Taxi driver robbed by fake surgeon

March 21, 2012

Mangalore March 21: A miscreant pretending himself to be a surgeon hired a taxi from Ankola and robbed the driver of the taxi after taking him to Manipal.

The imposter, introducing himself as Dr. Rahul from the district hospital at Karwar, called taxi owner cum driver Nagaraj Naik, who hails from Shirkuli in Ankola, on Sunday night and told him that he had to rush to Manipal for an emergency surgery. He also asked the driver to wait at Ankola on Monday morning. Accordingly Nagaraj waited for him near an SBI ATM in Ankola. The imposter went into the ATM and withdrew some money. He gave some money to the driver apparently to win his confidence.

On Monday afternoon both reached Manipal and the imposter allegedly gave another Rs. 1,000 to Nagaraj and asked him to book a room and asked him t take the bag apparently containing money to the hotel room.

The imposter also told the driver that he was heading to Manipal Hospital and asked him to wait at the lodge. Within 30 minutes, he retuned to the lodge and told Nagaraj that there was no proper staff to help him to conduct the surgery and asked if he was ready to help.

He asked Nagaraj to keep his gold chain, cash and other valuables in the same bag which he had given to Nagaraj and asked him to park the car in the parking lot and wait there.

When the fraudster failed to return after two hours Nagaraj went to the room only to find that the valuables are missing. Nagaraj went to Manipal police station to register a complaint, but was turned away. Nagaraj returned to Ankola on Tuesday and filed a complaint with the local police.

The police have gathered the CCTV footage of the man from the ATM and said they would transfer the case to Manipal

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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