Belagavi, May 24: A prominent Hindu seer has been arrested on charges of raping a 17-year-old girl in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, police said on Saturday.

The police have filed a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case against the accused.

A case in this regard was registered at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station and subsequently transferred to the Mudalagi police station.

The accused is the head pontiff of a prominent mutt in a village in the Rayabagh taluk of Belagavi district.

According to police, the seer allegedly raped the girl repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident.

The accused seer had taken the girl to Raichur on May 13 and stayed there for two days.

Later, he took her to Bagalkot on May 15, staying there for another two days.

The accused seer took the girl with him, claiming to drop her back at her residence, and took advantage of the situation to commit the crime.

The seer left the victim at the Mahalingapura bus stop in Bagalkot district on May 17. Later, the girl revealed her ordeal to her parents, and a complaint was lodged against the seer at the Bagalkot Women’s Police Station.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the girl’s parents, who were devotees of the mutt and revered the accused seer, used to leave their daughter at the mutt often for weeks. The seer allegedly took advantage of this.

Police said there are allegations against the mutt and the seer of carrying out illegal activities.

It also came to light during the investigation that in 2021, the accused seer was beaten by villagers.

Local people have appealed to the police to initiate strict legal action against the accused seer.

The police have recorded the statements of the villagers and the victim.

The accused seer has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

Salem, May 24: A 26-year-old man accused of the brutal murder of a 70-year-old woman in Omalur, Salem, was shot in the leg by police early Saturday after he attacked two officers with a machete while trying to escape from his hideout near Sankari Fort.

The accused, Naresh Kumar of Kattikaranoor village in Omalur block, is a habitual offender with over 20 robbery cases registered against him across various police stations in the district.

The incident traces back to May 20, when the victim, Sarasu alias Saraswathi, a resident of Chinnerikadu in Omalur, was murdered while grazing her cattle. Her body was discovered by locals along a roadside path, bearing injuries to her ear and nose.

Initial investigation suggested that she had been attacked for her gold jewellery, with at least one sovereign of gold reported stolen. A murder and robbery case was registered by the Deevattipatti police. In response, special teams were formed to track down the suspect.

Based on intelligence inputs and surveillance, police identified Naresh Kumar as the prime suspect and located his hideout at the foothills of Sankari Fort.

During the early hours of Saturday, a special police team closed in on his location. However, as officers attempted to apprehend him, Naresh Kumar brandished a machete and violently attacked Sub-Inspector Vijayaraghavan and Constable Selvakumar, injuring both.

In an act of self-defence and to prevent his escape, one of the officers fired a service pistol, hitting the accused in the leg. Naresh Kumar collapsed on the spot and was immediately taken into custody.

He, along with the injured policemen, was admitted to the Government Hospital in Sankari for treatment.

According to police sources, Naresh Kumar has a criminal history of targeting elderly women in rural areas, primarily for jewellery snatching. Previous incidents have been reported from Sankari and Magudanchavadi.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of senior citizens in the region and the increasing audacity of repeat offenders. Police have intensified surveillance and patrolling in vulnerable rural zones to prevent further attacks.

New Delhi, May 24: In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has brought back fugitive economic offender Angad Singh Chandok from the US to India.

Chandok is wanted in connection with a high-profile bank fraud and money laundering case and had been absconding for a long time.

He was deported by US authorities and landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport early Saturday morning.

CBI officials immediately took him into custody upon arrival. He is expected to be produced before a special CBI court later on Saturday, where the agency is likely to seek his custodial remand for further interrogation.

Chandok’s return marks a significant step in India’s efforts to crack down on economic fugitives who evade justice by fleeing abroad. It also reflects increased cooperation between Indian and international law enforcement agencies, particularly the United States, in tackling financial crimes with cross-border implications.

Chandok, 34, was sentenced to six years in prison by a US court in 2022. The court found him guilty of operating a long-running and complex money laundering network while living in California.

According to the ruling, Chandok created and used multiple shell companies to launder millions of dollars obtained through fraudulent means — initially via an online tech support scam and later through a fake online travel fee scheme.

The court noted that Chandok had a team of at least five individuals working under him and maintained direct communication with high-ranking international members of the criminal syndicate. He was also declared an international fugitive at the time of these offences.

His deportation is expected to strengthen India’s resolve in pursuing economic offenders and bringing them to justice, regardless of their location.