Udupi: Udupi District Congress Minority Division President Sharfuddeen Sheikh Majoor has accused MLA Yashpal Suvarna of attempting to deflect attention from alleged financial irregularities at Mahalakshmi Co-operative Bank by shifting the focus to the waqf land issue. In a statement issued on Friday, Sheikh Majoor criticized Suvarna’s recent public protests, asserting they were a means to avoid scrutiny over the alleged mismanagement at the bank.

According to Majoor, Suvarna has faced allegations regarding his involvement in financial misappropriations at the Malpe-based Mahalakshmi Co-operative Bank, where irregularities reportedly amount to ₹20 crore. Customers have alleged that they received loans of only ₹20,000 from the bank, which later demanded repayment on loans of up to ₹2 lakh without proper documentation.

Majoor claimed that Suvarna was resorting to “diversion tactics” by making unsubstantiated accusations against the Muslim community under the guise of waqf-related issues. "By staging protests and storming into the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Suvarna is attempting to draw public attention away from the bank scandal," said Majoor.

Highlighting the BJP’s stance on waqf encroachments, Majoor pointed out that the previous BJP-led government had issued numerous notices to farmers regarding alleged encroachments of waqf land, a policy mentioned in the party’s 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto.

The Congress leader further added that the people of Karnataka are aware of Suvarna’s tactics and the underlying intentions of his protests.

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Bengaluru, Dec 26: A Japanese national, Hiroshi Sasaki, who works in Bengaluru, lost Rs 35.5 lakh after being 'digitally arrested' by cyber fraudsters, police said, on Thursday.

 

The incident occurred between December 12 and 14, police added.

Sasaki, who lives in a flat near Dairy Circle, received a phone call on December 12. The caller was claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The caller informed him that his phone number would be blocked due to its unauthorised use.

To avoid the disconnection Sasaki was asked to dial a number.

Upon dialling the number, he was immediately connected to a WhatsApp call from someone claiming to be from the Cyber Crime wing of Mumbai Police. The caller informed Sasaki that he was involved in a money laundering case.

The fraudsters "digitally arrested" him and siphoned off Rs 35.5 lakh by having him make payments through various means, including RTGS.

He was also told that the money would be returned after the investigation was completed.

After realising that he had been duped, the victim approached the South East Cyber Crimes, Economics and Narcotics (CEN) police station and lodged a complaint.

'Digital arrest' is a new cyber fraud, where the fraudster poses as law enforcement agency officials from agencies like CBI, and customs and threatens people of arrest by making video calls.

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