Mangaluru-origin US tourist killed by tiger shark while diving in Costa Rica

coastaldigest.com web desk
December 3, 2017

Mangaluru, Dec 3: In a tragic incident, an Indian-origin American woman was mauled to death by a tiger shark while she was scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean off an island in the Republic of Costa Rica recently.

The deceased has been identified as Rohina Bhandari (49), a private equity director from New York City. She hailed from India’s Mangaluru city. She is the granddaughter of I G Balakrishna Shetty, and sister of Mangaluru based physician, Dr Nitin Bhandari.

Thought the incident occurred last Thursday, the news was reported by the New York Daily News lateSaturday. The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari.

The shark savaged the two as they were surfacing after a dive off Cocos Island, a pristine national park located 300 miles off the Costa Rican mainland, the environment ministry said in a statement.

Bhandari was said to have sustained fatal bite marks on both of her legs.  The news agency stressed the attack was 'an isolated incident' and the first one of such seriousness recorded for the island.

According to the Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion, the guide noticed the shark approaching his group underwater and tried to scare it away.

But as they surfaced, the shark went for the American woman, tearing at her legs. The guide, too, suffered leg injuries.

Park rangers came to assist, as did doctors who happened to be diving in the area and who declared the woman dead. The injured guide was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition and conscious. He said he believed the shark was a female.

Death sends shockwaves

Bhandari, a resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York was a senior director at WL Ross & Co. LL, a firm founded by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

She was also frequently spotted at charity events throughout the city.  Her death was met with shock and sadness by her friends on Facebook.

“Unbelievably sad and heartbreaking news that Rohina has died,” wrote Julie Walker. “She was such a wonderful person who loved life. I will always remember her kindness, friendship and our adventures together.”

“Your kindness and genuine warmth to those of us lucky enough to call you "friend" was a blessing to behold,” another friend wrote.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 5: With the easing of COVID-19 lockdown norms under unlock 1.0, the Karnataka government on Thursday permitted state transport buses to operate even during the night curfew hours 9 pm to5 am.

Autos, taxis and cabs have also been given permission to operate during these hours for picking commuting passengers from pickup points or bus stands.

Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar in an order said, state transport corporations (BMTC, KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC) buses have been allowed to operate during night curfew hours from 9 pm to 5 am.

On the basis of their bus tickets, passengers would be allowed to commute to bus stand or from there to home, in accordance with the COVID-19 control measures, SOPs and other guidelines, it said.

Further, during the curfew hours autos, taxis and cabs have been given permission to pick commuters from pickup points or bus stands, it added.

Earlier, the government had revised the night curfew time from the previous 7 pm-7 am to 9 pm-5 am, and said the movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am throughout the state, except for essential activities.

The government has also said that jungle lodges and resorts, also private organisations providing similar facilities, along with activities they provide like safari, trekking among others would be permitted from June 8, in compliance with the guidelines and SOP issued and following the social distancing norms.  

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News Network
May 3,2020

Bengaluru, May 3: The Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services in the government of Karnataka KA Dayanand issued an order approving quarantine of asymptomatic COVID-19 infected international passengers on payment basis at star hotels.

The international passengers in the state have been categorised into A, B and C groups depending on their symptoms and co-morbid conditions. Category A passengers are symptomatic and are being sent to isolation hospitals which may be COVID care centres.

Category B and C passengers are asymptomatic and are being sent to institutional facilities like hostels, guest houses, hotels, etc.

"On the basis of demands by category B and C passengers to provide them star hotel accommodation on a self-payment basis, they have been granted the choice of staying in those hotels at their own cost. The BBMP Special Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner can have a meeting with such hotels and finalise the negotiated rate," Commissioner Dayanand said in the order.

"The hotels for category B passengers should have round the clock presence of health personnel while hotels for category C passengers should be visited by health staff once a day," he added.

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Agencies
March 8,2020

Mumbai, Mar 8: A day after the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and raided his premises, he was taken to the agency's office in Mumbai on Saturday for further questioning.

Kapoor, who was grilled by central agency's officials on Friday night at his Samudra Mahal residence in Mumbai, was shifted to the ED office in the metropolis around 12.30 pm.

ED officials said Kapoor was questioned throughout the night, with some rest time.

A senior ED official connected with the probe told IANS: "Kapoor will be questioned about Yes Bank loans to Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL)."

The official said that during searches a lot of incriminating documents were found and the agency wanted to grill him on his links with DHFL promoters and other companies.

Kapoor's alleged role in the disbursal of loan to a corporate entity and kickbacks reportedly received in his wife's bank account are also under probe.

The ED had filed the money laundering case against Kapoor and raided his residence, apart from issuing a look-out circular so that he does not flee the country.

The ED registered a money laundering case against Kapoor as a continuation of its probe against the DHFL wherein it was allegedly found that Rs 12,500 crore was diverted to 80 shell companies using one lakh fake borrowers. The transactions with these shell companies date back to 2015.

An ED official in New Delhi told IANS that the DHFL probe revealed that funds diverted by the DHFL originated from Yes Bank.

He said that the searches at Kapoor's residence on Friday night were meant to find out any irregularity in grant of loans to the DHFL by the Yes Bank.

The ED has accused Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan of DHFL of purchasing shares in five firms -- Faith Realtors, Marvel Township, Abe Realty, Poseidon Realty, and Random Realtors -- after which they were amalgamated with Sunblink.

The outstanding loans of these five firms, totalling around Rs 2,186 crore till July 2019, were allegedly appropriated onto the books of Sunblink to cover up the diversion of loans acquired from DHFL.

The ED's action comes after the RBI superseded Yes Bank Board for 30 days and appointed an administrator, putting a cap of Rs 50,000 on withdrawals by account holders for a month.

The RBI said that the bank's board was superseded "owing to serious deterioration in the financial position of the bank".

Former SBI CFO Prashant Kumar was appointed as administrator of Yes Bank, which has over 1,000 branches and 1,800-plus ATMs across the country.

On Thursday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the bank was on watch since 2017 and developments relating to it were monitored on a day-to-day basis.

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