Torrential rains create flood scare in parts of Karnataka
Bengaluru, Oct 21: Torrential rains in many parts of the state and Maharashtra have created a flood scare afresh as many rivers are in spate, especially in north Karnataka and Chikkamagaluru.
For the past few days, torrential rains in north interior Karnataka has wrecked havoc as many rivers, rivulets and small streams are in spate, reminiscent of the floods in August this year, official sources said.
The affected districts are Dharwad, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Gadag, Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru, where water has gushed into houses and government buildings, including schools and banks in low-lying areas.
Belagavi, yet to recover from the flood-fury two months ago, once again bore the brunt of the heavy downpour.
The Meteorological department recorded 58.1 MM rain from Sunday evening to Monday morning in Belagavi.
Rain water gushed into many houses in low-lying areas in Chikkodi and some other places, forcing people to take shelter on roof-tops.
Three houses collapsed in Shahpur, a suburb of Belagavi city.
Many inter-village connectivity roads were inundated, causing stoppage of traffic.
National Highway 4 was closed at night on Sunday and hundreds of vehicles, including state transport buses, were stranded on both sides of the Sutagatti ghat.
A Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus coming towards Belagavi from Panagutti was stuck on the road after it caved in due to heavy rains.
The Belagavi-Goa route was also affected near Jamboti due to a landslide, which swept away many parked vehicles, the sources said.
In Belagavi district's Gokak town, water from the Ghataprabha river inundated many areas, creating panic among the residents.
The town was badly affected by the floods in August.
In Dharwad district, a stream at Bennehalla in Navalgund Taluk is raging, threatening to inundate the national highway connecting Solapur in Maharashtra.
In Kalaburagi too, a stream cut off connectivity between Anuru in Alanda Taluk and the neighbouring Maharashtra.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre director G S Srinivasa Reddy said the intensity of rains and inflow in Krishna and its tributaries may increase in the next two to three days as two upper air cyclonic systems in the ArabianSea and Bay of Bengal were bringing rain in the interior parts of Karnataka.
"At present, Krishna and her tributaries are flowing below the danger mark but the intensity of inflow of water in these rivers may increase," Reddy told.
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Senior citizen duped of Rs 23.5 lakh on threat of digital arrest in Thane district
Thane (PTI): A 68-year-old man was allegedly cheated of Rs 23.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters who threatened him with digital arrest in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.
This is a second such incident reported in the district this week, an official said.
Based on a complaint, the Kalyan police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, Assistant Inspector Vinod Patil of Mahatma Phule police station said.
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"The complainant alleged that two unidentified persons cheated him of Rs 23.5 lakh by threatening to place him under digital arrest and forced him to transfer money through online transactions between December 8 and 12," Patil said.
'Digital arrest’ is a growing form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials or personnel of government agencies and intimidate victims through audio/video calls. They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on them to pay money.
He said that the accused allegedly contacted the victim on WhatsApp video calls and claimed that his bank transactions were suspicious and linked to alleged irregularities.
"The fraudsters told him that he could be placed under digital arrest, but assured him that they would help him avoid legal action if he cooperated," the officer said.
He said that the accused repeatedly threatened the senior citizen and put pressure on him to make multiple online money transfers amounting to Rs 23.5 lakh.
The fraud came to light after the victim narrated the incident to acquaintances and approached the police on realising he had been duped.
"We are analysing bank transaction details, call records and digital evidence to track down the accused," Patil said.
