Karnataka contractor dies by suicide over family issues, non-payment of bills by KRIDL
Davangere: A 48-year-old contractor died by suicide allegedly due to non-clearance of his bills for the work he executed for a state government body, police said on Saturday.
PS Goudar took the extreme step on May 27 and left behind a suicide note in which he held his family members, including his brothers, and the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) responsible for his death.
In the suicide note, the victim alleged that his family members caused him mental stress over the matter of ancestral property. Besides, the non-clearance of bills for the works he completed on the premises of the Agriculture department at Santebennur in Channagiri taluk, which was assigned to him by KRIDL last year also led to financial stress.
Both the issues allegedly drove him to take the extreme step, he stated.
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However, police verification revealed that Goudar was not a licensed contractor.
Based on the suicide note and complaint from his wife, a case was registered under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code against five people, including his family members and KRIDL.
"We are looking into the allegations made by him and are verifying facts. Our investigation is underway," a police official said.
Meanwhile, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said he has ordered the constitution of a committee of senior officers to conduct an inquiry and submit a report on these allegations against the corporation.
"I have instructed the ACS (Additional Chief Secretary), RDPR (Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department) to form a committee of senior officers to enquire and submit a report on these allegations on KRIDL," he has said in a post on 'X'.
He further added that KRIDL is an engineering corporation and sub-contracting isn’t encouraged.
I have instruced the ACS RDPR to form a committee of senior officers to enquire and submit a report on these allegations on KRIDL.
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) May 31, 2024
KRIDL is an engineering corporation and sub contracting isn’t encouraged. pic.twitter.com/FWzgl5mFoi
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Fake call centre duping foreigners busted in Thane; five detained
Thane (PTI): The Thane police have unearthed a bogus call centre that allegedly cheated foreign nationals, particularly US citizens, under the pretext of selling software, an official said on Wednesday.
Five persons, including the call centre owner, were detained after a raid at the premises in the Ambernath area of Maharashtra's Thane district late Tuesday night, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ambernath division) Shailesh Kale told PTI.
The bogus facility was operating from a business centre and functioned under the garb of providing software services, the official said.
"The call centre staff targeted foreign nationals, especially Americans. They contacted them on the phone, lured them with offers of software services and extracted money from them in different forms," Kale said.
The police received a tip-off about the illegal operations and raided the premises. The search operation continued till Wednesday morning, he said.
The employees used to make hundreds of calls to foreign nationals daily and would eventually succeed in duping a few of them, Senior Police Inspector Shabbir Sayyed said.
"They collected advance payments from the victims and blocked them after receiving the money," he said, explaining the modus operandi.
The employees were provided with a specific script for conversations to gain the victims' confidence and persuade them to transfer funds, he added.
The police have seized electronic gadgets and other accessories used in the alleged racket from the premises.
A case has been registered against five persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Indian Telegraph Act, Kale said.
The police were verifying the victims' credentials and nationality.
