A shocking incident took place in Bengaluru, leaving the internet shaken. Piyush Kukkar had a strange encounter on Varthur Road, near Prestige Lakeside Habitat, around 10 pm. The video was recorded on a dashcam. He said that the “staged harassment” took place on a busy road.

“When someone tells you Dashcam isn’t a necessity in BLR show them this, Another such incident in Bangalore outskirts, this time it happened with me. Today around 10:25 PM on the outskirts of BLR, I faced a staged harassment incident on Varthur road, near prestige lakeside habitat,” said the caption of the videos posted by the user on X (formerly Twitter).

On July 1, Mr Kukkar was driving on a busy street in the first clip, which was recorded at 10:24:50, when a person on a scooter abruptly blocked his route. According to the user, this is a regular tactic used to exacerbate the situation. In the second clip, a Bolero with its licence plate’s final two digits scratched started honking behind him. The user stated that the Bolero’s driver ordered him to stop and that the driver eventually came out and yelled at him.

When someone tells you Dashcam isn’t a necessity in BLR show them this, Another such incident in Bangalore outskirts, this time it happened with me. Today around 10:25 PM on the outskirts of BLR, I faced a staged harassment incident on Varthur road, near prestige lakeside habitat pic.twitter.com/9yh776abMs

— Piyush Kukkar (@piyush17ankur) July 1, 2024

In a long thread on the microblogging platform, he said, “They forced me to stop, and the Bolero driver got out and began shouting aggressively. Another person on a scooty took a U-turn and came very close to my car. I suspect Bolero guy indicated him regarding a dashcam being installed, hence he didn’t hit my car with his scooty.”

According to him, they backed off since they saw his dashcam recording. Mr Kukkar said that such incidents have become common in the area. “My family, including my 3-month-old son, was in the car, and this could have escalated dangerously. I have attached the dashcam footage here. As you can see in the video, I didn’t provoke them, as I have been seeing these harassment incidents on twitter very regularly, plus I had the dashcam installed. I consider myself very lucky today, but someone may not be that fortunate. Please install a Dashcam.”

His post gained widespread attention on social media and many users urged the Bengaluru police to take action. Responding to the same, the official account of the police department said, “Noted, we have informed to @varthurps for necessary action in this regard. @dcpwhitefield. Please provide your contact details via DM.”

In April, a video posted on Instagram by user Harikrishnan P showed a man being repeatedly beaten with an iron rod ruthlessly. After the attack, the assailants walked away.

Along with the video, the user wrote, “Today, during my drive near Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore, I witnessed a horrifying incident that shook me to the core. On the main road, I saw a person being viciously attacked with a steel rod, while the assailant walked away without a care in the world. This is just a glimpse of the violence that seems to be becoming all too common in our city. I’m deeply concerned about the safety of our community. Is Bangalore still a safe place to call home? It’s heartbreaking to witness such brutality on a daily basis. I urge the authorities of the Karnataka government to take immediate action and ensure that justice is served for the victim. We cannot allow such acts of violence to go unpunished. Please share this post and help spread the word. Together, we can make our city safer for everyone.”

A Bengaluru resident named Neha has found a unique way to find a new apartment: by using a viral TikTok trend. Neha created a video using the music from the song “Man In Finance” by TikTok creator Megan Boni. Boni’s song lists qualities she wants in a partner, but Neha changed the lyrics to reflect what she wanted in an apartment, including features like being furnished, having two rooms, and having a balcony. 

The caption shared along with the video read, “Desperate times call for desperate measures. So here’s my take on the trend.”

Watch the viral video here:

Neha’s creative reinterpretation of the original song lyrics has generated significant buzz on social media. The video has amassed over 140,000 views and garnered a wide range of reactions in the comment section.

“This is tougher than finding “finance, trust fund, 6’5, blue eyes,” commented a user.

“I might as well buy one in Mysore. It’s almost the same time to commute if you have one in Electronic City,” wrote another user.

“Bengaluru is like a galaxy. You have to mention which part of the galaxy you are looking at; prices fluctuate accordingly,” commented a third user.

Bengaluru:

A 35-year-old woman allegedly strangled her three-and-a-half-year-old autistic daughter to death and surrendered before the police, officials said on Saturday. The woman had twin girls, both of whom are autistic. While one of them is mildly autistic, the other one has severe autism, they said.

The accused is said to have killed her daughter with severe autism symptoms as she was concerned about her future.

According to police, the woman had on Thursday strangled her daughter to death. After killing her, she turned herself in at the Subramanya Nagar police station here.

“During questioning, the woman said that she was worried as to how her daughter would lead her life owing to her condition and hence decided to kill her. She also claimed that she was in depression for the past few months and out of frustration, she killed her daughter,” a senior police officer said.

A case of murder was registered and the woman was arrested and sent to judicial custody.

After post-mortem, the body was handed over to relatives, police said, adding the woman’s husband works abroad.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

SkyServe, a Bengaluru-based space tech and edge computing technology company, has announced that it has successfully achieved Smart Earth Imaging in orbit.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Bengaluru-based space tech and edge computing technology company SkyServe has announced that it has successfully achieved Smart Earth Imaging in orbit.

In mid-April, SkyServe collaborated with space logistics company D-Orbit to uplink and test STORM, their edge computing software stack, on a satellite launched by SpaceX in January 2022.

Within seconds of capturing a vast area over the Egypt-Sinai peninsula, STORM performed a range of intelligent tasks on the satellite itself, including correcting errors in the imagery, detecting and removing cloud and water cover, and identifying vegetation. Following these onboard optimisations, STORM transmitted memory-efficient imaging by 5X back to earth.

The company said STORM signifies a paradigm shift, empowering satellites to perform well beyond their original functionalities. The edge computing stack delivers near-real-time insights for customer applications, optimising for specific use cases on demand, enabling a dynamic and responsive approach to earth observation.

“We’re essentially creating the iPhone moment for earth observation. Just like smartphones revolutionized data accessibility and enhanced user engagement, STORM hosts and enables geospatial applications with edge tasking and data processing, unlocking a vast array of use cases from space,” said Vinay Simha, SkyServe’s co-founder and CEO.

“We can programme the satellites to identify wildfires while flying over regions like Australia and monitor water resources when they are positioned over Bengaluru,” said Vishesh Vatsal, SkyServe’s co-founder and CTO. Later this year, SkyServe is gearing up for Mission K2 scheduled for launch aboard ISRO’s PSLV C59.

Online fraud is increasing in today’s world where digital transactions have become the norm. Scammers are getting smarter. They use clever tricks to deceive people and steal their money, like sending fake emails, setting up bogus websites, and using sneaky software to swipe your sensitive info like credit card numbers and passwords. Now, a new scamming trend is on the rise, shared by a Bengaluru woman, named Aditi Chopra.

Ms Chopra shared an incident on X, formerly Twitter, recounting how she narrowly avoided falling victim to a financial scam that preys on unsuspecting people through SMS. She detailed how she was in the middle of an office call when she received a phone call from “an elderly sounding guy” claiming to need to transfer money to her father. The man said in Hindi, “Aditi, dear, I needed to send money to your father but he is not available, so he asked me to send it to you. Dear, please check, is this your number?” 

He cited issues with his own bank account and requested Aditi’s help in receiving the funds. Shortly after the call, Ms Chopra received SMS alerts, which seemingly showed confirmation of her getting funds into her account. “I first received an SMS mentioning an INR 10k credit, then an INR 30k credit, all while he’s on the call,” she wrote on X. 

The caller then informed Ms Chopra of an alleged mistake, claiming to have sent ₹30,000 instead of ₹3,000. “Dear, I was supposed to send only INR 3,000, but mistakenly sent INR 30,000. Please return the extra money. I am standing at the doctor’s place, I need to give him the money,” he allegedly said.

Upon close inspection, Ms Chopra noticed that the SMS alerts did not come from a legitimate bank, but rather from a 10-digit phone number. She recognised the red flags, saying, “Of course when I called back in a minute’s time after checking my accounts, I was blocked.”

She further added, “One could falter and give in but (I know) my dad, he over explains everything and triple checks in matters of money, whatever be the amount,” claiming “he would have called beforehand and given me more context than needed.”

Read the full post here

Another day, another financial fraud scheme ????

TLDR: Please read and make sure you don’t trust any SMSes regarding financial transactions.

Incident: Was busy on an office call when this elderly sounding guy calls me and says, ‘Aditi beta, papa ko paise bhejne the par unko ja… pic.twitter.com/5CYwwwvjG7

— Aditi Chopra | Web3 Community ????️ (@aditichoprax) May 2, 2024

Ms Chopra urged others to be wary of similar scams, stating, “Always check your actual bank account on a separate device and never go by any SMSes. That system is very easily gameable.”

Bengaluru:

Dire water shortages, flooding, gridlocked roads and poor civic facilities have become major issues in Bengaluru, residents in India’s tech hub said as they voted on Friday in the Lok Sabha elections.

The city of about 14 million people, often called “India’s Silicon Valley”, voted in the summer heat in the second phase of the world’s largest election, set to go on until June 1.

Bengaluru is home to thousands of startups and global firms from Walmart to Alphabet’s Google and is showcased as a symbol of an ambitious, rising India. But unplanned growth and creaking infrastructure is blotting the booming city.

“The water shortage is not a surprise for us, locals. We knew it’s coming. Nothing on rain water harvesting has been done by either the central or the state government,” Prasanna Raghavan, an IT professional said after casting his vote.

“My hope is, whoever comes to power prioritises climate issues.”

The city’s problems have featured prominently in the campaign, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the main opposition Congress – which governs Karnataka state – are pitted against each other.

“The Congress government in Karnataka has turned the tech city into a tanker city, and left it to the tanker mafia,” Modi said in Bengaluru last week, referring to the water tankers being used after taps dried up.

Congress blamed BJP, which ruled the state before Congress, for the water scarcity.

“The water crisis in Bangalore is not just a problem; it’s a wake-up call. As your MP (member of parliament), I see it as a challenge we must confront head-on,” Rajeev Gowda, Congress candidate from the Bengaluru North seat, posted on X this week.

“We should steer our infrastructure towards sustainable solutions. Water conservation isn’t just a short-term fix, it’s a long-term commitment,” he said.

Kkavya, 19, who uses only one name, moved to Bengaluru three years ago from Kashmir to study and find a job. She intends to flee the city next year when she finishes studying, fed up with its water shortages and traffic jams.

“So we say there’s no use for cars in (Bengaluru), because for one kilometre, you’re going to take 30 minutes, (so) just walk,” she said.

This year’s water shortage comes after widespread flooding in 2022 when drainage systems were unable to keep up, especially in low-lying areas, when heavy rains lashed the city.

“A total lack of planning while developing something”, is the biggest issue, said Musthafa K.P., 62, a retired IT consultant living in Bengaluru for 21 years.

“The city grows rapidly every year and there will be increased pressure on natural resources,” he said. “We need better technology solutions and we must start thinking about such solutions immediately.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

 In a case of double murder in Bengaluru, a 24-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her acquaintance who later died on the spot after he was hit with a stone by the woman’s mother at Jayanagar area here on Thursday, police said.

The victims were identified as Anusha and 44-year-old Suresh. They had known each other for five years, they said.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the Anusha and Suresh had an altercation in the park because she had begun distancing herself from him, which he did not take well. She did not want to have any association with him, the police said.

They met at the park where he allegedly stabbed her twice, a senior police officer said.

Before stepping out of her house, Anusha had informed her mother that she was going to meet someone in the park for five minutes and would be back soon. Suspecting that something was amiss, the mother followed her daughter to the park and ended up witnessing Anusha being stabbed in front of her, he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Lokesh Bharamappa Jagalasar said that Anusha and Suresh were killed around 4.45 pm at Sarakki Park in Jayanagar.

“Based on the investigation so far, it appears that Suresh stabbed Anusha. Anusha’s mother rushed to save her and in that bid, she hit Suresh on his head with a stone and he died on the spot. We are currently interrogating an eyewitness in the case,” he said.

Anusha was grievously injured, with one injury on her chest and another on her neck. She was declared brought dead at the hospital, he added.

“Both of them knew each other from their workplace. Anusha was a caretaker, while Suresh worked for an event management company. Anusha was trying to keep her distance from him, which may have led to this incident,” the DCP said.

Two separate cases have been registered in connection with the incident and the mother of the deceased is being questioned, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Work from home to using toilets in malls, residents of India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Bengaluru are exploring all options to combat the unprecedented water crisis. People across various neighbourhoods have been forced to order food from restaurants and take bath on alternate days due to the water scarcity.

Even those in high-rise apartments equipped with water harvesting systems now find themselves reliant on water tankers for basic needs, leading to stringent usage restrictions.

Eateries are mulling over use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water.

Educational institutions are also feeling the pinch. Recently, a coaching centre in the city asked its students to attend classes online due to an ’emergency’ for a week. Similarly, a school on Bannerghatta Road was also closed, asking students to attend classes online just like they did during the Covid pandemic.

Residents have come with up new methods to try and conserve water. With temperature rising, it is difficult to avoid a daily shower but they are left with no option but to take bath on alternative days, said Sujatha, a resident of KR Puram.

“What to do? Clean vessels, cook food, wash clothes….so, we have started using paper plates, that way we have cut down on our water usage. And we order food twice a week. We are using the washing machine only once in a week now,” she said.

Some others have resorted to visiting a mall to take a shower or use the toilet facilities.

Lakshmi V, an IT professional living in Singasandra, has been requesting her firm to allow WFH option so that she and her family can temporarily shift to her native place in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu until the situation becomes better.

“If the situation persists, we are thinking of seeking a work from home option. We are planning to move to our native place in Tamil Nadu temporarily till rain arrives here,” she said.

Bengaluru primarily gets its water supply from two sources – Cauvery river and groundwater. For most non-drinking uses, recycled water processed by sewage treatment plants is used. With no rain for a while now, the primary sources have been stretched to their limits. Bengaluru needs 2,600-2,800 million litres of water daily, and the current supply is half of what’s required. The result is a daily struggle for the city’s residents.

The brunt is also being borne by people living in the outskirts of Bengaluru, especially in 110 villages that were merged with the city in 2007.

The crisis has also turned into a political battle between the state’s ruling Congress government and the opposition BJP with Lok Sabha just weeks away. While the BJP has held several protests blaming the government, the Congress has accused the BJP-ruled federal government of not providing financial assistance to drought-hit Karnataka.

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that sleuths investigating the March 1 blast at the city’s popular eatery ‘The Rameshwaram Cafe’ have “in a way” identified the suspect, and efforts are on to nab him.

He said the investigators are verifying the suspect’s identity and are “getting closer to him.” Investigation into the blast, caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), at the quick-service eatery in Brookefield area in information technology corridor in east Bengaluru that left ten people injured, is being carried by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is being assisted by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police.

“Investigations are going on, we are closing in, in a way who the person (Suspect) is has been identified. It has to be confirmed and he has to be nabbed. They are doing it, NIA is doing it, and CCB is doing it with them. They have got good leads,” Parameshwara told reporters here.

On the trail of the suspect, the sleuths investigating the case had visited Tumakuru, Ballari, and Kalaburagi.

NIA has announced Rs 10 lakh cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the bomber, and also released CCTV pictures and videos of the suspect.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe – where 10 people were injured last week after a low-intensity explosive, or IED, was detonated during the lunch rush hour – will re-open, “brighter and stronger”, for business Saturday morning, the restaurant’s HR head told NDTV today.

Sridhar Murthy said work on repairing and rebuilding damaged parts of the cafe began immediately after the National Investigation Agency, which has taken over the case, handed over the building.

“The day NIA handed cafe to us, we began our work. We already had several meetings with our Managing Director and maintenance team. Within 48 hours all repair work was carried out,” he said.

Mr Murthy said the cafe – an iconic eatery in Bengaluru’s Brookfield area – would re-open “brighter and stronger” than before. “Our team worked around the clock, even till this morning,” he said, adding, “Fortunately there was no serious damage… and everyone suffered only minor injuries.”

The cafe’s co-owner, Divya Raghavendra Rao, said the opening ‘ceremony’ would include a rendition of the national anthem. “It is our mantra. We have taken all precautions before re-opening,” he said.

According to the administration, metal detectors have been installed at the entrance to screen customers, and staff have also been given handheld detectors. Additional CCTVs have been set up.

Mr Rao also said the cafe is cooperating with the authorities and had surrendered all CCTV footage and other information. “We are thankful to the government for helping us reopen so soon,” he said.

“They wanted to teach us a lesson… but we will teach them a lesson. With blessings of Lord Shiva, we have reopened our cafe on occasion of Mahashivratri,” he said defiantly.

NIA Takes Over Case

The NIA, which took over this case on Monday, has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information about the suspected bomber, who was seen on the cafe’s CCTV footage minutes before the explosion.

Information can be given to the central anti-terror agency via e-mail – info.blr.nia@gov.in – or via one of two phone numbers – 080-29510900 and 8904241100.

READ | Bengaluru Cafe Blast: NIA’s 10 Lakh Bounty For Info About Bomber

Provisions of the stringent anti-terror law – the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act – and the Explosive Substances Act – have been invoked against those responsible.

How The Blast Happened

In the video he is seen wearing a cap, face mask, and sunglasses, and is dressed in dark trousers and a grey shirt. He is first spotted walking to the cafe from a nearby bus stop; he is also carrying a small backpack that contained the IED. The suspect ordered a plate of rava idli and sat in a corner eating.

READ | Bengaluru Blast Suspect Caught On CCTV With Bomb In Bag

“He finished his meal and left, leaving his bag in the corner…” the owner told NDTV.

READ | “Suspect Had Rava Idli”: Bengaluru Cafe Owner To NDTV On Blast

All in all, the suspect spent only nine minutes inside The Rameshwaram Café.

He walked in at 11.34 am and left at 11.43 am, and the blast took place at 12.56 pm.

READ | Idli At 11.38, Blast At 12.56: Timeline Of Bengaluru Cafe Blast

In a heart-warming display of resilience, the cafe also held a small puja for the pillar against which the suspect left his IED-stuffed bag, and religious symbols have been drawn on it.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.