Woman, two others held for killing school teacher, setting him on fire

TNN

August 14, 2019

Mysuru, Aug 14: A woman and her two accomplices were arrested for killing a school teacher and setting his body on fire on Hallahalli–Nitre Road in Gundlupet taluk last week. The school teacher allegedly had an illicit relationship with the woman and was blackmailing her, police said.

The body of the teacher was found inside a burnt car on Halahalli–Nitre Road in Begur hobli in Gundlupet taluk at around 10.15pm on August 8. Based on the complaint given by a villager, Jayanna from Heggavadi village in Begur hobli, the police registered case under Section 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of IPC.

The police and forensic expert Dr Pradeep of Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Science, who collected the buckle of the victim’s belt, slipper and piece of jeans, identified him as Rangaswamy JM, a resident of Siddhartha Nagar in Chamarajanagar town and a school teacher.

During the investigation, the police found that Rangaswamy allegedly had an illicit relationship with Basavarajeshwari, a resident of Gundlupet town. Rangaswamy was blackmailing and demanding sexual favours using her nude photos and videos. He had also threatened her to upload the pictures and videos on social media.

Unable to bear the harassment, Basavarajeshwari conveyed the matter to her friend Raghu and both decided to eliminate Rangaswamy. Meanwhile, Raghu sought the help of his friend Siddu for the murder. All the three hatched plan, police said.

As per the plan, the woman met Rangaswamy on Thursday and both went to the industrial area near Badanaguppe village in his car. Both Raghu and Siddu, who were waiting at the spot, attacked Rangaswamy with a helmet hitting him on his face, head and private parts, killing him on the spot. The trio later kept the body in the driver’s seat and lit the car after pouring petrol on it. The made it look like an accident where a vehicle caught fire and the driver had died.

However, the police, based on the evidence collected at the spot, and tracking the phone calls made by the victim, arrested the woman and her associates.

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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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