Bengaluru, Sep 19: Karnataka government has proposed to create new Vijayanagara district by carving out six taluks from the existing Ballari district.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has asked the Chief Secretary to place the proposal before the next cabinet meeting, official sources said on Thursday.

He stressed the need to form a new Vijayanagar district with its headquarters in Hosapet by carving out six taluks – Hosapet, Kampli, Hagaribommanahalli, Kottur, Hadagali, and Harapanahalli – from Ballari district and keeping the remain five taluks – Ballari, Kurugodu, Siraguppa, Sandur, and Kudligi – in Ballari district.

Once approved, Vijayanagara will become the 31st district in the state.

Anand Singh, one of the 17 disqualified MLAs whose rebellion led to the fall of the previous H D Kumaraswamy-led government, had cited the demand for a separate Vijayanagara district as one of the reasons for his resignation from Congress.

A delegation lead by Singh on Wednesday had met Yediyurappa and urged him to create a separate Vijayanagara district by bifurcating Ballari.

According to official sources, Yediyurappa said that keeping public and administrative interest in mind, it was necessary to create the new district with six out of 11 taluks in Ballari District with Hosapete as its headquarters.

Noting that some parts of the Ballari district were about 200 km away from the present headquarters, the Chief Minister said it was causing inconvenience to farmers, poor, labourers and common people.

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Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.

According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.

The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.

Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.

The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.

The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.