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Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday, January 31, said the police have been directed to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the “suicide” of Confident Group chairperson CJ Roy, who allegedly shot himself dead at his office here when I-T officials were present in connection with earlier searches. Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said the Income Tax Department had earlier conducted searches at Roy’s company and were in the process of completing statutory procedures. “There was a raid in his company in December (last). There is a rule that within 60 days a charge sheet has to be filed in the court. They had to finalise before February 4. Hence, he was summoned,” he said. Roy had recently returned from abroad and was cooperating with the authorities, he added. “Three days ago, he had returned from Dubai . The I-T officials went to his office to record his statement. He too responded to it,” Parameshwara said. “In the meantime, Roy told t...

Bengaluru: A passenger arriving from Bangkok at the Kempegowda International Airport here on Friday was arrested for attempting to smuggle hydroponic ganja worth Rs 2.77 crore, officials said. The identity of the accused, who has been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, has not been disclosed. Also Read Three members from same family arrested for selling ganja in Hyderabad “Customs officials intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok and seized 7.92 kg of hydroponic ganja, valued at Rs 2.77 crore, concealed in checked-in baggage,” the department said on ‘X’. An investigation is underway. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Bengaluru: Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has defended the state-run public transport system and the government’s ‘Shakti’ scheme amid a social media spat with IT industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai over the role of private operators, asserting that public transport is a right, not a luxury. The sharp exchange began after former Chief Finance Officer of Infosys, Mohandas Pai, alleged a shortage of buses and lack of public transport, while urging the minister to allow private buses to provide service. “All we have got is shortage of buses and lack of public transport for last 3 years. (Earlier too) Please allow private buses to provide service,” Mohandas Pai alleged in a post on ‘X’ late on Thursday. For Minister @RLR_BTM All we have got is shortage of buses and lack of public transport for last 3 years. (Earlier too) Please allow private buses to provide service. As Minister you have thoroughly failed to ensure adequate public transport because of your dogmatic at...

Bengaluru: A 52-year-old man was held at the Kempegowda International Airport here for allegedly claiming that he had “two small bombs” inside his luggage, police said on Thursday. The suspect, Abu Aqeel Azhar Chad, a resident of Wilson Garden in the city and a cloth merchant was with his associate at the airport on January 28 to board an Indigo flight to Ahmedabad, they said. According to the FIR, Chad and his associate were preparing to board the flight. During the check at the Aerobridge Gate 30, Chad allegedly claimed that he had “two small bombs” inside his bag. Subsequently, Chad was detained and handed over to the airport police, a senior police officer said. Also Read Students evacuated after multiple Delhi schools gets bomb threat, turns out hoax A case was booked against the accused under sections 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said. During questioni...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said that government doctors are strictly prohibited from providing inpatient treatment in private hospitals. However, government doctors are allowed to serve in private clinics or hospitals only in the Outpatient Department (OPD), after completing their regular government duties and ensuring that such practice does not cause any disruption, he said. The complete details of such private practice must be declared to the government, Rao added, warning that any violation of these conditions would invite action against the concerned doctor. The minister made the statement while addressing the Assembly. “Although government doctors are allowed to provide private services to a limited extent as per government orders, it is the clear stand of the government that there should be no disruption to their regular government duties,” Rao said. He said continuous care, emergency treatment, and regular monitoring of inpatients a...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday, January 29, denied the opposition BJP’s allegation that the state government was tapping Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s phone calls. Speaking to reporters, he insisted that there was no need for phone tapping. Replying to a question on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ( BJP) allegation made in the state assembly that the Congress government was tapping the governor’s phone, Parameshwara said the saffron party leaders’ charge appeared as if Congress is doing what the BJP had done in the past. “We neither tapped anyone’s phone nor will we do it in the future. Also, there is no need for it,” he said. He added that the BJP makes hundreds of allegations every day from dawn to dusk, which do not deserve a reply. During a discussion on the governor winding up his recent address to the legislature in just three lines, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said it seems as if Gehlot is getting instructions...

Varanasi: A man was arrested for allegedly killing his 31-year-old co-worker who “deceitfully” fed him beef and taunted him repeatedly over it, the Uttar Pradesh police said on Wednesday, January 28. The accused, Virendra, a resident of the Solapur police station area, was arrested on the night of January 24 from his maternal uncle’s house, Sindhora Station House Officer (SHO) Gyanendra Kumar Tripathi said. The body of the victim, Aftab Alam, a resident of Bihar, was found on January 8 in Mahagaon village under suspicious circumstances, with blood seen coming out from his mouth and nose, the SHO added. Following suspicions raised by the victim’s family, police launched an investigation. Scrutiny of Alam’s bank accounts revealed money transfers to the account of Virendra, Tripathi said. “An examination of CCTV footage from an ATM showed Virendra with Aftab,” he added. During interrogation, Virendra told police that he had worked with Aftab in Bengaluru , where Aftab allegedly fe...

Bengaluru: An FIR has been registered against a former senior employee of an IT firm for allegedly stealing the company’s proprietary software source code valued at approximately Rs 87 crore, police said on Tuesday. The accused Ashuthosh Nigam was employed as a Senior Manager Research Scientist from February 1, 2020, with Amadeus Software Labs India (P) Ltd, they said. According to the FIR, during the course of his employment, he unauthorisedly accessed and exfiltrated source code with software belonging to the company on October 11, 2025, by transferring the source code along with other confidential data from his personal email account without consent or approval from the company. Also Read Domestic help commits gold theft worth Rs 50 lakh in Hyderabad Upon confronting him with internal findings, records and reports, Nigam agreed to having exfiltrated the source code and the same is been video recorded by the company, the FIR stated. Following this, his employment with the c...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, January 27, lost his cool and shouted at some Youth Congress workers who started raising slogans in favour of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar during a protest rally in the city. Siddaramaiah, along with Shivakumar, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers, MPs and legislators took part in the protest condemning replacing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new rural employment scheme Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G). As soon as the chief minister rose from his chair to address the gathering, Congress workers started shouting “DK, DK”. The sloganeering grew louder and louder as he reached the podium to deliver his speech. Annoyed, the chief minister shouted at the Congress workers asking them to keep quiet, but they did not heed. “Who are those shouting ‘DK, DK’,” an angry Siddaramaiah asked the Congress leaders. Bangalore,...

Bengaluru: A drunken brawl over a cigarette lighter allegedly cost a 33-year-old man his life after his friend deliberately ran him over with a car on Sunday, January 25, in Karnataka ‘s Bengaluru. The deceased was identified as Prashanth M, a bodybuilder, who resided at Veerasandra, Bengaluru. The incident occurred on Sunday evening after an argument between Prashanth and Roshan Hegde (37), a software engineer, during a cricket tournament. The duo were consuming beer on an open ground behind a mall in Electronics City after the tournament when, allegedly, a quarrel broke out over a cigarette lighter. The argument soon turned violent, with both men attacking each other using beer bottles, during which Hegde sustained a cut on his tongue. Following the scuffle, Hegde fled the spot in his car. However, Prashanth allegedly chased his car and clung to its door as it sped along the Veerasandra-Kammasandra Road. Also Read CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar lead “Raj Bhavan chalo” protest a...

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, party MPs and MLAs on Tuesday, January 27, took out a “Raj Bhavan Chalo” protest march over the “repeal” of MGNREGA. The leaders marched towards Lok Bhavan, the official residence of the state Govenor, as part of the protest against the Centre’s move to replace MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G, the new rural employment guarantee act. The Congress leaders later boarded a government bus and proceeded to the Lok Bhavan, formerly Raj Bhavan, where they submitted a memorandum to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. During the protest, they alleged that the Union government was dismantling the rural employment guarantee framework and curtailing the rights of Panchayats. Addressing protesters, Siddaramaiah said the word ‘Ram’ in VB-G RAM G was not Dasharath Ram or Seeta Ram. It stands for Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajivika Mission (Gramin). He said the UPA-era M...

Bengaluru: A 24-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide by hanging at her residence in southern Bengaluru, reportedly due to dowry-related harassment, police said on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Keerthisri. In a complaint, her parents alleged that she was under severe mental distress following repeated monetary demands from her husband, Guruprasad, and his family. Also Read UP woman dies in Saudi Arabia, parents allege dowry harassment According to police, Keerthisri was married to Guruprasad, a gym trainer, in 2023, and her parents claimed they had spent around Rs 30 lakh on the wedding. They further alleged that in December 2025, Guruprasad demanded Rs 10 lakh for house construction. While Rs 8 lakh was paid, he allegedly continued to pressure Keerthisri to arrange the remaining Rs 2 lakh at the earliest. Unable to bear the continued harassment, Keerthisri allegedly ended her life by hanging at her home in Yediyur in the Banashankari area on Sunday, police said...

Bengaluru: When a person is born and raised in Bengaluru, they do not usually think of moving away, as the city offers a vibrant, happening life almost every day. A 41-year-old businessman, however, felt moving from the city had become a necessity for his health and family. The entrepreneur shared a post on the social media platform Reddit and explained that the past year living there had become extremely difficult due to increasing traffic congestion and dust pollution, and that he plans to relocate to a Tier 2 city to lead a peaceful life with his family. “I am 41 years old, running my business. Past 1 year, I’ve been feeling very bad about the traffic, dust pollution, and stress levels in Bengaluru,” he began the post. Also Read 2026 WEF Davos: Karnataka gains Rs 13,070 cr investment commitments The man expressed sadness over the “honest taxpayers” who have to travel hours in traffic for work. “I’m thinking about moving to a tier 2 city and leading a peaceful life with my ...

Bengaluru: The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos has emerged as a catalyst for Karnataka’s economic growth, with the state securing investment commitments worth Rs 13,070 crore across sectors, including renewable energy, aerospace, data centres, food processing and advanced manufacturing, Industries Minister M B Patil said. Addressing the media after returning from the summit, Patil said more than 45 meetings and consultations held over five days helped position Karnataka as a preferred global destination for artificial intelligence, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), research and sustainable urban development. The discussions at Davos have not only laid the foundation for fresh investment inflows but have also accelerated projects already under implementation, the minister said, adding that global companies had praised Karnataka’s industry-friendly policies and availability of skilled manpower. A significant portion of the commitments came from the RP-Sanjiv Goenk...

Hubballi (Karnataka): All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, January 24, accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of turning Governors into “puppets” to harass the Congress-ruled and other non-BJP state governments. Calling on people to vote against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in all upcoming elections, he warned that failure to do so could lead to authoritarian rule. The leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha criticised the union government for “repealing” the MGNREGA Act and said the Congress governments enacted “right-based” laws, but the Modi government was bringing laws that curtailed people’s rights. He was speaking at an event organised for the dedication of 42,345 out of 1,80,253 houses being constructed across the State under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana ‘Shelter for All’ through grant-in-aid of the Chief Minister, and distribution of house allotment letters or title deeds on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebration...

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday, January 23, lifted the ban on bike taxis, dismissing the earlier order that had stopped the operations of two-wheeler transport. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said he had not yet received a copy of the order and would comment after reviewing it. However, he said the division bench of the High Court had quashed the single-bench order. “The single-judge bench of the High Court had prohibited bike taxis. The division bench has quashed the single judge bench order and allowed the writ appeal. Let the judgment copy come. I will read it and then discuss it with you all,” the minister told reporters. The court allowed the appeals filed by service apps Uber, Ola, Rapido and other aggregators. Uber hailed the court order, saying, “We welcome the Hon’ble High Court’s decision to recognise bike taxis as a legal mode of passenger transport in Karnataka.” According to the company, bike taxis serve as a vital mobility lifeline fo...

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, January 22, said it has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 20 crore as part of its probe into the MUDA-linked money laundering case in Karnataka . With the fresh attachment, properties worth Rs 460 crore have been attached so far by the ED as part of this investigation. The latest attachment includes 10 immovable properties including six “illegally” allotted sites of the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was issued on Wednesday to attach the assets worth Rs 20.85 crore, the ED said in a statement. The federal agency had arrested former MUDA commissioner G T Dinesh Kumar in September 2025 on the charge of illegal allotment of MUDA sites. He is currently lodged in a jail under judicial custody. The ED claimed its probe found routing and layering of “undue gratification” obtained by Dinesh Kumar. Also Read Lokayukta files status report in MU...

The governor versus government face-off in non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled southern states has seen a third such incident in three days, with Karnataka Governor on Thursday, January 22, refusing to read the full speech approved by the state government citing grievances and walking out of the Assembly, two days after Kerala and Tamil Nadu governors also did the same. Karnataka governor leaves after two-line address On Thursday, confining his customary address to the state legislature to just two lines, Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot walked out after his two-line address to the Legislative Assembly and Council. It prompted a strong response from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who accused the governor of delivering his own speech rather than the government-prepared one, dubbing him a “puppet” of the Centre. Congress members expressed strong displeasure over the governor walking away without reading the speech prepared by the government, and raised “Shame Shame” slogans on...

Police on Thursday, January 22, arrested a ground staff member for allegedly sexually harassing a South Korean national at Terminal 2 in Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in the guise of a security check on January 19. It was Kim Sung Kyung’s first time visiting India. In an interview with NDTV , Kyung said she was proceeding to board her Singapore Airlines flight after the immigration check, when the accused, Mohammed Affan Ahamed, 25, approached her and told her to step aside as a “beep beep” sound was supposedly coming from her luggage. Seeing his airline tag, Kyung believed his words and followed him to the men’s bathroom. Kyung told NDTV that Affan was very professional in his approach and explained about security protocols, leaving no space for doubt. “At the men’s bathroom, he did a body check on me and squeezed my body in a very inappropriate way,” she said. “After everything seemed done, he suddenly hugged me and said ‘thank you’,” she said. “The hug made m...

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday, January 21, posted Umesh Kumar in concurrent charge of DGP Civil Rights Enforcement. His appointment came after the suspension of DGP CRE K Ramachandra Rao after his purported obscene video went viral in social media and television news channels too beamed it. Also Read Video manipulated, says Karnataka DGP Rao on objectionable video “Umesh Kumar, IPS, Director General of Police, Recruitment, Bengaluru is placed in Concurrent Charge of the post of Director General of Police, Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement with immediate effect and until further orders,” the government order read. In the suspension order on Monday, the state government said Rao has “acted in an obscene manner, which is unbecoming of a government servant and also causing embarrassment to the government.” Rao is the step-father of Kannada actress and gold smuggling accused Harshavardhini Ranya, who is in the Bengaluru Central Jail. Get the latest updat...