Truck runs over people sleeping on footpath; boy killed, 3 injured

News Network

December 18, 2018

Bengaluru, Dec 18: A 14-year-old boy was crushed to death and three others, including a woman, were injured when a truck allegedly ran over them while they were sleeping on the footpath near Nelamangala toll gate in the early hours of Monday.

Jithu Chouhan was crushed to death while 45-year-old Mala and two others sustained severe injuries and were rushed to Victoria Hospital. According to the police, Mala’s condition is said to be critical while the two others are said to be out of danger. The victims hail from Maharashtra and were earning a livelihood by selling toys and wares at traffic junctions.

Investigations revealed that they had come as part of a larger group and were living on the footpaths for the past one month. On Sunday night, the group decided to return to their native place to meet their family members and get fresh stock of wares. They reached Nelamangala and slept on the pavements, planning to start the journey back home on Monday.

The truck, coming from the city, was heading towards Tumakuru. The driver lost control while trying to stop at the toll gate. As a result, the truck veered off the road on to the footpath, and ran over the victims who were asleep, the police said.

While Jithu and Mala came under the wheels, the others jumped to safety but were injured in the process.

The truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. Passers-by, along with the toll gate staff, rushed to the aid of the victims and alerted the Nelamangala police before shifting the injured to a hospital.

The Nelamangala traffic police have taken up a case of death due to negligence, rash and negligent driving against the driver, and efforts are on to track him down.

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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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