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In the latest example of cyber attacks aimed at creating trouble in India amid the tensions with Pakistan, a post on X claimed that supporters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) vandalised the family home of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi in Karnataka’s Belagavi. Following a warning from police, the post was deleted.

The X profile that put up the post is named “Anis Uddin” and the location mentions British Columbia, Canada. The profile follows 405 handles and 31 followers and most posts support Pakistan. The cover image has photographs of Pakistan’s first Governor-General Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Army chief General Asim Munir and other top Pakistani defence officers.

“Disturbing attack on Muslim Indian Army officer’s family. Colonel Sophia Qureshi – the newly appointed spokesperson of the Indian Army – has become the latest target of RSS-led hate. According to credible sources, her family home in Belagavi, Karnataka, was attacked,” the post said. It added a photo of a vandalised room with things thrown around.

As soon as police noticed the post, a team was rushed to Colonel Qureshi’s family home in Belagavi’s Gokak and everything was found to be normal. Dr Bheemashankar S Guled, Superintendent of Police for Belagavi, replied to the post, “This is a fake news. As SP of the Belagavi, I would like to warn the persons involved in creating this post, which is fake, to delete it immediately.” The post was deleted.

As a precaution, police have provided security to the senior Army officer’s home.

Colonel Qureshi was born in Vadodara in Gujarat. She is married to Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi, who is from Belagavi. Colonel Qureshi’s in-laws stay at the Belagavi home and she often visits them.

The face of the government’s press briefing in the tense days after India conducted airstrikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is now a household name across the country. A decorated officer, she has emerged as an inspiration for women, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, also a part of the briefings.

BJP veteran BL Santhosh has said in a post on X, “In a matter of 7 days, she is an icon for (the) young generation. Not just by press briefing but by her life and legacy of her family. Daughter of Vadodara, daughter-in-law of Belagavi, Pride of Bharat.”

The fake news surrounding Colonel Qureshi comes amid a flood of cyber attacks launched by Pakistan-allied hackers. According to a PTI report, Maharashtra cyber crime police identified seven groups responsible for launching over 15 lakh cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure websites across India after the Pahalgam attack. Only 150 such attacks were successful, say officials. In a report named “Road of Sindoor”, the Maharashtra cyber agency has detailed the cyber warfare launched by Pakistan-allied groups. These groups used several methods, including malware campaigns, Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks, and GPS spoofing. Indian websites linked to defence were also defaced.

Pieces of information that were spread during this conflict include claims of cyber attacks on India’s power grid, statewide blackouts, satellite jamming and an alleged attack on a BrahMos missile storage facility, a senior official said.

With a mask on his face and a torchlight in hand, a thief entered a mobile shop in Bengaluru with one crucial thing missing – his clothes.

With a mask on his face and a torchlight in hand, a thief entered a mobile shop in Bengaluru with one crucial thing missing – his clothes.

The CCTV footage from a mobile shop in Bommanahalli showed the incident occurred on May 9 after 1.30 am. The thief entered the shop through a broken wall, stole 85 mobile phones of various brands worth around Rs 25 lakh, and fled the scene.

The thief was later arrested and is being questioned. Bommanhalli Police is yet to ascertain why he carried out the theft without wearing clothes.

A naked thief was caught in 2018 for breaking into over 25 homes along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The man, identified as 28-year-old Edwin Jose, would strip down, slather himself in black pain, and wear his underwear over his head to keep his identity hidden before conducting a theft.

Visuals showed people wading through knee-deep water as Bengaluru’s drainage system failed to cope with the sudden downpour.

Heavy rainfall since the last 48 hours in Bengaluru has resulted in severe waterlogging in several low-lying areas of the city and putting a halt to the daily life. Many tree branches fell and vehicles broke down due to the heavy waterlogging, causing a traffic congestion in the city, which is already known for its infamous traffic concerns.

Visuals showed people wading through knee-deep water as the city’s drainage system failed to cope with the sudden downpour. Streets turned into streams, and several vehicles were seen partially submerged. Commuters were also left stranded as public transport services slowed down.

The water also entered many houses in residential areas, with people’s belongings soaked and electronic items damaged. Officials moved the affected residents to a safer area.

The affected districts include Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Kodagu, Belagavi, Bidar, Raichur, Yadgir, Davanagere, and Chitradurga. Sai Layout and the Horamavu locality were among the worst-affected areas.

Amid the severe waterlogging, local MLA B Basavraj on Monday visited the affected area in Sai Layout on a JCB. During his visit, Mr Basavraj took stock of the situation.

Authorities are using JCBs to clear waterlogging in some areas – especially those where water has entered the homes of residents.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rain in coastal Karnataka, while an ‘orange’ alert for very heavy rain in north and south interior Karnataka. The weather department has issued an alert for heavy rain in districts including Udupi, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Shivamogga, among others.

“Scattered to widespread moderate rain with thunder and lightning in coastal districts and heavy rain at isolated places across the state in southern interior districts today and tomorrow, in northern interior districts from May 19 to 22 is expected,” the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre said in a post on X.

An IMD official said, “As per the current pattern of the cyclonic circulation, Karnataka, especially the coastal parts, will get heavy rainfall. Bengaluu is also expected to receive heavy rainfall for the next two days.”

Mr Ravi was arrested in December last year following a complaint by Ms Hebbalkar – that he used objectionable language targeting her in the House.

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed trial proceedings against Karnataka BJP MLC CT Ravi, who faced criminal charges for sexist comments targeting Congress leader Laxmi Hebbalkar inside the Council building in December last year.

A bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Rajesh Bindal heard a challenge to a Karnataka High Court that had refused to quash the cash against Mr Ravi, who had been charged under Section 75 (to do with sexual harassment) and Section 79 (outraging the modesty of a woman) under the new criminal laws.

The main point argued by Mr Ravi this afternoon was that his statements were made during the proceedings in the Legislative Council and, therefore, he had immunity granted to Members of Parliament while the House is in session.

Mr Ravi was arrested on December 20, 2024, and granted bail hours later.

“Release him immediately… wherever he is,” the High Court said, noting he had not been served notice before his arrest. The protocol states the cops should have done so before questioning and detaining him over a complaint filed by Ms Hebbalkar, the Women and Child Development Minister.

“… a false case was filed against me and they (the Congress) treated me like a terrorist. Now let them introspect (on) what have they done. This is a win for the truth… the order is a clear message that we must all follow the law. There was no proof (but still) I was arrested,” Mr Ravi had said.

Mr Ravi was arrested following a complaint by Ms Hebbalkar – that he used objectionable language targeting her on the House; charges of sexual harassment and using insulting gestures amounting to sexual harassment were filed under the new criminal law, the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

According to Ms Hebbalkar, who had participated in a protest against the “Ambedkar is the fashion” remark by Home Minister Amit Shah, she was “sitting quietly” when Mr Ravi called Congress MP Rahul Gandhi a “drug addict”. “In response I asked, ‘Even you have been in accidents… does that make you a murder?’,” she said, alleging the response contained derogatory language.

The arrest triggered a predictable furious exchange between the two parties, with dramatic scenes of shoving and jostling between their leaders doing the rounds on social media.

Reacting to the controversy, another BJP leader, R Ashoka, the Leader of the Opposition, said: “This is nothing but ‘goondagiri’. CT Ravi was assaulted on the floor of the House (but) the Chairperson ruled no such incident took place. We don’t know if a law-and-order system exists… we will protest.”

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led the fightback, slamming the BJP for “supporting the use of derogatory language towards women”. “If it is false CT Ravi used vulgar language then why was he arrested? Normally, women cannot file false complaints about such allegations. This is a crime.”

The two accused were also granted bail on the condition that they will furnish two sureties and a bond of Rs 2 lakh.

Kannada actor Ranya Rao, who was arrested for smuggling gold bars worth Rs 14.56 crore in March, was granted bail by a special court on Tuesday.

The actor will, however, remain in prison as she has also been booked under the stringent Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), 1974, that allows preventive detention without bail for a year. According to officials, the stringent charges were applied after multiple attempts were made by the accused to secure bail.

The Special Court for Economic Offences granted statutory bail to Ms Rao – stepdaughter of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ramachandra Rao –  and another accused Tarun Kondaru Raju after it noted that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had failed to file a charge sheet in the case.

Besides the DRI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation are probing the matter. 

The court ordered the accused’s release upon execution of a personal bond of Rs 2 Lakh each, backed by two sureties.

A slew of conditions were imposed on the two accused, including appearing before the court on all hearing dates without exception, cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation, and prohibition from tampering with evidence or attempting to influence witnesses. They have also been barred from leaving the country without prior permission from the court and must refrain from committing any similar offences during the bail period.

Mr Rao was caught smuggling gold bars weighing 14.2 kg, worth Rs 14.56 crore, when she arrived from Dubai at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on March 3. She is currently lodged at the Bengaluru central prison.

The actor, who made her debut with the 2014 movie Maanikya, came under the radar of DRI officials after she made her fourth visit to Dubai in 15 days. It was earlier learnt that she made 27 trips to Dubai in the past year. Sources said she used to wear some of the gold and conceal the rest in her clothing to avoid getting caught. 

After arresting Ms Rao, investigators raided her house and recovered gold jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore and cash worth Rs 2.67 crore. 

In a leaked statement, the actor revealed the details of her international trips to locations such as the Middle East, Dubai and some Western countries. She has admitted that 17 gold bars were found on her.

In April, the DRI invoked the stringent COFEPOSA against Ms Rao, citing lack of cooperation during the investigation. The agency said the move was necessary to prevent her from resuming illicit activities.

Mr Rao has denied any involvement in the crime and said he was “shocked and devastated” by the news of his stepdaughter being arrested on smuggling charges. 

In a statement on March 5, the senior cop said there has been no “black mark” on his career and that he was not in touch with his step daughter since she got married four months ago. He also said he was unaware of her and her husband Jatin Hukkeri’s business dealings.

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