Popular Urdu poet Azeezuddin Azeez Belgaumi passes away in Bengaluru at 71
Bengaluru: Renowned Urdu poet and author Azeezuddin Azeez Belgaumi passed away in Bengaluru on Friday at the age of 71 after experiencing chest pain.
Azeez Belgaumi, originally from Belgaum in Karnataka, had a multifaceted career, which spanned teaching, writing, publishing, and broadcasting. A science graduate with an MA and MPhil, Azeez was well-known for his contributions to Urdu literature and poetry, with three books to his name: a prose book titled Zanjeer-e-Dast-o-Paa and two poetry collections, Harf-o-Saut and Sukun ke Lamhon ki Tazagi.
He also lent his voice to an audio CD of Allama Iqbal's poems with Malayalam translations, released in Kerala.
Azeez also had a long-standing association with All India Radio and Doordarshan Bengaluru, where he interviewed over 50 prominent personalities from various fields.
Funeral prayers will be held after Isha prayers in Bengaluru.
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Naval information leak case: Fourth accused held
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Udupi police have arrested another accused in a case involving the alleged transmission of confidential information related to the Indian Navy to Pakistan, taking the total number of arrests to four, officials said on Thursday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Alif Islam (21), a native of West Bengal, who was presently residing at Marayur village in Idukki district of Kerala, they said.
He was apprehended in connection with the alleged leak of a confidential list containing identification numbers of Indian naval vessels, police said.
According to investigators, the accused are suspected to have shared sensitive information through WhatsApp and Facebook with contacts in Pakistan without authorisation.
The case was registered at Malpe police station in 2025 following a complaint regarding the alleged illegal transmission of naval-related data, officials said.
Police said the investigation pertains to the alleged sharing of a classified list of ship numbers linked to the Indian Navy.
In November 2025, two accused -- Rohit and Santri from Uttar Pradesh -- were taken into custody in connection with the same case. Later, Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat was arrested in December 2025.
With the latest arrest, the number of persons held in the case has risen to four.
Police said one more accused is yet to be apprehended. The operator of the Facebook page allegedly used to transmit the information also remains at large.
Investigators suspect that Islam may be a Bangladeshi national, and efforts are on to verify his citizenship and other credentials.
Further investigation is under way, police added.
