Passenger allegedly detained, assaulted by customs officials

August 21, 2013

Mangalore, Aug 21: A young passenger of Mangalore origin was allegedly detained and assaulted by a customs official at Mangalore International Airport on Tuesday, during immigration checking upon his arrival at the airport by an Air India Express flight from Muscat.

Ismail (24) from Munnur in Mangalore taluk, was detained by customs officials during immigration checking for carrying excess gold items without declaring them.

According to Ismail, who had been employed from two years in Muscat, he flew to Mangalore with a set of three gold bangles weighing 35 grams in total along with a purchase receipt as a gift for an occasion. He said that the customs officials detained him and instructed him to pay a sum of Rs 10,000 as fine. They even confiscated his passport.

When he refused to pay the amount, he was taken to a separate room and assaulted by an official in plainclothes.

The flight arrived at 7.30 p.m. at the airport, and Ismail was released at 10 p.m. along with his confiscated belongings.

Having sustained injuries in the assault, Ismail was hospitalised in a private hospital.

However, the officials belonging to the Customs department denied that any such assault occurred at the airport.

Sources at the airport said that the passenger had been detained merely for questioning since the gold jewellery had been shown in the luggage scan, and the questioning took up some time as the passenger required a translator.

A complaint has been filed at Kadri police station, which was later transferred to Bajpe police station.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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