Mangaluru, Dec 17: Opposition Leader (Congress) in Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Saturday flayed the State government's alleged neglect and injustice towards backward class communities on the question of reservation in local bodies.

Addressing reporters at Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district, he said the Basavaraj Bommai government has failed to hold elections to the local bodies within the specified time-frame.

The Supreme Court had granted the government time till March 31, 2023, to finalise the reservation for the other backward class (OBC) communities. The delays and lethargic attitude of the government indicate that it is not serious about holding elections to the local bodies and is doing nothing on the quota issue.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah released a book "Vasanta Vinyasa" on the life of Belthangady ex-MLA Vasant Bangera and felicitated him.

Former JD (S) MLA from Kadur YSV Datta, who is said to be contemplating to join Congress and the author of the book Aravind Chokkadi, were present. Datta, however, did not reveal his next political move and said he would consult the voters of his constituency before taking any decision.

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Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Three persons have been arrested in connection with cyber fraud cases involving more than Rs 82 crore and 352 complaints registered nationwide, police said here on Friday.

The accused have been booked by the cybercrime police station under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS.

According to Karnataka Police, the prime accused, 43-year-old Jagadish C, allegedly lured a complainant, Wilson, with a promise of commission and persuaded him to open a bank account.

Jagadish later took control of the account and, by impersonating the complainant, fraudulently transferred large sums of money, police said.

Jagadish, a resident of Sharadamma Compound in Sharavathi Nagar, Shivamogga, runs an electronics business, police said.

The other two accused have been identified as Arshad (39), a fish trader from Shankarpura in Chikkamagaluru, and Ananth T (34), a marketing professional from Hosamane in Shivamogga.

Police said 15 bank accounts used for illegal fund transfers have been frozen.

More than Rs 14.71 crore was routed through these accounts linked to over 352 fraud complaints registered nationwide.

The total cheating amount stood at Rs 82 crore, police said.

Two mobile phones, 11 ATM cards, nine QR code scanners and 15 Airtel SIM cards have been seized from the accused.

The trio was produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody, police said, adding that efforts are on to trace other absconding suspects.