Mangaluru: A press conference in Mangaluru on Tuesday, March 17, took a dramatic turn when a woman accused her sister of attempting to defame a police officer over a personal family dispute. The allegations were made by Beluvai resident Prafulla Naik during a media interaction at the Mangaluru Press Club.
Addressing reporters, Prafulla Naik alleged that her sister, Sumathi Naik, had been making false accusations against Moodbidri police inspector Sandesh P G. According to Prafulla, the officer had merely attempted to mediate a family dispute, but her sister allegedly began targeting him with baseless allegations due to personal enmity.
The press meet also saw the presence of State president of Suvarna Rajya Samiti Varthur Manjunath and party member Harish.
Allegations of attempt to malign police officer
Prafulla Naik told reporters that the accusations against inspector Sandesh P G were part of a deliberate attempt to tarnish the officer’s reputation.
She described the inspector as an honest police officer who was trying to assist in resolving internal family issues. According to her, the dispute between the sisters escalated after the officer intervened to address a complaint related to her marital problems.
Prafulla alleged that instead of cooperating with the police, her sister began making allegations against the officer in order to create a controversy and shift attention away from the family dispute.
Serious accusations against sister
During the press conference, Prafulla Naik levelled several serious allegations against her sister, claiming that Sumathi Naik had previously been involved in illegal activities.
She alleged that her sister had been linked to prostitution cases reported in places such as Karkala and Beltangady in Karnataka, and even in Tamil Nadu. According to Prafulla, Sumathi had allegedly served a jail term in connection with one such case.
In addition, Prafulla accused her sister of attempting to illegally seize ancestral property by forging their mother’s signature on documents.
These allegations were presented by Prafulla as part of her attempt to counter the claims made against the police officer.
Incident at Moodbidri police station
Narrating a recent incident, Prafulla Naik said she had approached the Moodbidri police station to lodge a complaint against her husband regarding a personal matter.
According to her statement, police officials contacted her husband and asked him to appear at the station to discuss the issue. Prafulla said that when her husband arrived at the station, her sister Sumathi Naik also accompanied him.
She claimed that the situation soon escalated into a confrontation. Prafulla alleged that her sister created a disturbance at the police station, verbally abused police personnel and physically assaulted her using footwear.
She further claimed that Sumathi attempted to attack police officers in public before being restrained by those present at the location.
Counter allegations and hospital admission
Prafulla Naik also alleged that after the incident, her sister created a counter-narrative accusing the police of assaulting her.
According to Prafulla, Sumathi admitted herself to a hospital in Udupi in order to support her allegations of being attacked by police officials.
She claimed that the hospitalisation was part of an attempt to strengthen the accusations made against the police officer.
Reference to Bengaluru case
During the press meet, Prafulla Naik also referred to a case allegedly registered against her sister at the Madiwala police station in Bengaluru.
According to her statement, a police raid had been conducted at a house located in KAS Colony in BTM Layout. She alleged that during the raid, Sumathi Naik and another individual identified as Karthikeyan were arrested for allegedly soliciting customers.
Prafulla said the case was related to alleged prostitution activities.
Support expressed for police inspector
Reiterating her stance, Prafulla Naik said that inspector Sandesh P G had only tried to mediate in the family dispute and had not acted improperly.
She alleged that the officer’s involvement in attempting to resolve the issue triggered the alleged campaign to malign him.
Prafulla urged authorities and the public not to believe what she described as false accusations against the police officer.
Conclusion
The press conference highlighted an escalating family dispute that has now drawn attention to allegations involving police officials. While serious claims have been made by one side, authorities are expected to rely on investigations and legal procedures to determine the facts surrounding the incident.
Further developments may emerge as the matter is examined by the concerned authorities.