Pope calls slain Gaza children ‘little Jesuses of today’, urges truce amid ‘desperate situation’

Mangaluru: The Kavoor Police have arrested two individuals accused of duping several residents of Mangaluru’s Kavoor area by promising overseas jobs and collecting nearly ₹1 crore without providing employment.

City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C.H. identified the accused as Prakruthi U. (34) of Anekal taluk, Bengaluru, and Aldon Rebeiro (42) of Gangolli, Kundapura.

Acting on a complaint from multiple victims, police registered a case at the Kavoor Police Station. During the probe, officers recovered 24 passports, allegedly seized from the victims under the pretext of visa processing, along with 43 grams of gold ornaments worth about ₹4.3 lakh and two mobile phones from the accused in Bengaluru.

Both suspects were taken into custody and produced before the jurisdictional court, the commissioner said.

According to investigators, around 40 people were cheated within Kavoor Police Station limits, while another complaint was filed at Mulki Police Station by a victim claiming similar fraud. The investigation is ongoing.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of ACP (North Sub-Division) Shrikant K and led by Inspector Raghavendra M. Byndoor, assisted by PSI Mallikarjun Biradar, Head Constable Nagarathna, and Constables Raghavendra, Praveen, and Riyaz.

Srinagar: In one of the most alarming recoveries in recent years, Jammu and Kashmir Police unearthed a massive cache of explosives — 360 kilograms of explosives (possibly ammonium nitrate), an assault rifle, one pistol and ammunition — from Faridabad in Haryana, on the outskirts of the national capital.

It was initially reported that the explosives recovered were RDX. However, Faridabad Police later clarified that it was not RDX, but 360 kg of inflammable material which is possibly ammonium nitrate.

The recovery, officials said, followed disclosures made by an arrested Kashmiri doctor, identified as Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather, during interrogation. Acting on his information, J&K police conducted a raid at Al Falah Hospital in Faridabad, leading to the unprecedented haul of explosives.

Earlier, security agencies had seized an AK-47 rifle and ammunition from a locker belonging to Dr. Rather in a Kashmir hospital, where he was working till last year before shifting to Faridabad, indicating a wider operational footprint. Another doctor, Dr. Muzamil Shakeel, a resident of Koil in Pulwama district, has also been detained for allegedly helping stock and conceal the explosives in Faridabad.

Both suspects are currently under custody of Jammu and Kashmir police as investigators try to piece together what officials describe as a potential trans-regional terror conspiracy with grave implications for national security.

A group of doctors from Jammu and Kashmir has also come under the scanner, as security agencies suspect their links to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and so called Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

Senior security officials said the recovery points to the possibility of a major terror plot being foiled, one that could have targeted the National Capital Region (NCR) or other strategic sites in North India.

“This is not a routine recovery — it suggests deep infiltration of terror logistics networks extending beyond J&K. The use of medical professionals as facilitators adds an alarming dimension,” a senior police officer said.

Sources said security agencies are now tracing the origin of the explosives and the financial and logistical chain that enabled its movement from Kashmir to Haryana. Investigators suspect cross-border terror handlers may have coordinated the operation through encrypted communication channels, exploiting professional networks for cover.

As the investigation widens, more arrests are likely, and agencies are treating the case as a national security priority — a reminder that despite years of counter-terror successes in Kashmir, the battle has far from ended.

NRI entrepreneur Zakariya Jokatte, founder of Saudi Arabia’s Al Muzain Company, has been named one of the recipients of the 2025–26 Karnataka Rajyotsava Awards.

The award, announced by the Department of Kannada and Culture, recognises him under the Non-Resident Kannadiga (NRI) category for his business achievements and social work.

Expressing surprise over the award Zakariya said: “I never applied for it. Some friends must have nominated me quietly. I grew up in poverty, so I know what it means to struggle. Helping others has always been my way of giving back.”

“This honour is both a joy and a reminder of my responsibility to society,” he added.

Born in 1958 in Thokur near Mangaluru, Zakariya is the eldest of five children. He left school early and began working small jobs, including selling jaggery and welding, before moving abroad for labour work. He recalls carrying cement up 28 floors during his early years in the Gulf.

In 2008, he founded Al Muzain Manpower Company in Jubail with his son and three employees. The firm now employs more than 8,000 workers, with plans to expand to 10,000 by 2027.

Over the years, Zakariya has diversified his business interests across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, London and India. He has also invested in education, establishing an international school in Al Khobar in partnership with Yenepoya Institutions, and plans to launch a hospital and medical college.

Based in Bolar, Mangaluru, Zakariya is also known for his philanthropic work. Through the M Friends Charitable Trust, Hidaya Foundation and Zara Family Charity Trust, he supports welfare projects for disadvantaged communities.