Belthangady: Body of missing 15-year-old boy found in pond near home
Belthangady: The body of a 15-year-old boy who had gone missing earlier in the day was found in a pond near his house at Sambolya Baramelu in Kuvettu village on Wednesday, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Sumanth, son of Subrahmanya Nayak, a Class 9 student of Gerukatte Government High School.
According to preliminary information, Sumanth left his house early on Wednesday morning to visit the Nala Temple in Kaliya village to take part in a ritual. When he did not reach the temple, two of his friends who usually accompanied him grew concerned and contacted his family. It then emerged that Sumanth had left home early but had not been seen since.
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Family members and villagers launched a search, following which bloodstains were noticed on the ground near a pond located along the road between Sumanth’s house and the temple. The discovery prompted an extensive search operation involving the police, forest department personnel, fire brigade staff and local residents.
Sumanth’s body was recovered from the pond around noon. Police said the body had a head injury, raising suspicion over the circumstances leading to his death.
Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr Arun Kumar, Belthangady Police Inspector Subbapur Math, Sub-Inspector Anand M, Tahsildar Prithvi Sanikam, Revenue Inspector Pavadappa, Block Education Officer Tarakeshwari, along with school teachers and other officials, visited the spot and inspected the scene.
Belthangady police have registered a case and are continuing the investigation to ascertain the exact cause of death.
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HC grants anticipatory bail to man accused of making derogatory posts on Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has granted conditional anticipatory bail to a man from Bantwal accused of sharing obscene and derogatory social media posts against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat.
Allowing the criminal petition filed by the accused, Sharukh (30), a single-judge Bench headed by Shivashankar Amarannavar held that anticipatory bail could be granted after considering the facts and circumstances of the case.
The case was registered at Bantwal Town police station following allegations that objectionable posts were uploaded from Facebook and Instagram accounts bearing the name “Sharukh Koppal”, which allegedly promoted hatred between communities and disturbed public peace. Whether the applicant himself operated the accounts and posted the content is a matter to be determined during investigation and trial, the court observed.
The court noted that the accused had undertaken to cooperate with the investigation and abide by any conditions imposed by the court. It also took into account that the alleged offences do not attract punishment of life imprisonment or death penalty, and that the accused does not have any criminal antecedents.
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Accordingly, the court directed that if Sharukh is arrested, Bantwal Town police should release him on bail. As part of the conditions, he has been asked to appear before the investigating officer within 10 days and execute a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with one surety for the same amount. He has also been directed to cooperate with the investigation, appear whenever required, and not influence or threaten witnesses, either directly or indirectly, or tamper with evidence.
The complaint in the case was filed on November 2, 2025, by K Krishnappa, who alleged that obscene and abusive language was used against Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat on social media platforms, with the intent of creating enmity between religious communities and disturbing public order. Based on the complaint, police had registered an FIR.
Sharukh had earlier approached the Mangaluru district and sessions court seeking anticipatory bail, but his plea was rejected. He then moved the High Court.
During the hearing, counsel for the accused Rashif Nairmoole argued that Sharukh had not posted any such content and that his social media accounts could have been hacked or misused by someone who knew his passwords. He submitted that the accused was willing to cooperate fully with the police and comply with any conditions imposed by the court, and sought grant of anticipatory bail, which was ultimately allowed by the High Court.
