Muslim techie washed away in cauvery while taking selfie; Hindu friend sacrifices his life in rescue
Bengaluru, July 16: In spite of warnings from the concerned authorities against taking selfies in dangerous spots, selfie mania claimed two precious lives in the state on Sunday. While taking selfies, two software engineers from Bengaluru swept away in Cauvery river at Mekedatu in Ramanagara district on Sunday.
The deceased have been identified as Sameer Rahman (29) and Bhavani Shankar (29) of Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru. They hailed from Bidar. As it was holiday, both of them along with two other friends- Amit and Srikanth- went to Sangama at Mekedatu on two motor bikes. While taking a selfie, Sameer slipped and fell into the water at around 11.30 am. Suddenly, in a bid to save his friend Sameer, Bhavani Shankar plunged into the water. But he also drowned. Both of them washed away in the river and still their bodies were not yet traced.
The police who were informed by the local people rushed to the spot. Both police and fire brigade and emergency service started their search operation. But they have failed to trace the bodies on Sunday as it was dusk and called off their search operation. The search operation was resumed on Monday morning with the help of the locals. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was also summoned to take up search operation in the river.
Meanwhile, police sources said that following the heavy inflow into the KRS dam, the authorities have opened 12 gates to release the water to the river from the reservoir. This has increased water level in the river suddenly by 60-70 ft than usual level, sources added.
Sathanur police have informed the families of the victims about the incident.
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
