Strong earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia
Jakarta: A powerful undersea earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Thursday, causing panic but no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The 6.7 magnitude quake at a depth of 107 kilometers (66 miles) rattled North Halmahera district in North Maluku province. It was centered 89 kilometers (55 miles) northeast of the coastal town of Tobelo. There was no danger of a tsunami, authorities said.
People were running from their houses, said North Halmahera Disaster Mitigation Agency official Pius Ohoiwutun.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
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.
Man held for blackmailing woman using explicit photos, videos
Bengaluru (PTI): A 46-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing a woman using her explicit photos and videos to force her into a sexual relationship with him, police said on Saturday.
The accused, Haniyur Chandregowda, is a member of the Child Welfare Committee in Ramanagara, they said.
Obscene photos of several other women were also found on his mobile phone during examination, police said.
The case came to light after a 43-year-old woman, who works as a make-up artist, filed a complaint at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police station on April 30, they said.
According to FIR, the woman met Chandregowda in 2021. He told her he was connected to TV serials and took her phone number on the pretext of offering make-up work. The woman had been living separately from her husband for about eight years.
The accused started visiting her house frequently and told her he was a lecturer with a good salary and promised to marry her and entered into a physical relationship with her, she alleged.
Police said Chandregowda later used private photos and videos of their intimate moments to threaten her. He allegedly warned that he would make them public if she did not agree to his demands, and continued the relationship under pressure.
The FIR also stated that in 2024, he rented a house using the woman's documents by falsely claiming to be her husband.
The woman also alleged that he used a fake ID claiming he was a Superintendent of Police to avoid paying toll fees.
She claimed that he had taken around Rs 5 lakh from her since 2021 and had not returned the money.
The FIR further stated that he added his name to the educational documents of the woman's daughter, pretending to be her husband.
Based on the complaint, a case under sections 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means) and 204 (impersonating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered. He was later arrested, a senior police officer said.
