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K’taka pent house case: Minors forced to entertain Kerala politicians, bureaucrats

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Investigation into the penthouse prostitution racket has revealed shocking details, police sources said on Friday.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they watched, selected, trapped and forced minor girls studying in reputed colleges, after taking their private videos in Mangaluru, into prostitution to entertain influential politicians and top officers from neighbouring Kerala state.

The investigating officers are also probing the involvement of Kerala politicians and bureaucrats in the sex racket. The network operated with their full support and accused in the case allowed elite customers from Kerala only.

Considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue, the case has now been transferred from Mangaluru South Police Station to the City Crime Branch (CCB), police sources said.

The police themselves are shocked with the details and suspect the accused to have trapped many minor college students in the district into the flesh trade. The Mangaluru police have arrested three persons, a couple and another woman in connection with the case. They have also rescued two pre-university college students studying in reputed colleges in the coastal town.

The accused have been identified as Shameena, Siddiq and Ayeshamma.

While Siddiq and Shameena are couple who trapped minor students and carried out the racket in the limits of Mangaluru South Police Station in the penthouse of an apartment, Ayeshamma coordinated from Kasargod and sent elite customers.

The accused sent youths to befriend gullible good-looking girls studying in class 10th and PUC (Class 11, 12). Once the girls were befriended they were brought to a penthouse fitted with CCTV cameras by the youth.

The accused would then blackmail them saying that their private videos would be made public and sent to their parents.

According to police, the racket was going on since long but gullible minor girls were targetted on the requests of the clients. Girls with weak financial background were also roped in with promise of monetary help.

The nexus came to light, when one of the 17-year-old victims shared her ordeal with her friend.

When the matter reached the Principal, she had called the police helpline. Mangaluru Police Commissioner N. Shahikumar formed a team under the leadership of DCP (Law and Order) Hariram Shankar and conducted raids and arrested the culprits on Thursday.

The police are also looking into the angle of clients being blackmailed by the accused. The case has been registered under various sections of the Pocso Act and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.

Further investigation is on.

Crime

Navi Mumbai Crime: 2 Women Booked For Abetment To Suicide Of 15-Year-Old Ghansoli Student

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Navi Mumbai: Two women have been booked for abetment to suicide after a 15-year-old Class 10 student from Ghansoli allegedly died by suicide following humiliation and assault at the hands of her friend’s mother and neighbour.

The deceased, Shamika Nagesh Gawde, lived with her parents in Talavali, Ghansoli, and was preparing for her Class 10 board exams at a private tuition class.

Police said Shamika had a minor quarrel with a classmate during her tuition on Wednesday evening. Though the matter was settled, the classmate told her mother about it, after which Reshma Santosh Gavande (42) allegedly called Shamika to her home.

At her residence, Gavande, along with her neighbour Mayuri Somanath Naikwadi (40), allegedly humiliated the girl, used insulting remarks about her parents, and Gavande reportedly slapped her.

Deeply hurt and distressed, Shamika returned home and later hanged herself. Her mother found her unresponsive around 7:45 p.m. and rushed her to Airoli municipal hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

A two-page suicide note recovered from the house detailed the incident and contained an apology to her parents. Based on the note and initial inquiry, Rabale Police registered a case under Sections 107 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the two accused for abetment to suicide.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused women’s actions caused emotional distress to the minor, leading to her suicide. A detailed probe is underway,” said Senior Police Inspector Balkrishna Sawant of Rabale Police Station.

Both accused, who are neighbours residing in Radha Apartment, Ghansoli, are being investigated further.

The incident comes close on the heels of another Class 10 student’s suicide in Airoli last week, wherein the girl died by suicide after the principal allegedly insulted her in the class.

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Crime

Over 60 fall sick after drinking contaminated water in MP’s Chhindwara, medical camps formed for check-up

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Chhindwara, Oct 16: Panic gripped people at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara as more than 60 people suffered from diarrhoea, prompting the district administration to organise camps for an extensive medical checkup, officials said on Thursday.

Villagers fell sick suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea — many of them were rushed at a nearby a hospital for treatment.

However, all of them recovered within the next few hours after undergoing medical treatment, according to Chhindwara Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Hemkaran Dhruve.

According to official information, people fell ill due to consumption of contaminated water from a well in the village they were using from several years.

Panic gripped the village as one after another person using water from that particular well complained about the same problem.

The district administration took prompt action in the matter and send a medical team to conduct door-to-door medical check-up in Jarola village.

At least 120 people were checked during medical camps organised on Wednesday and Thursday.

“More 150 people were checked in medical camps held in Jarola village. At least 60 of them were found suffering from vomiting, fever, cough, and diarrhoea. However, they all have recovered after necessary treatment,” SDM Dhruve told media persons on Thursday.

Preliminary investigation revealed that people fell sick due to consumption of contaminated water from a well.

“Water samples from well and other water resources in the village have been collected and sent for testing,” the SDM said.

Chhindwara has recently witnessed the shocking Coldrif cough syrup tragedy that had killed 24 children in the past one-and-a-half month, including a four-year-old girl Ambika Vishwakarma, who battled for life for more than a month at a private hospital in Nagpur, died early on Wednesday.

After the unfortunate Chhindwara tragedy, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said that there were 232 drug factories in the state, which were being investigated.

He added that the teams of the health department are also checking the quality control system of those drug-manufacturing units.

Each batch of drugs being supplied to the state government is thoroughly checked, the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding that the private supplies are also being monitored.

He said that he had written to the Tamil Nadu government seeking to know the name of the person behind issuing the license to the drug-making unit that produced the adulterated cough syrup.

The Deputy Chief Minister also sought to know whether any checking had been done before renewing the license.

He admitted that the tragedy occurred in Madhya Pradesh because of the lack of proper monitoring by the Tamil Nadu government.

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Crime

Two Kerala school officials suspended after Class 9 boy found dead

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Palakkad, Oct 16: A wave of anger and grief swept through Palakkad after a Class 9 student from Kannadi Higher Secondary School allegedly committed suicide, leading to the suspension of two staff members and the temporary closure of the school.

State Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Thursday directed the district Education authorities to conduct a detailed probe into the incident and submit a report.

The 14-year-old student, identified as Arjun from Pallenchathannur, was found dead at his home earlier this week.

His family has accused a class teacher of mental harassment that allegedly pushed him to take the extreme step.

Police have launched an investigation based on the family’s complaint, and the school will remain closed for four days.

The incident has triggered massive protests from students, parents, and political organisations.

According to the family, the teacher, identified as Asha, had threatened to file a complaint with the Cyber Cell and have Arjun jailed over a message sent on Instagram.

“She humiliated him in front of the class and even called the Cyber Cell during class hours. He was visibly disturbed after that,” one of his classmates said.

Soon after news of the “suicide” broke, students boycotted classes and staged a sit-in on the school campus.

Several student organisations joined the agitation and laid siege to the principal’s office, demanding immediate action.

The situation escalated when the principal, Lisy, defended the teacher, saying no wrongdoing had occurred, further intensifying the protests.

Amid mounting pressure, the school management convened an emergency meeting and decided to suspend both the class teacher and the principal, pending inquiry.

Education officials have sought a detailed report on the incident, and counselling support has been arranged for students.

The tragic incident has reignited a debate on mental health, bullying, and accountability in schools.

Police officials said statements are being recorded from students, staff, and the teacher involved.

A case has been registered, and further action will follow based on the investigation.

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