17-yr-old Bengaluru college boy kills mother for ‘not taking good care of him’!

In yet another brazen act of support for Israel’s months-long genocide against the besieged Gaza Strip, the administration of US President Joe Biden has hinted that the regime’s deadly strikes targeting displaced Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah did not cross a “red line” and would not lead to a change in Washington’s policy towards Tel Aviv.

In press briefings on Tuesday, multiple administration officials described the Israeli massacre in Rafah as “heartbreaking” but claimed that the assault, which left dozens of Palestinians dead, was an airstrike and not a major ground operation.

“We still don’t believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted. We still don’t want to see the Israelis, as we say, smash into Rafah with large units over large pieces of territory. We still believe that, and we haven’t seen that at this point,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

“As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to,” Kirby added. “It just happened. The Israelis are going to investigate it. We’re going to be taking great interest in what they find in that investigation. And we’ll see where it goes from there.”

The White House spokesperson said that “no civilian casualties is the right number of civilian casualties,” but he acknowledged innocent people are often killed in war.

“There’s not like a measuring stick here or a quota,” he said, when asked if there were a number of civilian deaths that would prompt action from the US. “As we’ve said many times, the right number of civilian casualties is zero.”

Despite providing Israel with untrammeled support over the past eight months, the White House claims to have urged Israel against sending forces into Rafah without a clear plan to evacuate civilians safely.

In another presser on Tuesday, a Pentagon official said Sunday’s airstrike, which was the deadliest incident in Rafah since Israel launched an offensive there, did not amount to what the White House has warned against.

“It is still our assessment that what is happening in Rafah and what the [Israeli military] are doing, it is limited in scope.” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan last week told reporters there was “no mathematical formula” for assessing Israel’s conduct in Rafah, but officials would look at “whether there is a lot of death and destruction from this operation or if it is more precise and proportional.”

Israel's three-week-old Rafah offensive stirred renewed outrage after an airstrike on Sunday set ablaze a tent camp in the west of the city.

Some 50 people, including many children, were killed in Israel’s attack on the tent camp in Rafah late, prompting global condemnations and calls for the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault on Gaza.  

The attack came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its US-backed aggression on Gaza that has killed more than 36,000 people since it started in October last year.

Bengaluru: Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women, on Wednesday moved a Special Court here seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case registered against him.

According to official sources, Prajwal has booked a return flight ticket to Bengaluru from Munich on May 30, and is expected to land in the city in the small hours of May 31.

His advocate filed an anticipatory bail application in the Special Court for cases involving MPs/MLAs.

Prajwal, grandson of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, is accused in an alleged rape and sexual harassment case involving a 47-year-old woman.

He reportedly left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan LS seat went to polls, and is still at large.

A Special Court for Elected Representatives has issued an arrest warrant on May 18 against Prajwal Revanna, following an application moved by the SIT.

However, later the SIT arrested his father and JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who is allegedly involved in kidnapping the woman.

All eyes are on Kempegowda International Airport where Prajwal is expected to arrive on May 31, and the SIT is likely to arrest him the moment he lands.

Meanwhile, Prajwal's mother Bhavani Revanna has filed an anticipatory bail in the special court for elected representatives fearing arrest in the kidnap case linked to her husband.

The SIT filed objections to granting the anticipatory bail to her and also sought to cancel the interim anticipatory bail issued to H D Revanna in the same case.

Bhavani Revanna's anticipatory bail order is reserved for May 31.

SIT seizes pillows, bed

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual abuse case against MP Prajwal Revanna on Wednesday has seized the pillows, bed and bed sheets from the MP's government house in Hassan.

As the date of MP Prajwal Revanna's return to Bengaluru nears, the SIT has intensified its probe.

The SIT and Forensic Science Lab team, which began inspection at the MP's house in Hassan, on Tuesday afternoon continued the search till 4 am on Wednesday. The belongings were seized by the SIT sleuths after a 10-hour long inspection at the government house of the MP on R C Road in Hassan.

Meanwhile, Naveen Gowda and Chetan Gowda, the duo arrested in connection with the circulation of pen drive containing sleaze videos, were brought to Hassan for spot mahazar.

They were subjected to medical examinations at the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences and were questioned by the Cyber crime police ASP M K Thammaiah and Inspector Jagadish. They were also taken to their houses in Belur and Shravanabelagola for mahazar.

The accused were produced before the second additional district and sessions court in Hassan. They court has remanded them to SIT custody for three days, till June 1.

They will be produced before the court again at 4.30 pm on June 1 when the custody ends.

Mangaluru: With the surge in cybercrimes in Dakshina Kannada, the police department is set to create more awareness on social media through informative short videos. These videos aim to educate the public about various cyber fraud tactics and how to avoid falling victim to them.

Awareness Campaign

Superintended of Police CB Ryshyanth announced on Monday in Dharmasthala, “We will release the videos within 10 days. These videos will be shared on social media to raise awareness about the methods fraudsters use to deceive people.”

Common Cybercrimes

The SP highlighted several prevalent cyber scams:

Part-Time Job Scams: Fraudsters lure victims with fake job offers, often asking them to write reviews.

Share Trading Scams: Malicious links promise high returns in share trading. Initially, fraudsters pay a small amount to gain the victims’ trust. However, the app showing "high returns" is a trap, and victims realize they have been duped when no actual returns are received.

Phishing Scams: Fake 'payment gateway' pages are created to trick victims into sharing their personal details, which are then used to siphon money from their accounts.

Online Market Scams: Fraudsters offer products like iPhones at significantly lower prices, only to scam the buyers.

Precautionary Measures

SP Ryshyanth urged people to be cautious and not to attend video calls from unknown persons. He also addressed the importance of CCTV cameras in commercial establishments under the Public Safety Act. “If they fail to comply, a DSP rank officer can issue a notice and impose a fine,” he explained.

The police department’s initiative aims to make the public more vigilant and knowledgeable about cybercrimes. By understanding these fraud methods, people can better protect themselves from becoming victims. Stay informed, stay safe.