5th Indian Open Surfing Meet to commence in Mangaluru on May 31

Vartha Bharati | 25-05-2024 | 21:06:00 IST

Representational Image | PC: surfingfederationofindia.org

Mangaluru: The 5th Indian Open of Surfing which is poised to spotlight the talent and skills of India's top surfers will begin from May 31 here.

Among the notable participants are Ramesh Budihal, Kishore Kumar, Harish M, Srikanth D, Manikandan D, Kamali Moorthy, Srishthi Selvam, and Sandhya Arun. These surfers will vie for top honours across four different categories: Men's Open, Women's Open, and Groms U-16 Boys & Girls.

The three-day event which will begin on May 31, commenced with an official inauguration on Friday under the auspices of the New Mangaluru Port Authority, which also serves as the event's title sponsor.

Venkata Ramana Akkaraju, Chairman of the New Mangalore Port Authority, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with the 5th Indian Open of Surfing.

''Supporting surfing, one of the fastest-growing water sports both nationally and globally, is an opportunity we couldn't pass up,'' he said.

''Surfing has transformative potential for the region, positioning Mangalore as a premier destination for adventure enthusiasts. This, in turn, significantly boosts the local economy and empowers the local communities. We take pride in being part of an initiative that brings multifaceted benefits to the region,'' he added.

Mullai Muhilan, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshin Kannada, highlighted the longstanding support from the Karnataka Government and Karnataka Tourism for surfing.

''This support encourages more people to visit beautiful places like Sasihithlu and explore what the state has to offer in terms of tourism development,'' he said.

The organisers expressed their admiration for the surging popularity of surfing in India. As the tournament unfolds, hopes are high for India's rise in the global surfing scene.

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3 officials of private banks arrested in Gujarat in Rs 2,500 crore cyber fraud; 20 held so far

20-04-2026 ¦ 20-04-2026 IST

Representational image (freepik)

Rajkot (PTI): Three officials of leading private banks were arrested for their alleged involvement in a Rs 2,500-crore cyber fraud racket in Gujarat's Rajkot district, bringing the number of those held so far in the case to 20, police said on Monday.

Those arrested were identified as Maulik Kamani, a personal manager at Yes Bank in Padadhari; Kalpesh Dangariya, a manager at Axis Bank in Jamnagar; and Anurag Baldha, a personal banker with HDFC Bank, Rajkot (Rural) Superintendent of Police Vijay Gurjar said.

Dangariya and Baldha were previously employed with Yes Bank, he added.

Kamani allegedly assisted the earlier arrested accused in opening and managing suspicious accounts. He also helped bypass banking alerts triggered by high-value transactions by submitting additional documentation to keep accounts active, the SP said.

Kamani was allegedly involved in cash withdrawals that were later routed through hawala channels (illegal money transfer system), supported by digital evidence recovered from his mobile device, he added.

Dangariya is accused of facilitating the opening of fraudulent accounts using fake or misrepresented identities, police said.

He also assisted in structuring documentation, including Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-related papers, to prevent transactions from being flagged as suspicious, they said.

On the other hand, Baldha opened new accounts after verification and certification processes as part of the racket, Gurjar informed.

All the three accused are in police custody, while others are in jail under judicial remand, SP said.

So far, police have identified 85 bank accounts linked to the racket with 535 complaints filed on the cyber crime portal.

The total transaction linked to the cyber fraud exceeds Rs 2,500 crore, police said.

The earlier fraud amount was pegged by police at Rs 1,500 crore.