19012026-LT-01.qxd 1/19/2026 12:39 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SEWERAGE, POTABLE WATER PIPES LAID IN SAME TRENCH COMMON MAN AT THE MERCY OF DIGITAL THUGS Residents raise concern over possible health hazards, JE assures them of quick resolution. P2 Despite being highly educated, residents are sitting ducks as cyber thugs spread fear across nation. P3 » » MAKE WAY FOR BOLLYWOOD STARS FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 23°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.45 PM Kriti Sanon, Ishita Raj and other Bollywood actors are ready to dazzle on the big screen. P4 SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:19 AM » MONDAY | 19 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Minister opens state’s first Gangster hiding abroad, handlers exploit ‘dog sanctuary’ in city ARREST OF 10 OPERATIVES OF GOLDY BRAR vulnerable youths with meagre amounts All suspects who landed in police net are aged below 25, says official Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 As the Ludhiana police busted an illegal arms and extortion syndicate with the arrest of 10 operatives of notorious gangster Goldy Brar, suspected to be hiding abroad, the police probe exposed the dark reality behind the involvement of these youths in the criminal network. The youths, who are aged between 20 and 25 years only, are being exploited by the gangsters hiding in foreign lands by offering them a few thousand bucks. A senior police official who has been investigating the case told The Tribune, “All the nabbed suspects in the arms smuggling and extortion racket are below 25 years of age. These vulnerable youths are being drawn to organised crime by luring them with meagre money and further glorification of being a gangster further CP Swapan Sharma addresses media in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN attracts them to become part of gangs. They all are unemployed and have been facing criminal cases. Gangsters such as Goldy Brar and his handlers have exploited them by offering them Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 only. They are used to make extortion calls, indulge in violent acts such as firing and the actual gangsters behind these Jail inmate who escaped police custody nabbed crimes and their handlers remain in safe havens abroad, using VPNs and encrypted communication to evade law enforcement. The youngsters become the foot soldiers for larger or foreignbased syndicates. Though handlers of gangsters sometimes also offer them a huge sum, depending upon the task assigned, on completing the task, the youths are made to satisfy with meagre amount only”. A police official said gangsters have their men lodged in various jails in the state and other states. Whenever youths go to jail for committing petty crimes, the gangsters vouch for them and lure them to be a part of the bigger gang and attain fame. “Most youths who are caught now had been into petty crimes but after visiting jails, they were connected to bigger gangs through handlers of fugitive gangsters or terrorists hiding abroad. Such youths are also from poor families and moreover, they are unemployed. They easily fall prey to the gangs and join the criminal network for money,” claimed a police official. Interestingly, gangsters also provide sophisticated weapons to youths to carry out firing in extortion cases and other incidents. Like in the Goldy Brar extortion syndicate case, these youths had done recce of big businessman and prominent persons in Gurgaon, Jalandhar and Amritsar. They were tasked to carry out firing at houses of potential targets to seek extortion but the Ludhiana police foiled their attempt. The targets of the gangsters had already been alerted by the police. Commissioner of Police (CP), Swapan Sharma, said: “The coordinated and strategic operations have resulted in the recovery of 12 sophisticated firearms, numerous cartridges and the arrest of 10 key operatives. The operation clears message that the Ludhiana police will continue to act decisively against organised crimes and illegal arms networks, ensuring that such activities have no place in our district.” Ludhiana, January 18 In a major step towards strengthening urban public safety and animal welfare, Punjab Minister for Local Government, Industries and Commerce Sanjeev Arora on Sunday inaugurated the state’s first-ever ‘dog sanctuary’ at the Haibowal Dairy Complex here. Terming the project a pioneering initiative, he said the sanctuary had been established with the twin objectives of reducing incidents of dog bites in the city and ensuring proper medical care, shelter and humane treatment for the stray canines. The minister said the sanctuary had the capacity to accommodate around 500 dogs and had been launched as a pilot project. “Based on its success, more such dog sanctuaries will be established across the state in the future,” he said. Arora said with the inauguration of the facility, a key poll promise made to residents of Ludhiana has been fulfilled. He emphasised that the sanctuary would strictly comply According to the police, Mohit, a resident of Kishanpura Road, Jalandhar, escaped after taking advantage of the opportunity. Following the incident, the police registered a case and began searching for him. Investigating officer ASI Dinesh Kumar said the suspect was arrested on Saturday and further investigation was underway. The police are investigating how the inmate escaped and whose negligence was involved in the matter. with all directions and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court from time to time regarding the management and welfare of stray dogs. All prescribed protocols would be followed in letter and in spirit. He also thanked Dr Sulbha Jindal, a veterinarian and the admnistration for cooperating in fulfilling the promise to the people. Highlighting the urgency of the initiative, the minister said stray dog-related issues were at present under consideration of the Supreme Court and the apex court might also impose penalties on states in cases of Risky affair Tribune News Service Risking his life, a man climbs onto a road divider to catch a kite amid dense fog in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, January 18 Unidentified suspects targeted the residence of a civil engineer in Rajguru Nagar on the intervening night of January 13 and 14 and decamped with gold jewellery, cash and luxury items worth approximately Rs 12 lakh. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed on its premises. The Sarabha Nagar police have registered a case against unidentified perpetrators based on the complaint filed by the victim, Puneet Kamal Singh. According to the victim, he resides as a tenant in a house located in Sukhdev Avenue, Rajguru Nagar. The incident occurred when his family was away for visiting relatives and the house owner was also not available. On returning home, Puneet High-profile gangster Kaushal Chaudhary facing 78 criminal cases Nikhil Bhardwaj & Mahesh Sharma Tribune Reporters Jagraon, January 18 Foiling Gurugram’s highprofile gangster Kaushal Chaudhary’s attempt to escape custody has helped Mullanpur Dakha police officials earn appreciation by their seniors. First booked in assault case in 2002, he was brought on remand in connection with a firing incident recently The 31-year-old suspect, native of Naharpur Rupa village in Gurugram district of Haryana, who was brought by the Ludhiana (rural) police from Bhondsi jail in Haryana on Tuesday, had tried to escape from police custody at the Mullanpur Dakha police station on January 13. His both legs had Cops take the gangster to a hospital after he was injured while trying to escape police custody. suffered fractures while jumping from a wall during the attempt to escape. Kaushal was brought on remand in connection with investigation of a firing incident that occurred at a luxury car rental showroom at Baddowal over a week ago. Though the police are yet to announce details of the probe conducted so far, an investigation by The Tribune revealed that Kaushal is one of the hardcore criminals facing at least 78 cases in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, including over 30 murder cases. As per information, he was first booked by the Gurgaon rising dog bite incidents. Arora appreciated the efforts of social worker Dr Sulbha Jindal and her team for extending cooperation to the administration in establishing the sanctuary and making the project a reality through public participation. Reiterating the state government’s commitment to peoplecentric governance, he said the state government was continuously undertaking projects aimed at the overall development of Punjab while simultaneously ensuring public safety, civic well-being and humane governance. — TNS Miscreants target house, decamp with gold, ~59K Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 An inmate escaped from the Central Jail here but was later apprehended by the police. The police registered a fresh case against the suspect. It is not the first case of an inmate escaping police custody. Several such incidents have occurred before. Many a times, police personnel act negligently in failing to keep an eye on criminals while taking them to court or back to the jail. According to reports, Mohit Thapar, alias Sai, was in judicial custody under the Police Division 5 on January 17, when ASI Dharmveer Singh was taking him to the Central Jail. Minister Sanjeev Arora inaugurates the ‘dog sanctuary’ in Ludhiana. Sadar police in 2002 for causing simple injuries to a person whereas the first murder case against him was registered at the same police station in 2006. On January 13, another case was filed against him for attempting to escape police custody by pushing police c m y b personnel at the Mullanpur Dakha police station. The police said he tried to escape on the pretext of urinating and then jumping over the wall by pushing the police officials accompanying him. However, they overpowered him. Recently, the Ludhiana Commissionerate police had also brought him on remand in connection with investigation of a firing at the house of Nand Lal of Begoana village on October 9, 2025. Kaushal was born in a family of Nand Kishore, a property dealer, and his wife Sahib Kaur. He used to work as a mechanic, earning around Rs 500 daily till he entered the crime world following his family’s property dispute. It was after a gangster, Sudesh, alias Chelu, killed his brother that Kaushal joined hands with criminals of Rajasthan Sube Singh and Amit Dagar and formed his own gang with an intent to take revenge from Chelu. By the end of 2009, he had killed Chelu and his wife, an act which closed all doors for his return to mainstream. Kaushal emerged as one of the notorious criminals of Gurugram following the murder of Chelu as he established a network with gangsters staying abroad through their conduits lodged in jail. He entered Dubai through Thailand in 2017 and was brought back by the police to India in 2019. Central investigating agencies too have been trying to tighten the noose around him. Kaushal’s name emerged as a high-profile gangster following Vicky Middukhera’s murder and retaliatory murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala. Kaushal had allegedly supplied weapons to Davinder Bambiha Gang for Mid- dukhera’s murder. He is also involved in several other murders committed in the state, including that of Kabaddi promoter Sandeep Nangal Ambian. At present, unable to walk on his feet, Kaushal Chaudhary had also threatened to kill dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. To substantiate his threat, Kaushal had made his people’s presence in foreign countries by getting vehicles belonging to Bishnoi’s close businessman friend burnt in England. Acknowledging the vast criminal record of Kaushal, Ludhiana (Rural) SSP Ankur Gupta appreciated that prompt and coordinated efforts by police officials at the Mullanpur police station had foiled the gangster’s attempt to escape from police custody. Dr Gupta said information received from the gangster would be made public soon. found that locks of the upper portion of the house were broken. A subsequent search of cupboards found that Rs 59,000 in cash, gold and silver ornaments and luxury watches were missing. “The total value of the stolen items is estimated to be around Rs 12 lakh,” Puneet stated in the police complaint. The probe got a significant lead through the CCTV footage collected from the house. The video shows the burglars scaling the boundary wall to gain entry into the upper floor of the house. They broke the locks to steal the valuables. The Sarabha Nagar police booked the unidentified suspects under relevant sections of law. Officials stated that they were currently checking CCTV camera footage from nearby localities to trace the escape route of the suspects. Unidentified woman’s body found from canal Our Correspondent Doraha, January 18 An unidentified body of a middle-aged woman has been recovered by the Doraha police from Sirhind canal on Sunday. The body has been kept at the mortuary of the Payal Kept at mortuary of Payal Civil Hospital Civil Hospital till the process of identification gets completed. The deceased is aged around 40. The victim was wearing a purple suit and red sweater. Doraha SHO Akash Dutt said: “We are yet to get any clue about her whereabouts. The body will be kept in the mortuary for the next 72 hours.”