23012026-JTR-01.qxd 1/22/2026 10:37 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune BJP SEEKS 4-LANE ROAD TO KHURALGARH SAHIB 52-YR-OLD WINS SILVER AT THAILAND OPEN MASTERS Vikas Mahajan, who began playing table tennis at the age of 13, continues to impress with his attacking strokes even at 52.P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 13°C | MIN 4°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 3°C B-TOWN TURNS UP THE HEAT THIS WINTER There have been numerous accidents on this road and 14 people have lost their lives during the mishaps: BJP leader P2 FORECAST From Madhuri Dixit and Isha Koppikar to Malaika Arora — take cues from these actors for hot winter looks. P4 » » SUNSET FRIDAY 5.54 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:24 AM » FRIDAY | 23 JANUARY 2026 | JALANDHAR 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. City sports shop ex-worker steals ~8.5L, kills caretaker Accused held in Ambala after stolen vehicle meets with accident Tribune News Service INBRIEF YOUTH BEATEN UP BY 4 OF FAMILY Hoshiarpur: A youth was beaten up by four persons in Fauji Colony, Model Town. Complainant Arshdip Singh told the police that on January 15 he had gone to help extinguish a fire at a house. Later, while returning home on his scooter, Kulwinder Kaur, her husband Khadak Bahadur, their sons Aman Bahadur and Gurpreet Singh intercepted him and assaulted him with sticks. The police have registered a case against the accused. OC MAN DUPED OF ~8 LAKH OVER VISA Hoshiarpur: A cheating case has come to light in the Talwara police station area, where a man was allegedly duped of ~8 lakh on the pretext of sending his son abroad. Complainant Balwinder Singh stated that the accused, Virender Singh took ~11.50 lakh from him, promising to send his son Sunil Kumar to Portugal. Later, only ~3.50 lakh was returned, while the remaining ~8 lakh was neither refunded, nor was the youth sent abroad. OC 3 HELD FOR ARMS SMUGGLING Hoshiarpur: The CIA staff arrested Manish in Mehtiana. On his disclosure, the police recovered three .32 bore pistols, magazines and three cartridges buried in the ground near a canal. A case under the Arms Act has been registered and efforts are on to nab another absconding accused. In a separate case, the police arrested Raman Kumar and Pradeep Singh and recovered one pistol, two magazines and cartridges from them. oc PO NRI WOMAN ARRESTED Hoshiarpur: The NRI Affairs Wing of the police arrested a proclaimed offender woman from IGIA, New Delhi, in connection with a 2019 case of house demolition, theft of building material and issuing threats in Garhshankar. The accused, Jaswinder Kaur alias Baby, had been residing in Germany and was declared a PO by the court on October 22, 2024. oc 2 NABBED FOR GANGSTERS’ HELP Hoshiarpur: The police have arrested Naresh Kumar and Pankaj from the Industrial Focal Point, Purhiran area, on charges of providing shelter to gangsters. According to the police, the two accused were in contact with notorious gangsters, provided them refuge and helped them intimidate local residents. OC LIQUOR BOTTLES SEIZED IN RAIDS Hoshiarpur: In a major crackdown on illicit liquor, the police conducted raids and seized hundreds of bottles of illegal liquor. Kulbir Singh, Sukhvir Singh, Praveen Kumar and Hardeep Kumar have been booked. oc Jalandhar, January 22 What initially appeared to be a theft of ~8.5 lakh from a sports goods shop in Basti Nau turned into a murder investigation by the evening after the body of an elderly caretaker was found on the terrace of an adjoining shop. Madhu Gupta, owner of Sunfly Sports, reported on Thursday morning that ~8.5 lakh in cash and her car were missing from her shop. She told the police that she had received the payment on January 20 but had forgotten to take it home or deposit it. When the police reached the spot, they found the shutters on the first floor broken. Although the thief had snapped the CCTV wires, a clip showing him exiting the premises surfaced. Gupta identified the suspect as Sonu, a former employee. Shopkeepers from the vicinity, who had gathered on the premises, said they even showed the police some blood stains found at the spot but the teams did not pay a heed. “They told us that the thief would have suffered an injury while escaping from the crime scene”, said Ravinder Sports market members in shock in Jalandhar. A TRIBUNE PHOTOGRAPH Dhir, convener of the Khel Udyog Sangh. Later, the owner received a call from the Ambala police that her car had been hit in an accident at Ambala and two youths in the car had been rounded up. “One of the arrested youth was Sonu. He also confessed before the police that he had murdered Amarjit, who worked as care- taker in an adjoining shop and had reportedly spotted him committing theft. It was after this that the police teams came to the spot again, searched the terrace and found the body of Amarjit. The victim hailed from Adampur. Dhir stated that the criminals had no fear of the police administration. “Lawlessness has spread across the city and Rice sheller gutted, hundreds of paddy bags destroyed Our Correspondent Phagwara, January 22 A major fire broke out at a rice sheller located on the Sultanpur Lodhi road, causing extensive damage and resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees. The fire originated in the paddy drying unit (dryer) of the mill and quickly spread to the nearby stock, reducing around 800 bags of paddy to ashes. The incident occurred at the rice sheller owned by Prakash Chand Karodimal. The flames erupted from the dryer and intensified rapidly, leaving workers with little time to control the situation. As the fire spread, it engulfed the paddy bags stacked close to the drying unit, significantly worsening the damage. The Fire Department was informed, following which a rescue and firefighting operation was launched. Two fire tenders were pressed into service and after nearly three hours of efforts, the fire was brought under control. No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident. However, the mill owner stated that the destruction of such a large quantity of paddy has resulted in substantial financial losses running into lakhs of rupees. At present, the exact cause of the fire remains unknown. Fire Department officials have stated that investigation will be conducted to determine whether the blaze was triggered by a technical fault in the dryer, overheating, or any other factor. Jalandhar West has become a capital for criminals, leaving the common man helpless and at the mercy of God”, he said. Other sports goods traders, including Prem Uppal, Sham Sunder Mahajan, Parveen Anand, Ramesh Anand, Sanjay Mehndi Ratta, and Rahul Kohli, also raised concerns of growing insecurity in the business community. Army man on bike killed in accident Our Correspondent Mukerian, January 22 An Army man was killed on the spot in a road accident in Mukerian. The deceased has been identified as Dinesh Kumar, who was posted with the Fire Brigade Unit at the Army Cantonment, Uchi Bassi. According to the complaint lodged by Pradeep Kumar, resident of village Barnali in Himachal Pradesh, the incident took place on the morning of January 21. Dinesh was riding his motorcycle (HP-36-F-6574) to his place of duty, while his brother Pradeep was following him on another motorcycle. When they reached near SPN College, close to the Army Ground, a truck bearing registration number JK02-AN-8703 came from behind at a high speed and rammed into Dinesh’s motorcycle. The impact was so severe that Dinesh was thrown against an iron railing on the roadside and sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital with the help of local residents, where doctors declared him brought dead. On receiving information, the police reached the spot, seized the truck and registered a case against the driver. JCB operator electrocuted in Kapurthala Our Correspondent Phagwara, January 22 A tragic incident was reported from Kapurthala where a 22-year-old man lost his life after suffering an electric shock while working with a JCB machine. The accident occurred during routine work, sending shock waves through the victim’s family and the local community. The deceased has been identified as Sandeep, a resident of village Dhavakha Jagir. According to family members, Sandeep had gone to work as usual earlier in the day. Within a short time, the family received a phone call informing them that he had been electrocuted while on duty. He was immediately rushed to the Civil Hospital, Kapurthala, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Sandeep’s uncle Balbir Ram stated that Sandeep worked as an operator/helper on a JCB machine and was the sole earning member of his family. He said the family was devastated upon receiving the sudden news and rushed to the hospital, only to be JCB came in contact with high-voltage electricity wires informed that Sandeep had already succumbed to the electric shock. JCB machine owner Gurpreet Singh said Sandeep had been working with him for the past six months. He explained that during the operation, the JCB machine came in contact with highvoltage electricity wires passing overhead. As the machine touched the live wires, it became electrified. When Sandeep, who was standing nearby, came into contact with the machine, he received a severe electric shock and was thrown several feet away. People present at the site immediately transported Sandeep to the Civil Hospital in Kapurthala. Despite their prompt efforts, doctors confirmed that the intensity of the electric shock was fatal. The incident has been reported to the police, who have taken the body into custody and initiated legal proceedings, including the postmortem examination. Festive vibes Students and staff members celebrate Basant Panchami on the LPU campus near Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH 81 Mukerian school buses inspected, 13 challaned 3 booked for road encroachment Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, January 22 To ensure the safety of schoolchildren, a comprehensive inspection of school buses was conducted in Mukerian of Hoshiarpur district under the Safe School Vehicle Policy. District Child Protection Officer Harpreet Kaur said on January 21, buses belonging to St Joseph Convent School, SPNSSK Public High School, Woodberry World School and Cambridge Overseas School were inspected. During the drive, 81 school buses were checked, out of which 13 were challaned for violating safety norms. Several serious deficiencies were found during the inspection, including expired firstaid kits, absence of fog lights, non-appointment of lady attendants, vehicles operating without proper passing, absence of speed governors, lack of emergency exits, nonavailability of fire extinguishers and CCTV cameras and carrying passengers beyond the seating capacity. Members of the District Child Protection Unit, including Ranjit Kaur and Jaswinder Singh, police officials ASI Rakesh Kumar and ASI Gurnam Singh, and Education Department representative Surjit Singh were present during the drive. Phagwara, January 22 The Phagwara police have registered a case against three individuals for allegedly obstructing Sarai Road, a busy thoroughfare in the city. The action follows repeated complaints from local residents and commuters who reported persistent difficulties due to encroachments on the roadway. SP Madhvi Sharma said the accused have been identified as Guru Nanak Iron Store owner, Amrik Singh, owner of a shop, and Ram Putra, a resident of Palahi Gate, Phagwara. The police stated that shopkeepers had allegedly placed iron material and other commercial goods on the road, while vegetable baskets were reportedly laid out in front of a vegetable shop, significantly narrowing the carriageway. Traffic Inspector Aman Kumar Daveshwar said the encroachments caused frequent traffic congestion and posed inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists alike. — OC Kapurthala trader developing amphibious boat to aid flood victims Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Kapurthala, January 22 After earning widespread appreciation for manufacturing 100 boats to rescue flood victims in Punjab, Pritpal Singh Hanspal, owner of Hanspal Traders in Kapurthala, has embarked on a new humanitarian innovation, the development of an amphibious boat capable of operating on both land and water. Hanspal said the idea was born out of the logistical difficulties faced during last year’s floods, when transport- ing boats to inundated areas proved to be a major challenge. To overcome this, he is now modifying a tractor into a fully functional amphibious vehicle that can travel on roads and waterways alike. “We started working on it around 10 days ago, and it should be completed within a week,” Hanspal said. The boat is currently being developed as a pilot project. If successful, it could significantly improve response times during floods and other emergencies. During the floods, boats manufactured by Hanspal Traders drew attention for the message inscribed on them: “Halimiya, hamdardia te muhabbata di kishti” (a boat created with compassion and love). Reflecting the spirit behind the initiative, Hanspal had temporarily shut down his regular business operations and, along with his entire staff, produced 100 boats for evacuation efforts. “We work through the year. If we can give a few days to those in need and if it helps save lives, then that’s what truly matters,” he had then said. Hanspal revealed that the c m y b amphibious boat is also being designed to function as an ambulance. “We will ensure that all necessary medical equipment is installed inside it,” he said, adding that the vehicle could be deployed wherever it is needed, not just in Punjab. Hanspal’s initiative again highlights how grassroots innovation and compassion can play a crucial role in disaster response, offering practical solutions where they are Pritpal Hanspal is developing a boat capable of operating on both land and water. >>