Mangaluru woman lodges complaint against husband for theft of gold from cupboard at home
Mangaluru: A woman residing in KPT Vyasanagar has lodged a formal police complaint against her husband, alleging the theft of a substantial amount of gold jewelry that she had meticulously stored in her home cupboard. The complainant, Renisha Noronha, has accused her husband, Mohammad Ilias, of being involved in the alleged theft.
Renisha Noronha, who resides in an apartment with her husband and their son, revealed that she had entrusted her gold jewelry to the cupboard locker at their residence. The stolen jewelry, amounting to 75 pawns of gold, encompassed a variety of pieces. These included 25 pawns of wedding gifts from her parents, 20 pawns gifted by her parents, an additional five pawns she had acquired herself, and a final set of 25 pawns bestowed by her in-laws. Renisha underscored that the knowledge of this cache of gold was shared exclusively between her and her husband.
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The situation took a turn in April when a disagreement led Renisha to temporarily move to her mother's residence. Upon her return to their apartment a month later, she discovered her husband's week-long absence. This raised suspicions, prompting her to examine the cupboard locker, revealing the shocking disappearance of her gold holdings.
Efforts to contact Ilias bore no fruit until he finally responded to her calls three days later. He openly admitted to taking the gold and subsequently divulged his actions. Renisha claims Ilias had challenged her and even stated that he had pledged the gold at a bank for a sum of Rs 28.5 lakh. Moreover, Ilias confessed to enlisting an accomplice named Prabhakar who helped manage the gold transaction. Reportedly, Prabhakar arranged for the melted gold worth Rs 12 lakh to be sold.
Renisha Noronha's formal complaint, lodged with the Kadri Police, targets both her husband Ilias and his associate Prabhakar.
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Maharashtra village goes ‘caste-free’, penalties for abuse, 2-hour student “no-phone” period
New Delhi: A village in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district made an effort to redefine social boundaries through a unanimous gram sabha resolution, with residents of Soundala publicly declaring the village "caste-free" earlier this month.
According to a report published by The Print, during a specially convened gram sabha, a resolution was passed on February 5, which calls for the removal of caste-based distinctions from public and social life. It urges residents to interact only on the basis of shared humanity. It also prohibits inquiries into caste identity and affirms equal access to public spaces, religious places, water sources, schools and government services.
Soundala is located about 350 km from Mumbai. It has a population of around 2,500 across nearly 450 families. Majority of the families belong to upper castes while a significant Dalit population, alongside a small number of Muslim and Christian families also live in the village. While overt discrimination had been declining over the years, residents say the resolution gives formal expression to changes that were gradually taking root.
The initiative was led by village sarpanch Sharad Argade. The Print quoted him as saying that the move was initiated because of rising caste and communal tensions in neighbouring areas of the state and he feared that social divisions seen elsewhere could harden in his own village if left unaddressed.
According to Argade, the idea of declaring Soundala caste-free was discussed over time, influenced by social worker Pramod Zinjade and shaped by his family’s long involvement in local politics. Argade’s wife Priyanka, a former sarpanch, is credited by villagers with playing a key role in challenging social norms through her outreach work, which included visiting homes across caste lines.
The resolution states that Soundala will not differentiate on the basis of caste, religion, creed or colour, and adopts the motto “My caste is humanity." The resolution also warns against social or economic boycotts, communal statements and the circulation of inflammatory content on social media, with provisions for penalties.
After the resolution villagers are sharing food in festivals, visiting each other's houses, and attending community events together. Older residents recall a time when Dalits were forced to sit separately at weddings, use different wells, and stay away from upper-caste houses. Members of the Muslim community also spoke of earlier experiences of exclusion that discouraged social interaction.
Soundala has also introduced penalties for verbal abuse, discouraged discriminatory practices against widows and extended financial support for widow remarriage. The gram panchayat also provides educational support to girls up to Class 12 and enforces a daily two-hour “no mobile phone” period for students to encourage study.
Two months before the caste-free resolution, the village had also adopted a practice of playing the national anthem each morning over a loudspeaker. Argade said it was intended to reinforce a shared civic identity.
Acknowledging that caste remains relevant in government policy, particularly in reservation for education and employment, the sarpanch was quoted by The Print as saying that the aim was to confine caste to official records and remove it from daily behaviour.
