja’s car

News Network
October 14, 2022

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Mangaluru, Oct 14: A youth has been detained by the police in connection with the case of waylaying a car in which Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja was travelling at Farangipet and threatening the driver of the car.

The accused has been identified as Riyaz (38), son of Abdul Khader, a resident of Falnir. According to police, the accused does not have any criminal cases registered against him and was not found with any weapon on him.  The police have also seized the white Scorpio reportedly used for chasing the MLA's car.

The allegedly incident of waylaying the car occurred last night. In his complaint, Naveen (26), driver of MLA’s official car said that MLA Harish Poonja had been to Bengaluru on October 12 and had arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport on Thursday at 7:07 pm.

He travelled in the car to Circuit House in Mangaluru and attended a meeting. Later, at 10:45 pm, he left in a private car with his relatives Prashanth and Kushith.

The private car was moving ahead of his official car. When the MLA’s official car reached Naguri Railway Overbridge, a Scorpio started following it.

The driver informed the MLA over the phone. The MLA in turn had asked the driver to follow the car in which he was travelling.

The driver of the car which was following the MLA’s car overtook the car and later waylaid the car near Farangipet fish market where the MLA was travelling and abused driver Kushith and issued threats to him by showing weapons.

Naveen, the driver of the MLA’s car, immediately parked the car near the police outpost at Farangipet. After issuing threats, the driver of the Scorpio vehicle drove away the vehicle towards B C Road.

The complainant has alleged that the suspect has waylaid both the car in which the MLA was travelling and also MLA’s official car and issued threats along with abusing the driver.

The Bantwal Rural police have booked a case under IPC Section 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person ),506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation ). The investigation is under way.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Udupi: The pontiffs of Sri Paryaya Puttige Mutt, the sacred seat of Jagadguru Shrimad Madhvacharya Moola Samsthanam, have submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister seeking comprehensive development for Udupi district. 

Proposal for International Airport

A key request is the establishment of an international airport. Highlighting that around 1,000 acres of land are available and suitable, the pontiffs noted that the existing Mangalore Airport provides limited international connectivity. They suggested the airport be developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or as a Greenfield Airport to boost trade, education, healthcare, and spiritual tourism.

Metro and Rapid Transit Connectivity

The proposal also calls for Metro Rail or Rapid Transit between Mangaluru and Udupi. The 55 km coastal stretch experiences heavy daily commuter traffic, causing congestion. The district administration is ready to prepare an initial project report for a Mass Rapid Transit corridor and requested inclusion under national urban mobility programmes to ensure safe, green, and time-efficient regional transport.

Port and Coastal Development

The pontiffs urged the development of an international-standard port with a cruise terminal along Udupi’s coast. They also requested fast-tracking of pending coastal tourism projects and revising Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to encourage sustainable infrastructure and hospitality investment.

IT, AI and Technological Infrastructure

Support was sought for an IT and AI Innovation Park with incubation facilities under Digital India and Startup India initiatives. The proposal also emphasized the need for strengthened data security and cloud computing infrastructure to boost India’s technological independence.

Sports and Education Initiatives

The pontiffs requested national sports status for Kambala, along with financial and infrastructure support. They also sought the establishment of an AIIMS in Udupi, a new IIT campus, and approval for an IIM to promote higher education in the district.

Representation to the Prime Minister

Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Pontiff and Sri Sushrendra Tirtha Swamiji represented the pontiffs in submitting the comprehensive development proposal to the Prime Minister during his recent visit.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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