Ullal police arrest AP man for allegedly blackmailing Someshwara Municipality Revenue officer, staff
Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested the accused who allegedly blackmailed and threatened the revenue officer and staff of Someshwara Municipality by calling them on the phone under the guise of Lokayukta.
The accused, identified as Dhananjaya Reddy Tota (31) from Nallagutlapalli village in Andhra Pradesh, allegedly contacted the Someshwara Municipality Revenue Officer, Purushottam, via a WhatsApp call in April 2024. Posing as a Lokayukta official, he claimed there was an allegation against Purushottam and demanded money to "resolve" the issue. He threatened to cause trouble if the money was not paid.
When Purushottam verified the caller’s identity through Truecaller, the name "D. Prabhakara, Lokayukta PI" appeared. However, upon contacting Karnataka Lokayukta officials in Mangaluru, he discovered that no such officer existed.
In a similar incident, senior health inspector Alli Nair Krishna also received threatening calls from the accused, demanding money.
Investigations revealed that Dhananjaya Reddy Tota had a history of committing similar crimes in 2019, with cases registered against him at Gauribidanur Police Station in Chikkaballapur district and Shabad Police Station in Hyderabad.
A complaint was lodged, and the Ullal police, led by PSI Santosh Kumar and supported by Crime Investigation Department personnel Ranjit Kumar, Anand Badgi, and Manjunath, successfully tracked and arrested the accused.
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
