Gulf returnee abducted, beaten up in Kerala; gold smuggling racket suspected

News Network

August 16, 2021

Kasaragod, Aug 16: In yet another incident of abduction of gold carriers by the smuggling rackets operating here, a 44-year-old Gulf returnee was abducted, beaten up and abandoned in Koyilandi near Kozhikode, police said on Monday.

Police sources said Haneefa of Muthabi Thoniyadath was abducted by a five-member gang on Sunday midnight. He was abandoned after being beaten up on Monday morning.

The police suspect gold smugglers to be behind the crime. The police have registered a case and are investigating.

Sources said Haneefa had returned from Qatar a couple of months ago with gold which was confiscated by the customs while trying to smuggle it out. However, the smuggling racket did not believe his story and abducted him.

A similar incident had occurred in Koyilandi a month ago. A frequent flyer to UAE, Ashraf was reported to be a carrier in the gold smuggling racket that operates in Calicut International Airport. He was later found abandoned in Kunnamangalam with serious injuries on his legs.

A series of crimes rlated with gold smuggling and gold stealing gangs have been registered by the police after five men of the racket were killed in a road accident in nearby Ramanattukara few months ago.

Notwithstanding, several gulf returnees were booked by the Air Customs for smuggling gold.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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