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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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
