Indian tycoon Atlas Ramachandran given 3-year jail term in Dubai

[email protected] (CD Network)
November 12, 2015

Dubai, Nov 12: A court in Dubai on Thursday sentenced MM Ramachandran, chairman of the Atlas Group, to three years in jail in a case of financial fraud, according to media reports.

atlas
The 74-year-old businessman, popularly known as “Atlas” Ramachandran, had been in police custody since August after cheques for 34 million dhirams issued by his group bounced.

Ramachandran was sentenced to jail by the Dubai Misdemeanour Court. “Ramachandran will be jailed for three years,” presiding judge Ahmad Shiha was quoted as saying by gulfnews.com.

His lawyers will appeal against the judgement, according to media reports.

Ramachandran’s wife attended the hearing and was present in court when the judgement was announced. She broke down and was seen weeping outside the court complex.

The businessman’s problems began after more than a dozen banks in Dubai complained to police that his group had defaulted on loan repayments. His requests for bail had been rejected several times.

Besides his business interests in the United Arab Emirates, Ramachandran is also known as a film producer and actor. He has once ranked among the “100 most powerful Indians in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)”.

The Atlas Group operates a chain of jewellery stores in the GCC states. In the UAE alone, the group has about 20 outlets, including 12 in Dubai.

Last month, the Atlas Group announced it had entered into a deal with United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Maas Group to raise funds. Equity from Maas will go into Atlas Group-owned businesses in the UAE and its healthcare facility in Oman.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 3,2025

arrival.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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