Wayanad landslides: Search operations continue for 10th day: 226 confirmed dead; 138 missing

Udupi, Aug 27: Police on Tuesday arrested a BJP worker in connection with the abduction and rape case in Karkala, which Sangh Parivar had tried to portray as a ‘love jihad’ case.

In fact the BJP had run a campaign over the abduction and rape case and slammed the Karnataka government alleging a ‘love jihad’ angle.

The arrested BJP worker identified as Abhay is the third accused to be arrested in the case.

Police stated that Abhay had also helped the main accused Altaf to escape after the incident.

The Karkala town police have also slapped the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) against him as investigation has revealed that Abhay had provided drugs to Altaf.

The accused had posted BJP MLA and Karnataka General Secretary, V Sunil Kumar's photo in his social media account and also identified with Hindu organisations, police said.

A probe has revealed that Abhay was close to Altaf.

The development has triggered a debate on social media.

Abhay had also taken part in the campaign against drugs organised by the Bajrang Dal and he was also a part of the team which submitted a memorandum to the Deputy SP of Karkala.

More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.

The police department is yet to give an official statement regarding the development.

An incident of an Instagram friend kidnapping and raping a 21-year-old woman had come to light on last Saturday from Karkala town of Udupi district.

The police had arrested two persons in this connection and the victim was admitted to hospital.

The case had taken a twist with Hindutva organisations alleging ‘love jihad’ and claiming that the victim was gang-raped.

The police had warned of strict action against those spreading rumours.

The arrested persons were identified as Altaf and Xavier Richard Quadros.

Udupi SP, Dr Arun Kumar had stated, "We received a complaint on Friday evening regarding the kidnap and rape of a young woman. The victim and accused were friends on Instagram for three months. The accused and the victim belong to the same place."

The accused Altaf, who was the woman’s Instagram friend, had called the victim and asked her to come to a particular spot near her work place on Friday noon.

When the victim reached a particular spot, she was kidnapped from there, he stated.

The victim claims that she was forced to consume a drink laced with some sedative substances and the accused then raped her, SP Arun Kumar had stated.

After committing the crime, the accused had dropped the victim home, he had said.

The United Nations has warned that Israel is using “lethal war-like tactics” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, more than a week after the occupying entity launched a massive military aggression in the Palestinian territory, killing dozens of people.

At a press conference in New York on Tuesday, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Stéphane Dujarric, said that the Tel Aviv regime had resumed its aggression in Tulkarm and Jenin.

“The UN has recorded more than two dozen fatalities over the past week, including children,” he said, adding that multiple organizations mobilized by the OCHA were set to carry out an assessment in Jenin but were denied access by the Israeli authorities. 

“OCHA warns that access impediments are impacting the ability to provide meaningful humanitarian response,” Dujarric said, noting that the movement of ambulances and medical teams has been impeded and delayed since the onset of the current aggression.

In the early hours of August 28, the Israeli military conducted its biggest operation – dubbed “Camps of Summer” – in the West Bank in over 20 years, deploying hundreds of troops and airstrikes on Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas, which are major centers of Palestinian resistance against the occupying entity.

The ongoing military aggression in the West Bank is currently concentrated in the city of Jenin, whose streets and infrastructure have been damaged by over 70 percent since the onset of the “Camps of Summer”, according to its municipality.

Dujarric also warned that Israeli forces continue to employ “lethal war-like tactics” in the West Bank, including airstrikes, with people being killed, injured and displaced.

While in Tulkarem on Saturday, OCHA teams verified that 120 Palestinians, including over 40 children, were displaced due to the destruction of their homes.

“At the time of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nour Shams refugee camp experienced water cut-offs, attributed to damages caused to the water network, and sewage overflow was observed. The teams also noted that the population was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support,” the OCHA report said.

Since the onset of the current aggression in the West Bank, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces has increased to 34. This includes 19 in Jenin, 8 in Tulkarm, 4 in Tubas, and 3 in al-Khalil. The total death toll in the occupied West Bank has now reached 685 since October 7 last year.

The heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank come as the Israeli regime has since October been conducting a barbaric onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, claiming the lives of more than 40,000 people, most of them women and children. 

Mangaluru, Sep 3: In a tragic incident, a 31-year-old man lost his life after suffering a fatal cardiac arrest while playing cricket at Mooduperara Kayarane, located on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

Pradeep Poojary, a resident of Mooduperara Kayarane and the son of the late Ananda Poojary, experienced severe chest pain during a game on Sunday evening. 

He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Kaikamba, then to a primary health care center in Bajpe, where he received initial treatment. Despite efforts to save him, Pradeep succumbed to the cardiac arrest on the way to a private hospital in Mangaluru.

Pradeep was an active community member, working as an employee of the Paduperara gram panchayat since 2012. He was the president of the Mangaluru taluk committee of the State Gram Panchayat Employees’ Welfare Association and served as the secretary of Kayarane Navaranga Friends. He was also known for his involvement with Bajrang Dal and Javaner Perar.

Pradeep leaves behind his mother, brother, and sister. His untimely death has sent shockwaves through the community, where he was known for his dedication and service.