Darshan case: Photo of child in prisoner's dress on social media; child rights body seeks action
Bengaluru, Jul 3: Taking a strong view of a photo of a child on a social media platform dressed like a jail inmate with a prisoner number 6106 -- suggesting Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) on Wednesday directed the cyber crime police to take action in the matter.
Darshan, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 others are currently in the Central jail at Parappana Agrahara here in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case.
The photo of the baby, with hand-written slip ‘Jai D. Boss’ pasted next to it -- an apparent reference to Darshan -- was shared by an Instagram user, who said it is "trending".
In a letter to the Cyber Crime Division of the Criminal Investigation Department, the KSCPCR Chairperson K Naganna Gowda said action should be taken against those responsible for sharing the photographs.
“We don’t even call children as accused or criminals even when they do something wrong unknowingly. We call them ‘children involved in legal fight’. Such effects should not befall on children,” Gowda said in his letter.
“Instead of providing a good atmosphere for children we should not thrust our love or blind love for someone on them,” he said.
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Gold smuggling racket busted at Bengaluru airport, 5 arrested
Bengaluru (PTI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a major international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru following a coordinated operation, according to an official statement.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the case and efforts are underway to identify the key masterminds and dismantle the entire network, officials said.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, officers of the DRI’s Bengaluru Zonal Unit mounted surveillance at Terminal 2 of the airport, leading to the interception of a network involving foreign nationals and local facilitators.
The operation, conducted over April 6 and 7, culminated in the seizure of 3.356 kg of high-purity gold worth about Rs 5 crore in paste form.
“The officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru Zonal Unit, have successfully busted a major international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL), Bengaluru,” the agency said in a press release.
Officials said the contraband was ingeniously concealed in paste form inside capsule-shaped packets, highlighting the sophisticated methods adopted by the syndicate.
Investigations revealed that carriers arriving from abroad deliberately chose Bengaluru as a transit point, exploiting longer layovers to facilitate covert transfers within the airport premises.
“The gold was concealed on the body and transferred using a pre-arranged passcode system inside sensitive areas such as washrooms and smoking zones, thereby bypassing Customs scrutiny,” the statement said.
The use of coded exchanges within restricted zones enabled the syndicate to evade routine checks, it said, adding that the probe also uncovered insider involvement within the airport ecosystem.
“The syndicate had further infiltrated the airport ecosystem, with the involvement of an insider who misused authorised access to restricted zones to receive and smuggle out the contraband,” the DRI said.
The operation also revealed the use of encrypted communication platforms featuring coded messages and disappearing chats.
Authorities said preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of a wider international network.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the network is part of a larger cross-border smuggling syndicate involving foreign operatives, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals, working in tandem with domestic handlers and facilitators,” the DRI said.
Officials said the case reflects the increasing sophistication of smuggling operations and reiterated that the agency remains committed to curbing such organised economic offences.
