Karnataka cops catch 9 highway dacoits from Kerala, seize 3 cars, weapons

coastaldigest.com news network
November 1, 2018

Mysuru, Nov 1: The Karnataka police have managed to bust a notorious gang of highway dacoits who used target carts on Mysuru-Kerala highway and arrested nine of them.

The operation was carried out by the Hunsur police in Mysuru district. There was 12 members in the gang of dacoits and three of them managed to escape.

The arrested are Regan, 38, Vinesh Kumar, 39, Mohan Das, 39, and Satish Kumar, 39, Nikhil, 30, Nayas, 39, Saji Josh, 47, Anish Thomas, 37, and Rithish, 36, all from Kerala. Sukhish, Razzaq and Krish are those on the run.

The gang had split into three teams and had stationed their vehicles at three locations on the highway ready to attack unwary travellers.

The modus operandi of the dacoits was to station their vehicles on the highway at a distance from each other. The first team would identify the car which had to be looted and communicate the details of the vehicle to the other two teams through their cell-phones.

The first team would follow the targeted car, to be joined by the other two teams at some distance. On a deserted stretch, they would waylay the vehicle by overtaking and blocking the road. The dacoits usually chose big unscientific road humps to waylay the targeted car as it slowed down at the speed-breaker. They threatened the inmates of the vehicles with knives and robbed them.

However, on Monday night at around 11.30pm, police who were patrolling the highway noticed an MUV parked suspiciously on the roadside at Kukke Kolagatta village. When police questioned them, the dacoits were unable to come up with convincing answers for being parked on the stretch. When the cops grilled them, they spilled the beans that they were preparing to loot travellers on the road.

Based on their information, police immediately rushed towards Thithimathi Road where they found another team of five waiting in another MUV. After detaining them, police tried to catch the third team with three dacoits who were waiting a little distance from the forest. Sensing something amiss, the three dacoits managed to escape into the forest abandoning the vehicle at the place.

The police also seized all the three vehicles and weapons in the vehicles. The Hunsur police produced all the nine before the court and are conducting further investigation to nab the other gang members.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
November 30,2025

airportmetro.jpg

Udupi: The pontiffs of Sri Paryaya Puttige Mutt, the sacred seat of Jagadguru Shrimad Madhvacharya Moola Samsthanam, have submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister seeking comprehensive development for Udupi district. 

Proposal for International Airport

A key request is the establishment of an international airport. Highlighting that around 1,000 acres of land are available and suitable, the pontiffs noted that the existing Mangalore Airport provides limited international connectivity. They suggested the airport be developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or as a Greenfield Airport to boost trade, education, healthcare, and spiritual tourism.

Metro and Rapid Transit Connectivity

The proposal also calls for Metro Rail or Rapid Transit between Mangaluru and Udupi. The 55 km coastal stretch experiences heavy daily commuter traffic, causing congestion. The district administration is ready to prepare an initial project report for a Mass Rapid Transit corridor and requested inclusion under national urban mobility programmes to ensure safe, green, and time-efficient regional transport.

Port and Coastal Development

The pontiffs urged the development of an international-standard port with a cruise terminal along Udupi’s coast. They also requested fast-tracking of pending coastal tourism projects and revising Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to encourage sustainable infrastructure and hospitality investment.

IT, AI and Technological Infrastructure

Support was sought for an IT and AI Innovation Park with incubation facilities under Digital India and Startup India initiatives. The proposal also emphasized the need for strengthened data security and cloud computing infrastructure to boost India’s technological independence.

Sports and Education Initiatives

The pontiffs requested national sports status for Kambala, along with financial and infrastructure support. They also sought the establishment of an AIIMS in Udupi, a new IIT campus, and approval for an IIM to promote higher education in the district.

Representation to the Prime Minister

Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Pontiff and Sri Sushrendra Tirtha Swamiji represented the pontiffs in submitting the comprehensive development proposal to the Prime Minister during his recent visit.

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