Lecturer whose hand was chopped off acquitted of 'hurting religious sentiments'

November 14, 2013

Idukki, Nov 14: In a relief to college lecturer T J Joseph, whose hand was chopped off by activists of a radical outfit, a Magistrate Court here has exonerated him of the charge of hurting religious sentiments of a community through a question paper he set for his students.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate at Thodupuzha, considering the police case, discharged Joseph yesterday from the case accepting his plea that he had prepared the questions for the graduate course without any mala fide intention.

A former lecturer of Malayalam literature of Newman College at Thodupuzha, Joseph was attacked and his right hand chopped off allegedly by activists of a fundamentalist outfit on July 5, 2010, while he was going to church with his family members.

The attackers told him that he was being punished for sacrilegious undertones of one of the questions he set for the second year graduate students.

The hand chopping case is being investigated by the NIA and the trial is progressing.

Despite widespread condemnation the incident evoked, the college management dismissed Joseph from the job. His plea challenging the decision is pending before the University Apallete Tribubanal.

Joseph, when contacted, said he is now engaged in writing a book about the harrowing experience he had gone through. The book will be published only after the pending case was over, he said.

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‘Profit’ trap: Mangaluru trader duped of ₹33.1 lakh in online App scam

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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Mangaluru NRI returning from Saudi Arabia arrested over Instagram post

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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