Cop's complicity in college girl Pushpa's murder being probed

March 29, 2012

Uppinangady , March 29: The police have concluded that the Pushpa (20), whose body was found in the Kumaradhara River in Uppingangady on March 19, was murdered by her alleged boyfriend.

The Kadaba police have booked a case of murder against Ramesh, her alleged lover. Ramesh is a resident of Kookada village.

Pushpa , a PUC student at Subramanya Government First grade college had gone missing the day before her body was found in Koila village near Uppinangady.

A resident of Shantigodu village in Pajirodi and daughter of Sanku, she had come home for holidays. She used to live at the hostel.

During the post mortem it was found that her body was forcefully drowned and hence the police started investigation. Now it has been found that she had been killed for not reciprocating the love by a boy. Police have taken Kokkada Ramesh into custody. Having obtained ITI education he was working in Bangalore and claimed that Pushpa was in love with him before this and had left him to love somebody else. On getting agitated about this Ramesh called Pushpa to the river side under the pretext of talking. He then pushed her into the river and strangled her in the river, the investigation has revealed.

The relative of Pushpa's alleged murderer Ramesh is working in the Police Department and some of the belongings of Pushpa have been found in his house. The role of this officer in the murder is slowly taking shape in the investigation. Being on a job at Puttur Police station he seemed to have known about the murder and had co-operated in the act or must have co-operated for the murder in the pretext of being a relative. District crime prevention team and Puttur ASP are guiding the investigation.

The Kadaba police who had initially booked a case of unnatural death have now booked a case of murder based on the complaint filed by Pushpa's father Sanku.

According to the complaint, Ramesh had been in love with Pushpa for some time and had even promised to marry her after the latter completed her education. Sanku also mentioned in the complaint that Ramesh's had started behaving suspiciously since Pushpa went missing.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

No cases yet, but vigilance high: Karnataka braces for Nipah threat

News Network

February 3,2026

Bengaluru: Following reports of fresh Nipah virus (NiV) cases in West Bengal and heightened vigilance across parts of Southeast Asia, the Karnataka Health Department has placed the state on high alert and activated emergency preparedness protocols.

Health officials said enhanced surveillance measures have been initiated after two healthcare workers in Barasat, West Bengal, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While no cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, authorities said the state’s past exposure to Nipah outbreaks and high inter-state mobility warranted preventive action.

Officials have directed district health teams to intensify monitoring, particularly at hospitals and points of entry, and to ensure early detection and isolation of suspected cases.

High Mortality Virus with Multiple Transmission Routes

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans and has a reported fatality rate ranging between 60 and 75 per cent. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoirs of the virus and can transmit it by contaminating food sources with saliva or urine.

Known modes of transmission include:

•   Contaminated food: Consumption of fruits partially eaten by bats or raw date-palm sap
•   Animal contact: Exposure to infected pigs or other animals
•   Human-to-human transmission: Close contact with body fluids of infected persons, particularly in healthcare settings

Symptoms and Disease Progression

The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, though delayed onset has also been reported. Early symptoms often resemble common viral infections, making prompt clinical suspicion critical.

•   Initial symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, sore throat
•   Progressive symptoms: Drowsiness, disorientation, altered mental state
•   Severe stage: Seizures, neck stiffness and acute encephalitis, which can rapidly progress to coma

Public Health Advisory

The Health Department has issued precautionary guidelines urging the public to adopt risk-avoidance practices to prevent any local spillover.

Do’s
•   Wash fruits thoroughly before consumption
•   Drink boiled and cooled water
•   Use protective equipment while handling livestock
•   Maintain strict hand hygiene

Don’ts
•   Avoid fruits found on the ground or showing bite marks
•   Do not consume beverages made from raw tree sap, including toddy
•   Avoid areas with dense bat populations
•   Do not handle sick or dead animals

Preparedness Measures

Officials confirmed that isolation wards are being readied in major government hospitals and that medical staff are being sensitised to identify early warning signs.

“There is no cause for panic, but there is a need for heightened vigilance,” a senior health official said, adding that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah, and care remains largely supportive.

Comments