35 Mangaluru people stranded in Kuwait will return home soon: MLA Vedavyas Kamath
'Maanikya Associates' to bear the tickets cost
Mangaluru: Mangaluru South Assembly Constituency’s MLA Vedavyas Kamath on Friday announced that the 35 people hailing from Mangaluru who were stranded in Kuwait after an alleged employment fraud, will return to Mangaluru soon.
The BJP MLA was addressing a press conference at the BJP District Office on Friday and said that the 'Manikya Associates' who sent the 35 people to Kuwait will bear the cost of tickets of return to India. He further added that it was assured to him by the owner of Manikya Associates Prasad Shetty.
“These 35 people will come to Mangaluru in two batches. The first batch consisting of 15 people of the group will get their passports within two days and they will be allowed to fly from Kuwait. The remaining 20 people will also follow soon. I assured the families of these people about their safe return now it is time to walk the talk” he said.
Kamath also thanked BJP MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and cabinet minister Sadananda Gowda and added that the duo helped him to get in touch with the foreign ministry and arrange the return of the 35 people.
“So many people and organisations helped us in arranging food and other basic needs of the stranded people. I would like to thank them all, including Raj Bhandary of Suratkal, Karavali’s Mohandas Kamat, Bharatiya Pravasi Parishat, Tulu Koota, several Muslim organisations. They all extended their helping hand when the people of Mangaluru needed them” Kamath added.
“The documents settlement of these 35 people will cost Rs. 3000 each. So I requested Gokul Das Bhat of Ujire to bear that cost. And thankfully he agreed. So he will pay that cost of around Rs. 1 Lakh” Kamath further added.
Kamath also informed that the owner of Manikya Associates paid 55 thousand rupees of the 65 he collected from the 35 people, to 'Hawk Consultancy' in Mumbai but has assured to pay the cost of return tickets of all the 35 members.
BJP Dakshina Kannada Vice President Ravishankar Mijaru, Prabha Malini, Senior party leaders Nitin Kumar, Sanjay Prabhu, Ramesh Kandattu and others were present at the press conference.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
