Child sale case in Shirva: Durga Vahini leader among three arrested
Udupi: In a shocking case, Shirva police have arrested three people, including a Durga Vahini leader, for selling a newborn baby that was delivered by a rape survivor.
According to police, the arrested persons are Dr. Somesh Solomon, a doctor from B.C. Road; Vijayalakshmi alias Vijaya, a Durga Vahini leader who also runs a paying guest facility in Mangaluru; and Navaneet Narayan (25), accused of sexually assaulting the young woman who later became pregnant.
Prabhavati and Ramesh Moulya, a couple from Kallugudde in Shirva who were unable to have children, had expressed their desire to adopt. Their relative Priyanka introduced them to Vijayalakshmi, who then offered to give them the baby of an unmarried woman working at her PG accommodation.
Police investigations revealed that Vijayalakshmi and Dr. Somesh conspired to sell the child after delivery. During medical check-ups, they allegedly used Prabhavati’s Aadhaar card instead of the pregnant woman’s, in order to later claim the baby as Prabhavati’s own.
On August 3, the woman delivered a baby girl via caesarean section at Colaso Hospital in Mangaluru. The infant was then handed over to Prabhavati and her husband in exchange for ₹4.5 lakh, Udupi SP Hariram Shankar confirmed.
Further investigation uncovered that the young woman had been sexually assaulted by Navaneet Narayan, leading to her pregnancy. The survivor, who reportedly has mental health issues, was kept along with her mother at Vijayalakshmi’s PG facility.
Police said the woman did not receive proper postnatal care after her caesarean delivery, and they had to intervene to ensure she was admitted again for treatment.
SP Shankar also revealed that Vijayalakshmi has links with several organisations and runs a hospital canteen in Mangaluru. There are also suspicions that she has been selling other children born under “unwanted or illegitimate circumstances.”
The case came to light when Prabhavati and her husband tried to register the baby at an Anganwadi center through the Poshan Tracker. Staff grew suspicious since the couple had no biological children. A complaint was lodged with the Child Protection Committee, which led police to investigate.
The three accused were produced before court and remanded to judicial custody. Meanwhile, Prabhavati, her husband, and their relative Priyanka have also been questioned but not taken into custody.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada of Karkala is leading the investigation.
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
