Mangaluru port authorities deny entry to cruise ship over corona outbreak

Mangaluru, Jun 25: Teacher-turned-serial rapist-cum-killer Cyanide Mohan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 20th and final case by Sixth Additional District and Sessions Judge Sayeedunnisa on Wednesday.

Cyanide Mohan Kumar (57) was declared guilty in the 20th rape and murder case on Saturday and the judge had pronounced the order before a small group of advocates in the court hall. Cyanide Mohan who appeared in the court hall via video conferencing facility from Hindalga central jail in Belagavi did not show any emotions.

The 25-year-old victim from Kasaragod was working as a cook in a hostel and met Mohan, serving as a teacher in 2009. He had met her at her home on many occasions and had promised to marry her.

On July 8, 2009, she left home on the pretext of visiting a temple in Sullia and

did not return. When her family tried to reach her on phone, Cyanide Mohan had told they were married and would return home soon.

Mohan took her to a toilet in a bus stand in Bengaluru on July 15, 2009, and had left with her jewels after ascertaining that she had died by consuming Cyanide. No sooner Mohan was arrested in October 2009, the family of the victim had recognised him from the newspapers. The police also recovered the victim’s jewellery from the house of Mohan’s second wife.

Sixth Additional District and Session Court convicted Mohan under sections of IPC 302 for murder with life sentence and Rs 25,000 fine, IPC 366 for kidnapping with ten years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 376 for rape with seven years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 328 for poisoning with ten years of imprisonment, IPC 394 for causing hurt while robbing with 10 years of imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 392 for theft with five years of imprisonment, IPC 201 for destroying evidence with seven years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 417 cheating and one year of imprisonment.

Bengaluru, Jan 6: Activist Irom Chanu Sharmila took part in a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) at Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall here on Sunday.

Sharmila, who came in the protest along with her child, took part in a 'burqa and bindi' protest marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Savitribai Phule.

Protests have erupted across the country over the CAA which grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Bengaluru, Jan 10: Education technology company Byju’s is learnt to have raised $200 million in a funding round from Tiger Global Management, which has valued the Bengaluru-based start-up at around $8 billion, making it the third-largest unicorn (start-up valued over $1 billion) in the country.

With this, the Byju Raveendran-founded company has seen over 50 per cent jump in its valuation in just around nine months. In March 2019, Byju’s was valued $5.4 billion, when it raised around $31 million from General Atlantic, and Chinese investment giant Tencent.

At the current valuation, Byju’s has now replaced home-grown cab-hailing major Ola as the third-largest unicorn, next only to Paytm and OYO, which are valued around $16 billion and $10 billion, respectively.

Byju’s confirmed the transaction through a press statement, though the company declined to share any specific details of the deal. Tiger Global could not be immediately reached for its comments.

“We are happy to partner with a strong investor like Tiger Global Management. They share our sense of purpose and this partnership will advance our long-term vision of creating an impact by changing the way students learn,” said Raveendran. “This partnership is both a validation of the impact created by us so far and a vote of confidence for our long-term vision.”

This is Tiger Global’s first investment in the edutech space in India after Vendantu, an online tutoring platform, where it, along with WestBridge Capital, led a $42-million round in August.

An early backer of India’s internet growth story, the New York-headquartered Tiger Global has been a prolific investor in the Indian start-up space. Its portfolio in the country ranges from consumer focused e-commerce companies that are vital for the growth of the sector, such as Flipkart, Delhivery, Grofers, Quikr and PolicyBazaar, to mention a few.

After tasting success with Flipkart, one of its earliest investments, where it had pumped in around $1 billion, the PE major is now doubling down its focus on the Indian start-up space, under its new investment head Scott Shleifer.

Shleifer, who set up international private equity practice for Tiger Global, is said to be as aggressive deal maker like his predecessor Lee Fixel, who left the investment firm in March. Since then, Tiger has also invested in a host of technology-focused companies in diverse sectors including Ninjacart, CRED, NoBroker and Facilio to mention a few.

“Byju’s has emerged as the leader in the Indian education-tech sector. They are pioneering technology shaping the future of learning for millions of school students in India,” Shleifer was quoted in the press statement issued by the edutech firm.