Udupi: Karate instructor gets 10-year jail for sexual assault of minor
Mangaluru (PTI): The Udupi Additional District and Sessions Court and Fast Track POCSO Court has sentenced a karate instructor to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 22,000 on finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year old girl at a karate class in Padubidri.
The court judge Srinivasa Suvarna sentenced Umesh Bangera to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed fine of Rs 10,000 each for offences under Section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376 (rape) of IPC respectively.
The karate instructor was also sentenced to one-year simple imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000 each for offences under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and section 8 of POCSO Act. All the sentences will run concurrently, the judge said.
According to the charge sheet submitted by the police, Umesh Bangera raped the girl on February 12, 2020 after completion of karate classes in Padubidri. On September 27, 2020, Bangera called the girl's mother and asked her to send her daughter for the class. The girl refused to go to the class and revealed to her mother about the sexual assault.
Following her complaint with the Kaup police, the then circle inspector of police Mahesh Prasad arrested Bangera and filed charge sheet for offences punishable under provisions of IPC and POCSO Act. Special pubic prosecutor Y T Raghavendra examined 13 witnesses before the court.
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Three private doctors arrested in illegal scanning case involving 31 minor pregnant girls in KR Pet
Mandya: Police on Tuesday arrested three private doctors in connection with a case involving alleged illegal scanning of 31 minor pregnant girls at a private diagnostic centre in KR Pet. The accused were later remanded to judicial custody.
The arrested doctors have been identified as Dr. Divyachetan of Chetana Maternity Centre, Dr. Harshit of Navi Diagnostic Centre, and Dr. Harish of Kushal Diagnostic Centre.
Police said Priyanka, a gynaecologist attached to a government hospital, is absconding and efforts are under way to trace her.
The case came to light after Karnataka Lokayukta Police recently conducted raids, during which illegal sex determination tests on minor pregnant girls were allegedly detected at two diagnostic centres in KR Pet town.
Following the raids, District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr. Mohan, Deputy Director of the Women and Child Development Department P.S. Asha, and District Child Protection Officer Rashmi inspected several diagnostic centres and filed cases at KR Pet Town and Rural police stations.
According to the allegations, Navi Diagnostic Centre conducted scans on 24 minor pregnant girls, including 19 cases in 2024 and five in 2025. Kushal Diagnostic Centre is accused of conducting scans on seven minor pregnant girls.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Kumar has directed taluk vigilance committees to inspect all 63 ultrasound scanning centres in the district and submit reports within 10 days.
Officials said the Tahsildar of each taluk has been appointed chairperson of the respective committee.
