Jewellery worth over Rs 2 cr stolen from Kowdiar Palace; probe launched
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A probe has been launched after jewellery worth over Rs two crore was allegedly stolen from Kowdiar Palace here, police said on Sunday.
Peroorkada police registered a case on Saturday following a complaint filed by senior royal family member Aswathi Thirunal Gouri Bhayi.
According to the FIR, the theft is suspected to have taken place between October and November 2025 from an almirah in Gouri’ Bhayi’s bedroom.
Police said around 12 pieces of jewellery, including chains and rings weighing over 40 sovereigns of gold and studded with precious stones, were missing.
The value of the ornaments is believed to be higher due to their antique nature, as they were inherited by members of the royal family, police said.
Officials said the palace authorities had conducted an internal probe after the ornaments were found missing, later confirmed the theft, and reported the matter to the police.
Police visited the palace on Saturday, recorded Gouri Bhayi’s statement and registered a case.
The case was registered under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft.
A team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police has begun the investigation.
Police are also examining CCTV footage from the palace and recording statements of employees as part of the probe, an officer said.
Kowdiar Palace is the official residence of the Travancore royal family, which ruled a vast portion of central and southern Kerala until Independence.
The royal family is yet to respond to the incident.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump urges US allies to send warships to Strait of ?Hormuz as Iran vows to retaliate
Cairo (AP): US President Donald Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the vital Strait of ?Hormuz while Iran urged people to evacuate three ports in the United Arab Emirates as its war with the United States and Israel showed no signs of ending.
Iran's call to evacuate the Middle East's busiest port and two other UAE ports marked the first time it had openly threatened a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets.
Tehran said the U.S. had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran's oil exports, without providing evidence. It urged people to leave areas where it said U.S. forces were sheltering.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's humanitarian crisis deepened, with over 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Iran says the US attacked from close to Dubai
------------------------------------------------
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the US attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two locations in the UAE, Ras Al-Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai,” calling that dangerous and saying Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran's claim. A diplomatic adviser to the UAE's president, Anwar Gargash, said on social media the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritises reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint.”
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbours during the war, but it has said it was targeting US assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.
Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was closed only to “those who are attacking us and their allies.”
Trump urges allies to send warships to Strait of Hormuz
-----------------------------------------------------------
As global anxiety soars over oil prices and supplies, Trump said Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” Britain in response said it was discussing with allies a “range of options” to secure shipping.
Araghchi, in a social media post, urged neighbours to “expel foreign aggressors” and described Trump's call as “begging.”
On Saturday, Iran's joint military command reiterated its threat to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” in the region if the Islamic Republic's oil infrastructure is hit.
Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency said the Kharg Island strikes caused no damage to oil infrastructure. It said they targeted an air defense facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil company's helicopter hangar.
US identifies 6 killed in military aircraft crash
-----------------------------------------------
The US Department of Defense on Saturday identified six service members who died when the military refueling aircraft they were aboard crashed Thursday while supporting operations against Iran.
The service members were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, according to U.S. officials.
The crash in western Iraq followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” according to U.S. Central Command. The other plane landed safety.
