Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Belagavi Police have arrested a woman who allegedly lured wealthy men and robbed them, officials said on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Deepa Avatagi (33), a native of Mahalingpur in Bagalkot district. She claimed to be a fashion designer, they said.

Her associate, Shivanand Mathapati, a resident of Hukkeri taluk in Belagavi district, is currently absconding.

Police said Mathapati allegedly supplied information about affluent individuals to the accused.

According to investigators, Deepa befriended wealthy men through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. After establishing contact, she allegedly engaged them in obscene chats and later invited them to meet her at a lodge in Belagavi city.

ALSO READ:  Police probe antecedents of man who opened fire at Farooq Abdullah

Once the victim arrived at the lodge, she would ask him to take a shower.

While the man was inside the bathroom, she would allegedly lock the door from outside and flee with his mobile phone, cash and car keys, Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borase said.

Police said some of the incidents were captured on the lodge's CCTV cameras. The accused would later call the victim from another phone number and allegedly demand money, threatening to lodge a police complaint if the victim refused to pay.

A case has been registered at the Tilakwadi Police Station in Belagavi. A police team led by Inspector Parashuram Poojari arrested the accused during the investigation.

Police have seized property worth approximately Rs 32.86 lakh from the accused. The seized items include cars, 11 mobile phones, a tablet, a dongle, three car keys and Rs 14,000 in cash, the senior police officer said.

Further investigation into the case is underway, and efforts are on to trace the absconding accomplice, police added.

"The recovered items will be returned to the rightful owners. Shivanand is still absconding and will be secured very soon. He was earlier arrested in Bengaluru by the Bengaluru Police. We are currently working out to find how many people have been targeted by them," the officer added.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.

“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.

Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”

Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”

“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.

When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”

The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.