Orphan boy drowns in river during trip

October 15, 2011

Mangalore, October, 15: An orphan boy lost his life after he accidentally drowned in a river at Someshwar near Ullal on Friday Evening.

A victim has been identified as Praveenkumar (14), hailing from Soluru in Bangalore and an inmate of Aloysian Boys Home, a rehabilitation centre at Ombattukere near Ullal.

The incident occurred when the children of rehabilitation centre had visited nearby Battampadi near Someshwar as part of their excursion.

When the supervisor of the Boys Home, who had accompanied the children, approached the river to wash his hands after breakfast Praveen and another boy followed him and began to play in the water.

Praveen slipped and fell into the river. Although he was immediately lifted out of the water and rushed to a nearby hospital, but could not be saved.

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The £25,000 Trap: Mangaluru Man Duped of ₹13.4 Lakh in 'London Friend' Facebook Scam

News Network

November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Mangaluru East police have registered a case following a sophisticated online fraud where a 57-year-old local resident was allegedly cheated out of ₹13.4 lakh after being targeted on Facebook.

The scam began in February when the complainant, while browsing Facebook reels, was contacted by a woman identifying herself as "Lillian Mary George" from London. After establishing a chat relationship, the woman claimed she would visit India in November and bring a significant sum of money.

The trap was sprung on November 15, when the victim received a call from a woman named "Sonali Gupta," who claimed Lillian had arrived at Mumbai International Airport but was detained by customs. The fraudsters convinced the man that Lillian was carrying £25,000 (about ₹26 lakh) in traveller’s cheques and 1 kg of gold (valued at around ₹30 lakh).

Under the pretense of clearing these items, the victim was asked to make numerous online transfers between November 15 and 18 for various bogus charges, including:

•   "Pounds exchange registration"
•   "Customs declaration issues"
•   "Discount charges"
•   "Money-laundering charges"

Believing the fictitious story, the complainant transferred the cumulative sum of ₹13.4 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. He realised he was cheated when the culprits later promised a refund within two days but stopped answering his calls. The Mangaluru East police are now investigating the case, which highlights the continuing threat of transnational cyber fraud using social engineering and promises of fictitious wealth.

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