1. In a major operation against begging by minors, the police on Thursday rescued 190 minors, including 25 infants across the city. Children rescued under "Operation Smile" will be rehabilitated in Bala mandiras run by the state government and NGOs. The police also arrested 65 women and eight men on charges of forcing the children to beg. 2. The Lokayukta court on Thursday gave the Special Investigation Team 11-day custody of V Bhaskar alias 420 Bhaskar who was arrested on Wednesday. The prosecution also sought extension of custody of Ashwin Rao as the SIT wants to question the two accused face-to-face as they played a crucial role in running the extortion racket. The court has extended Ashwin's custody until Friday. 3. The police arrested the Secretary and Headmistress of the school where a three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted this week for failing to follow the child safety guidelines issued by the police commissioner in 2014. They were later produced before a magistrate and granted bail. Read details here. 4. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made a special appeal to all fans, party workers and others to not celebrate his birthday on August 12 by installing flex boards, banners and cut-outs in the city and in highways due to the rising farmer suicides. The chief minister who turns 68 has been under fire for failing to tackle farmer suicides in the State which has cross more than 150 in the last six months. 5. The Special Investigation Team searched the homes of Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao in connection with the alleged extortion racket in which his son Ashwin Rao is the prime accused. The SIT searched for documents in the official residence on Crescent Road in Bengaluru, his other homes in Adarsha Nagar in Hyderabad and two more properties belonging to Ashwin were checked, reports Bangalore Mirror.