17092025-LT-01.qxd 9/17/2025 12:29 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune NEGLECTED PARK BREEDING GROUND FOR DISEASES POOR ROADS: LEADERS STEP IN TOFUND REPAIRS THEMSELVES A park adjacent to Gole Market in Model Town has fallen into disrepair, with waste piling up across walkways.P2 Road condition in Ahmedgarh is so poor that leaders have taken it upon themselves to get these repaired. P3 » ROBERT REDFORD PASSES AWAY AT 89 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 32°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.25 PM Best known for films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and Ordinary People. P4 » FORECAST SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:08 AM » WEDNESDAY | 17 SEPTEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA US woman ‘murdered’ in Kila Raipur village Two held in social influencer Kartik Baggan murder case by contract killer hired by would-be groom Incident occurred in late July but came to light recently, main suspect detained Mahesh Sharma FILE PHOTO Ludhiana, September 16 A 71-year-old US citizen of Indian origin, Rupinder Kaur Pandher, was allegedly murdered in Punjab after she travelled from Seattle to marry a 75-year-old man. The incident occurred in late July in Kila Raipur village, Ludhiana, but only came to light recently when the police named suspects in an FIR that had earlier been filed regarding her disappearance. The would-be bridegroom, Charanjit Singh Grewal, is based in England and had reportedly invited Rupinder Kaur to Kila Raipur for their wedding, according to the police. Rupinder Kaur’s sister, EFFORTS ON TO LOCATE SKELETAL REMAINS OF VICTIM, SAYS COP ACP Harjinder Singh Gill said the police were in the process of collecting further evidence, including locating the skeletal remains of Rupinder Kaur Pandher, 71-year-old US citizen of Indian origin, based on information provided by main suspect Sukhjeet Sonu. Her would-be bridegroom Charanjit Grewal has been named as a suspect in the case. Kamal Kaur Khairah, had raised concerns about her missing sister back in July. She contacted the US Embassy in India on July 28, four days after the victim’s phone was found switched off. Following her persistent efforts, the US Embassy reportedly took up the matter with the local police. It was only last Thursday that the Khairah family received a call from a friend, informing them about Rupinder Kaur’s suspected murder and the detention of Sukhjeet Singh Sonu by the Dehlon police. Police investigations revealed that the woman was allegedly murdered and her body burnt in a storeroom of a house in Kila Raipur. The motive, according to police Paddy procurement begins, main grain market remains deserted Grain market at the Jalandhar bypass wears a deserted look in Ludhiana. INDERJEET VERMA Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 The official paddy procurement kicked off on Tuesday across the state but the main grain market at Jalandhar bypass here wore a deserted look. Not a single tractor-trailer of produce arrived on the first day, leaving the sprawling mandi eerily quiet. In the past, procurement usually began from October 1 but this year, it has been advanced by two weeks to cater to the early sown varieties. Owing to rainfall in the state, which also caused floods, there is high moisture content in the crop. The permissible limit for moisture content is 17 pert cent due to which the procurement will be delayed. In the absence of arrivals, sanitation workers were seen collecting and burning garbage on the market premises. No other arrangements — such as water sprinkling, shade or weighing infrastructure — appeared to be in place. Farmers attributed the delay to prolonged rainfall across the region, which has slowed harvesting. “Only those who sowed short-duration varieties are harvesting now,” said Baldev Singh, a farmer from Samrala. “For the rest of us, harvesting will pick up by next month,” he said. Officials from the Mandi Board acknowledged the slow start. “There was no arrival till afternoon,” said a senior official on site. “It will take time. The crop is still standing in most fields. We are expecting the crop arrival to start in full swing by the first week of October”. With procurement officially underway but ground activity stalled, both farmers and commission agents are bracing for a staggered season. Many say the next two weeks will be crucial in determining the pace of arrivals and the preparedness of procurement infrastructure. DC Himanshu Jain has called on farmers to bring only dry paddy with 17 per cent or lower moisture content to grain markets to ensure a smooth procurement process. An estimated 16.55 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is expected to arrive in the Ludhiana’s grain markets and the robust infrastructure in place include 108 permanent grain markets and 79 temporary yards. sources, was to steal lakhs of rupees that Rupinder Kaur had allegedly transferred to the would-be bridegroom. The main suspect, Sukhjeet Singh Sonu, of Malha Patti, Kila Raipur, reportedly confessed to killing Rupinder Kaur and burning her body in a room of his house. He told the police that he committed the murder at the behest of Charanjit Singh Grewal, an NRI from Mehma Singh Wala village in Ludhiana, who had promised to pay him Rs 50 lakh. Kamal Kaur told The Tribune over the phone that Charanjit had promised to marry Rupinder Kaur and asked her to reach Kila Raipur, where he would join her from the UK. She also revealed that Rupinder Kaur had transferred a large amounts of money into the accounts of Sonu and his brother. According to a status report submitted by Dehlon SHO Sukhjinder Singh, Sonu confessed to killing the victim in conspiracy with Charanjit, who had promised him Rs 50 lakh in cash. The status report further stated that the police recovered pieces of evidence from Sonu’s house. ACP Harjinder Singh Gill confirmed that the police were in the process of collecting further evidence, including locating the skeletal remains of the deceased based on information provided by Sonu. He also confirmed that Charanjit has been named as a suspect in the case. One dies, three hurt due to electrocution Goods worth lakhs destroyed in multi-storey building fire Ludhiana, September 16 One person was killed and three others injured following electrocution due to the sudden fall of Nishan Sahib during the installation of the same at Gurdwara HarKrishan Sahib in the Dharampura area on Tuesday. While the work was underway, sewadars lost balance and the iron pipe tilted and touched naked electric wires. Losses could have been much more had one of the devotees not disconnected the electric supply after witnessing the mishap. The deceased was identified as Ashok Kumar of the Tibba Road area while Ranvir Singh, Rajinder Singh and Jagjit Singh Dhall sustained injuries. The victims were shifted to a multispeciality hospital at Ludhiana. Tinku, kin of the deceased, said his uncle had been passionate about performing sewa at religious places. — OC HEALTH & WELLNESS The Tribune is starting a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Rebuilding Punjab: PAU employees pitch in to provide subsidised seeds Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 16 In a show of solidarity, employees of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have voluntarily contributed a portion of their salary to support farmers reeling from widespread seed loss caused by the flooding and incessant rains. The initiative, channelled through PAU’s network of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), aims to deliver subsidised seeds and technical assistance to farmers. The crisis unfolded after severe waterlogging damaged seed stocks in multiple districts, leaving farmers anxious about the upcoming Rabi season. PAU Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal said, “This is a The initiative, channelled through PAU’s network of the KVKs, aims to deliver subsidised seeds and technical assistance to farmers. FILE moment for institutions to stand by the backbone of our economy — farmers.” “Our staff stepped forward voluntarily and their contributions reflect the spirit of Punjab. We’ve raised Rs 1 crore, which will be used to procure wheat seeds and distribute them through the KVKs. Our goal is to ensure that quality seeds reach those who need them most and that no farmer is left behind” he said. Harbhajan Singh, a farmer from Mansa, said: “We lost nearly all our stored seeds — wheat, mustard and even vegetable varieties. Without help, we wouldn’t be able to plant Ludhiana, September 16 The police claimed to have arrested two main suspects wanted in connection with the murder case of a social influencer, Kartik Baggan, who was shot dead in Sunder Nagar on August 23 night. The suspects have been identified as Amandeep Singh Sam and Gurvinder Singh Gautam, both residents of Ludhiana. Two pistols, four cartridges and a splendor motorcycle used in the crime were seized from the possession of the suspects who are aged around 25. The suspects were arrested from Nanded Sahib in Maharashtra and were brought to Ludhiana. Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Swapan Sharma, said three special teams of police had to chase the suspects through five states on this year. The PAU’s support is not just financial, it’s emotional. It tells us we’re not alone.” Jagdev Singh, a marginal farmer from Fazilka, said, “We lost paddy crop and all the wheat seed we had stored got submerged in rainwater. It felt impossible to recover. But with the PAU’s initiative, we have regained hope.” Prof Tejinder Singh Riar, Additional Director of Communication at the PAU, added that the KVK experts were visiting affected villages to assess damage and connect with farmers. “After evaluation, seeds will be provided at subsidised rates. Beyond distribution, our teams are guiding farmers on soil recovery, pest management and climate-resilient practices,” he said. c m y b Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, September 16 Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in a fire that broke out in a multi-storey building in a market situated on the Dugri road late on Monday night. If a passer-by had not noticed smoke emanating from a shop on the first floor of the building and called fire brigade, the blaze could have spread to adjoining shops. However, goods, including car accessories, besides furniture Cops address the media in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN the basis of scientific and technical support. They were nabbed from Maharashtra after scaling through tough terrains of Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.| The Ludhiana police under the supervision of Harpal Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Investigation, Ludhiana, Amandeep Singh Brar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigation), Ludhiana, and fixtures of the three shops in the building, were destroyed in the fire that was controlled within around two hours of operation by fire brigade personnel. Though the exact reason behind the fire was yet to be ascertained, the fire person- Sameer Verma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-1, Ludhiana, and Harshpreet Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Detective-1, Ludhiana, had launched a manhunt for the suspects after they committed heinous crime on the fateful night. In-charge, CIA, Avtar Singh, and in-charge, Special Cell, Navdeep Singh, played vital roles in cracking the case. — OC nel asserted that it was caused due to a short-circuit. Model Town SHO Jaswinder Singh said the fire was first noticed by a passerby around 10 pm, following which two fire tenders were pressed into service.