Mangaluru: The Eighth Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mangaluru has sentenced renowned Kannada actor Padmaja Rao to three months of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 40.2 lakh in connection with a bounced cheque linked to a loan she allegedly took.

The case was initiated after Veerendra Shetty, a resident of Maryhill and owner of 'Veeru Talkies' in Mangaluru, filed a complaint against Rao. Shetty claimed that Rao had borrowed Rs 40 lakh from him and provided a cheque dated June 17, 2020, as security for the loan. However, when Shetty attempted to encash the cheque, it was dishonored due to insufficient funds in Rao's account. Following the cheque's rejection, Shetty issued a notice to Rao on June 30, 2020, demanding repayment of the loan within 15 days, but the actor allegedly failed to fulfill this obligation.

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During the court proceedings, Padmaja Rao denied the allegations, asserting that she never borrowed money from Shetty and did not issue him any cheque as security. Rao further accused Shetty of stealing a cheque from her possession and forging her signature to build a false case against her. However, she was unable to provide substantial evidence to support her claims.

After reviewing the case, Judge Fawaz P.A. sentenced Padmaja Rao to three months of imprisonment. Additionally, she was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 40.2 lakh, which includes Rs 40.17 lakh to be paid to the complainant and Rs 3,000 as a penalty to the government.

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Nashik (PTI): Nine members of a family, including six children, were killed after their car fell into a well in Maharashtra's Nashik district, police said on Saturday.

The accident occurred in the Shivaji Nagar area of Dindori town around 10 pm on Friday, an official said.

The victims were heading home after attending a function at a banquet hall in the area when their car fell into a well near the venue, he said.

Personnel from the local police and emergency services arrived at the scene and retrieved the car and its occupants with the help of two cranes and swimmers around midnight.

The victims were members of the Dargude family from Indore village in Dindori taluka, the official said.

According to the police, the deceased were identified as Sunil Dattu Dargude (32), his wife Reshma, Asha Anil Dargude (32), and six children from the family, five girls in the age group of seven to 14 years and an 11-year-old boy.

Their bodies were brought to the government hospital in Dindori, the official said, adding that a case has been registered and a probe is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.