Kadaba: ATM fraudster dupes man of thousands of rupees
Kadaba: An unidentified caller has snatched away thousands of rupees from a bank account by telling the customer: "your ATM card has expired. I will provide you with a new card if you tell your number."
A resident of Pijakkal Ravindra (name changed), who holds an account in State Bank of India, received a phone call on October 26. The caller, in Hindi Language, introduced himself as a bank executive and said Ravindra that his ATM card date has expired. The caller asked his ATM card number on the pretext of giving a new card. When Ravindra hesitated to share the number, he threatened him saying fraudsters may take away his money if he does not share the number. Ravindra, besides sharing his card number, shared the OTP also. Soon after that, Rs. 19,999 got withdrawn from Ravindra's account for two times. Minutes later, Rs, 9,999 was withdrawn again.
Immediately, Ravindra rushed to the bank and discontinued the bank transactions. Due to which, he was able to save lakhs of rupees that was available in the account.
Now, Ravindra is preparing to file a complaint with the police.
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Karnataka new excise policy: Local liquor to get costlier, premium may get cheaper
Bengaluru: The state government on Monday rolled out a new excise policy that shifts from the decades-old bulk litre-based system to a model based on alcohol content in beverages, Deccan Herald reported.
Karnataka becomes the first state in India to adopt this model. The change is expected to make lower-priced liquor costlier, while some premium brands may see a reduction in prices.
A senior Excise Department official said: “The policy is being implemented from today (May 11). The Karnataka Excise (Excise Duty and Charges) (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified after a public consultation on a draft released on April 18, slashes the number of excise slabs from 16 to 8.”
Local liquor manufacturers have alleged that the policy favours multinational companies producing beer and spirits over domestic distilleries.
According to the Karnataka Brewers and Distillers Association (KBDA), the first five slabs, which cater to the common man, house the maximum number of state-owned distilleries and contribute nearly 70-75% of the state’s excise revenue, have seen their Additional Excise Duty (AED) rise by 20-30%.
In contrast, slabs 6 to 8, which include products from multinational companies such as United Spirits, Bacardi, Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, have seen AED reduced by 10-15%. The association said that while larger companies can absorb pricing shifts across their diverse portfolios, smaller regional distilleries limited to budget liquor may face volume contraction and potential closure.
A senior KBDA member said the price of a 180 ml bottle in the lowest slab, which was around Rs 63 last year, has already risen to Rs 80, and the new policy is set to push that price further to Rs 105 a jump driven by a 42.8% tax bracket.
