Chikkamagaluru, August 30: Earthquake did not take place at Kogre and in its nearby villages. Senior geologists have opined that the strange sound was heard due to heavy rains in the recent past. In this regard, geologists have submitted a report to the district administration and the government.
The villagers had complained that they experienced strange sounds accompanied by minor vibrations beneath the earth for several months in Kogre, Shantigrama, Abbikal, Nayakarakatte and Guddbargodu villages in Koppa taluk. Consequently, a team of senior geologists from Bengaluru led by Dr. Ramesh L. Dikpal, KK Abhinav and Raghavan visited the villages on August 14 and launched inspection.
This team has now submitted their report to the government. It mentioned that as per routine, 1,025 mm rainfall was expected in this area. But it received 1,339 mm rain. That means, around 31% addition rainfall has been recorded. Following which, these sorts of sounds may have been heard from the ground, but it is not an earthquake. “All these villages are located on the hills. Here, hills are being cleared to construct roads. Due to which, the landslides are taking place,” they said.
“There is a man-made 50-60 meter long tunnel in the village. Some say that sounds are coming in because the layers of the tunnels clash with each other. But there are no signs of the collision of the layers when we inspected there. The tunnels are not the reason for such sounds, the scientists clarified.
The group of scientists, who believe that the sound came due to heavy rainfall and increased water flow, said that Richter scales had been installed at every district to provide information about the earthquake. As soon as an earthquake or seismic traits are found, data is sent to the respective deputy commissioners. No such details are available in this area. The mysterious sound is not related to the earthquake, the scientists opined.
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Bengaluru, Apr 03 (PTI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said jeweller Sahil Sakariya Jain played a key role in assisting Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya, also known as Ranya Rao, in disposing of 49.6 kg of smuggled gold worth ₹40.14 crore.
According to the DRI’s remand note, Jain not only helped facilitate the illegal transaction but also abetted Ranya in hawala money transfers linked to the smuggling operation.
Jain, a jeweller by profession, was arrested on March 26 for assisting Ranya in the gold smuggling case.
He has been remanded to judicial custody until April 7.
Jain not only helped Ranya in allegedly disposing of the gold but also appeared to have facilitated Hawala money transactions.
"It appears that he assisted and abetted Accused No. 1 in disposing of approximately 49.6 kg of gold worth ₹40,13,59,374. He has also admitted to aiding A1 in transferring Hawala money amounting to around ₹38,39,97,000 to Dubai and ₹1,73,61,787 to A1 in Bengaluru," the DRI stated.
The agency further noted that the unaccounted cash of ₹2.67 crore seized from Ranya’s residence on March 4, as per the ‘Mahazar’ , was likely Hawala money she received as profit from purchasing gold in Dubai and selling it in Bengaluru.
The DRI added that Jain admitted to receiving a commission of ₹55,000 for each transaction.
"The voluminous evidence extracted from two mobile phones and a laptop belonging to Sahil Sakariya Jain further establishes his role in the smuggling of large quantities of gold into India by A1 ," the DRI stated.
According to the agency, in January 2025, Jain helped Ranya dispose of 14.568 kg of gold worth ₹11.56 crore and facilitated the transfer of ₹11.01 crore in Hawala transactions to Dubai.
Additionally, he admitted to transferring ₹55 lakh in Bengaluru.
In February, Jain allegedly assisted Ranya in disposing of 13.433 kg of gold worth ₹11.81 crore.
During the same month, he helped transfer ₹11.25 crore in Hawala funds to Dubai and ₹55.81 lakh to Ranya in Bengaluru.
Ranya, the stepdaughter of a DGP-rank officer in Karnataka, was arrested on March 3, shortly after returning from Dubai at Kempegowda International Airport.
The DRI officials seized 14.7 kg of gold from her possession.