07082026-LT-01.qxd 8/7/2026 12:34 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune COMMUNITY HEALTH OFFICERS CONTINUE STIR A HOMEMAKER’S JOURNEY BACK ONTO A BADMINTON COURT ADNAN SAMI LAUNCHES NEW SONG ISHQ TAMASHA Protesters allege AAP-led state government deceived them, did not deliver on its promises. P2 Since getting back into the game around a year ago, Prabhjot Kaur has won multiple medals. P3 Adnan Sami’s new song Ishq Tamasha released by Zee Music looks at love through a contemporary lens. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7:12 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:45 AM FRIDAY | 7 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Now, 20-ft-deep cave-in occurs on main Kitchlu Nagar road Recurring infra failure raises serious questions about quality of construction, use of public money Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 6 A large portion of the road caved in on the Kitchlu Nagar main road, leaving behind a gaping sinkhole that exposed underground sewerage and pipelines. The caved-in portion is touching one of the houses on the road, which has sparked panic among residents, especially with fears that adjoining houses could also suffer damages if the collapse spreads further. The cave-in is nearly 20 feet deep and 30 feet long. In June, a large cave-in had occurred near Saggu Chowk, nearly 2 km away from the spot. Municipal Corporation (MC) Zonal Commissioner JS Sekhon said an old sewerage line was running beneath the road where the cave-in occurred. “The sewerage system here is decades old. Over the years, repeated digging by cable network companies has weakened the road structure and damaged the underground network. We are starting the repair work right away,” he said. “Our teams are working to stabilise the site and restore the damaged sewerage line. Our first priority is to safeguard the house, which adjoins the caved-in portion. We want to save the house from sinking in. The road will be rebuilt once Cong hoardings show united face, ground reality different Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 6 District Congress Committee’s hoardings showed unity but the reality on the ground was different at its events. The District Congress Committee had put up several hoardings near the venues with pictures of prominent leaders, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu, his close aide Ishwarjot Cheema, another leader Charanjit Singh Channi, among others, to convey a message that the Congress was united. Sanjay Talwar, the DCC president in the morning had said all leaders were extended invitations, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu. But things turned bad during the event of AICC Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring during an interaction with party workers at Guru Nanak Bhawan. The supporters of Bharat Bhushan Ashu, though the former minister himself did not turn up, alleged that it was a meeting with workers of the Congress but “goons” were called to show muscle power. “When the event was an interaction with party workers, why outsiders were allowed inside the venue. It was done to fill seats and show muscle power and these were goons who came face to face with supporters of Ashu,” alleged a former Congress councillor, close to Ashu. He said if they did not act wisely that time, things could have turn ugly. At the same time, Congress leader Kuldeep Singh Vaid said actually the goons were sent by rebellious leaders in both events to create disruptions. In the Ludhiana urban event, when leaders tried to speak, supporters of the a local rebellious leader started raising slogans to disturb the event, which was not tolerated by organisers. A few youngsters were sent to disturb the Ludhiana rural event held later, near Phulaneal but organisers were well prepared and the miscreants were not allowed to enter the venue, alleged Vaid. “We as organisers would never allow anybody to disturb the peaceful events” he said. Ashu and Warring are not enjoying a good rapport ever since the latter got the ticket for contesting the MP election from Ludhiana since Ashu was the prominent deserving candidate, say many Congress leaders. Speaking on the occasion, PCC general secretary incharge (organisation) Capt Sandeep Sandhu thanked workers for their overwhelming participation. He recalled the contribution of workers of rural areas such as Dakha, Gill, Jagraon and Raikot, which ensured the victory of Congress candidates during the previous elections. The portion of the road that caved in at Kitchlu Nagar in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN the underground network is secured,” he said. The collapse has disrupted traffic on the busy road. The traffic police rushed to the scene, cordoned off the area after putting up barricades and diverted vehicles. “We are ensuring that no commuter or pedestrian ventures near the danger zone. Safety is our priority,” traffic police personnel on duty said. Residents expressed shock at the sudden cave-in. “We heard a rumbling sound and saw the road sink within minutes. It’s terrifying to think our houses could be affected,” said Sanjay, a local resident, standing near the barricades. Local shopkeepers complained of business disruption as customers would not be able to access the area. “The incident has again highlighted the fragility of the city’s urban infrastructure, where aging sewerage systems combined with unregulated digging by utility companies have left several localities vulnerable to such collapses,” said another resident of Kitchlu Nagar. The recurring failures of road infrastructure has raised serious questions about the quality of construction, technical supervision and the utilisation of public funds. The circumstances warrant an independent technical audit and a thorough vigilance inquiry to determine whether inferior materials, poor workmanship, negligence, or any undue favour to contractors has resulted in this recurring damage, said a social activist, Arvind Sharma. Supporters of Congress leaders protest at the venue of a party event in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Caught unawares Classmate violates 16-yr-old , detained Man held on sexual harassment charge Commuters brave sudden showers in Ludhiana on Thursday morning. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, August 6 A 16-year-old student was allegedly raped repeatedly by her classmate. Based on a complaint from the minor victim, a case was registered against the suspect on the charge of rape and under the POCSO Act. He was also detained by the police. The victim alleged that the suspect under the pretext of friendship sexually exploited her for a long time. Furthermore, he continued to blackmail her by threatening to make her obscene photos viral. In her complaint, the victim’s mother said her daughter told her that a student in her class befriended her in January. He began visiting their house and developed a physical relationship with the minor. The suspect also took objectionable photographs of the girl with his mobile phone. Later, he allegedly continued to sexually assault her daughter by threatening to make the images viral on social media. On July 29, the suspect again forcibly entered the victim’s house when she was alone. He threatened to make her photos viral and violated her. He also threatened the girl of dire consequences if she made any complaint to the police, it said. The police said the 17-year-old youth was detained and probe was on in the matter. — TNS Ludhiana, August 6 The Tibba police claimed to have arrested a man who assaulted a woman due to some dispute over the sale of an second-hand two-wheeler. The suspect was identified as Gursharan Singh of Chuharpur village, Ludhiana. The complainant, Saroj, a resident of New Star City Colony, told the police in her complaint that Gursharan sold her second-hand Honda Activa. The deal was fixed at Rs 50,000. She paid the amount and got the vehicle. After about two months, in January 2026, two persons came to the woman and told her that they are coming from a bank and EMIs of the twowheeler were still pending. They took the Activa along and asked her to visit the bank and clear the loan to release the vehicle, the complainant said, adding that she was shocked to know that despite making the entire payment of the vehicle in advance, how come instalments were still pending. She then suspected the role of Gursharan, who sold the second-hand vehicle to her. “To enquire about the issue, I contacted Gursharan and told him to clear the matter. He came to my house on August 3 and said loan on the vehicle was still pending and clear the same immediately. When I reminded him that the entire amount was already given to him at the time of buying the vehicle, the suspect started an argument and abused me. He started fighting with me and touched my chest and threatened to kill me. Afterwards, he left the scene after threatening me of dire consequences.” The complainant said she lodged a complaint at the Tibba police station, following which the suspect was arrested by the police. ASI Ravinder Singh said further probe into the case was on. The suspect was arrested on the charges of sexual harrasment and criminal intimidation. Beware, fake profiles on dating apps may empty your bank account Narcotics, mobiles Several complaints seized from prison received by police in Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 6 Fake profiles on dating and matrimonial apps may empty your bank accounts. Miscreants by creating fake profiles start interaction and later, on some pretext, commit fraud by extracting money from victims. When the victims get to know that they are duped, it’s too late. In most of the cases, fraudsters create fake profiles and pose as NRIs to dupe women on the pretext of solemnising marriage. The police have already received around 12 such complaints and investigation is being conducted to unearth the racket. The Ludhiana police have issued an advisory to make the people aware about the which women cheated of money prevailing fraud. The police have shared a video on its social media handles, which shows a woman who developed friendship with a man who poses himself as an NRI. The suspect while claiming to be on the way to India from abroad told the woman over phone that he had lost his bag containing passport, important documents and foreign currency at an airport in India. He asks the woman to send him 2,000 dollars else he will not be released. The woman who was aware about the fraud refused to send any money and exposes the fraudster. The latter immediately hangs up the phone. Sources said about 12 complaints pertaining to such frauds were under investigation in the district and in most cases, miscreants posing as NRIs duped the women. In one of the cases, a woman met a man on a matrimonial app and the person introduced him as NRI from the USA. They remained in contact over phone for over a month. One day the man told the woman that he has sent expensive gifts for her through courier and it will reach in a few days. “One day I recieved a call from the person who said the expensive gifts are caught by the customs authorities at an airport and Rs 2.5 lakh needs to be paid to release the gifts, the value of which are over Rs 10 lakh. As I was convinced by the suspect that he was an NRI, I sent the money in the account number shared by the man. Later, I realised that I was cheated and the suspect was a fraudster who had created a fake profile on a matrimonial site,” the woman told the police. In another case, a man came in contact with another woman on a dating app took c m y b over Rs 1.5 lakh on the pretext of some immediate treatment of his family member. The woman got to know about the fraud when she found that the man was already married and had children. He developed the friendship to commit a fraud. Cyber officials said before starting interaction with anybody through dating or matrimonial apps, always verify the identity of the person and do not send money if someone asks for. The police post on social media is spreading awareness about fake matrimonial profile scam. “Looking for a life partner should not cost you your life savings. Cyber criminals create fake profiles on matrimonial websites, gain your trust through emotional conversations, and eventually ask for money by making false claims such as medical emergencies, travel expenses, customs clearance, or investment opportunities. Once the money is transferred, they disappear or block all communication. One should always verify the person’s identity before trusting them. Never send money to someone you’ve met only online. Be cautious of requests for urgent financial help or investment offers. Report suspicious profiles to the platform and the cyber authorities immediately. If you become a victim, call 1930 or report the incident at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal,” it says. Ludhiana, August 6 High-security claims at the Central Jail, Ludhiana, contrast sharply with regular seizures of mobile phones, drugs and other items. During a surprise checking conducted by the jail administration, a narcotic substance and mobile phones were seized from the possession of two inmates. Acting on a complaint by jail officials, the Ludhiana police registered a case against the suspects and launched an investigation. Assistant Superintendent of the Central Jail Balihar Singh said a surprise search operation was carried out on the jail premises and barracks recent- ly. During the checking, 34 gm of a narcotic substance and five mobile phones were seized from the inmates, identified as Sonu Thakur and Kulwinder Singh. The jail administration described the recovery of narcotics and mobile phones from inside a high-security jail as a serious violation of the prison rules. On the basis of the statement of the Assistant Superintendent, the local police on Wednesday registered a case under the Prisons Act and NDPS Act. The police are probing the involvement of external or internal elements in smuggling the mobiles and the narcotics into the jail. — TNS