Fire breaks out in truck carrying maize in Charmadi Ghat, guts vehicle, no casualty reported
Belthangady: A truck carrying a load of maize caught fire while on the Charmadi Ghat road early Saturday morning and was gutted, although there were no fatalities.
The truck was reportedly traveling on ghat road connecting Chikkamagaluru district to Dakshina Kannada and carrying the maize from Javagal in Hassan district to Kundapur in Udupi district.
The fire is said to have broken out behind the tyre due to technical problems. In a few seconds, however, it spread to the entire truck and destroyed the maize and the truck.
The fire spread to the nearby forest area, giving rise to severe worry among the locals.
The flames were successfully doused by the fire brigade with the help of the locals. The driver and two others, who were in the truck, are learned to be out of danger.
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Udupi: Woman, bank employee arrested in property tax fraud case
Udupi: Udupi City Police have arrested two persons, including a woman, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of property tax funds belonging to the Udupi Municipal Council.
The accused have been identified as Shalini, who was working as a tax consultant outside the municipal office, and Ganesh, a bank employee.
According to police, Anand Suvarna had paid Rs 34,730 towards 12 years of property tax for his building in Kalmadi to Shalini on October 16, 2025. She reportedly issued him a receipt acknowledging the payment.
However, when Suvarna recently checked the status of the payment on the property tax portal, he found that the amount had not been credited and was still shown as pending. He then brought the matter to the notice of the Municipal Commissioner, who verified that the payment had not been recorded.
During questioning, Shalini allegedly admitted to the lapse. On February 16, 2026, she generated a new challan in Suvarna’s name and paid Rs 35,213 towards the dues.
Police said a case has been registered at the Udupi City Police Station against the accused for allegedly misappropriating tax money and defrauding the government by affixing the seal of Union Bank on the challan without remitting the amount initially received from the taxpayer.
Further investigation is under way.
