Trickster in the guise of devotee dupes woman of gold chain in Uppinangady
Uppinangady: The wife of a temple priest here was duped of her three-and-a-half pawn gold mangalsutra by a man claiming to open a jewellery store and asking the lady to bless him with her wedding chain.
The incident took place a couple of days ago on the way to the Hanuman Temple on Car Street, Uppinangady, where the priest lived, it is learned.
A Hindi-speaking man had approached the priest’s wife outside the house, requesting her to bless his offering of Rs 300, with three notes of Rs 100, with her mangalsutra. He also claimed that he could not visit the temple personally since there had been a disaster in his family recently. When the lady asked why she was being asked to bless the offering, the man further said that he would be opening a gold jewellery store in his native place and had been told to be blessed by a noble woman and place the offering at his new shop, said sources.
The priest’s wife now agreed to cooperate with the man and touched her wedding chain to the notes she was given. The man, however, insisted that she take off her mangalsutra and bless the notes, instead of blessing while wearing the chain. The lady did so.
As the priest’s wife handed the blessed notes back to the man, the latter, in what could be called a split second, had run away with the notes, the sources added.
It was only a moment later that the lady realized that the man had cheated her and taken her gold chain too with him, and created a holler.
A complaint has been filed with the police. SI Rajesh KV, said, “We are confident of getting the trickster, with the investigating team using the CCTV camera footage of what had occurred.”
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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