27082026-LT-01.qxd 8/26/2026 11:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune PANIC AS MC OFFICES GET ANOTHER HOAX BOMB THREAT GOVT SCHOOL AT CHAUNTA CRIES FOR ATTENTION CELEBS MOURN DEMISE OF SINGER DOLLY PARTON Panic spreads among employees as the Municipal Corporation’s offices receive another bomb threat mail. P2 Former Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu lashes out at AAP over Sikhya Kranti, one of its flagship initiatives. P2 Hollywood and the music world are mourning the country music legend, who died in Nashville at the age of 80. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 37°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 36°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.56 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6.00 AM » THURSDAY | 27 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Khanna police bust snatchinggang,arrest4 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 26 The Khanna police have busted a gang involved in chain and earring snatchings with the arrest of four accused and the recovery of two gold earrings and a motorcycle without a registration number plate. SP (Special Branch) Harpinder Kaur Gill addressed a press conference on Wednesday and shared details of the case. According to the complaint, on August 22, Sarbjeet Kaur, a resident of Guru Ram Dass Nagar, Khanna, was on her way to a gurdwara on Peer Khana Road at around 5.10 pm when a motorcycle-borne unidentified person snatched a gold earring from her left ear and fled. A case was registered the following day. During the investigation, police found that the same accused had allegedly snatched a gold earring from another elderly woman at around 5 pm on August 23. Police examined the CCTV footage from several locations and used AI-assisted analysis to identify the brand of sneakers mentioned on a polythene bag hanging from the snatcher’s motorcycle. Further scrutiny of the CCTV cameras installed near a shoe shop in Subhash Bazaar revealed that the accused had visited the showroom after the snatching and purchased shoes and perfume. Police also found that he had sold the snatched jewellery to Ramesh Jewellers in Khanna and used the proceeds for shopping. “Police searched sneaker shops in Khanna using ChatGPT and identified an outlet, Sneakers Lounge, in Subhash Bazaar. A police team immediately visited the shop, where CCTV footage provided a clear image of the snatcher. Although the accused was wearing a mask during the snatching and had used a fake number plate on his motorcycle, the CCTV footage from the sneaker shop helped police establish the backward and forward trail and identify and arrest him,” said Khanna SSP Dr Darpan Ahluwalia. The arrested accused was identified as Amandeep Singh, alias Babbu, a resident of Iklaha village, Khanna. A motorcycle without a registration number plate was recovered from his possession. During interrogation, Amandeep allegedly disclosed the identity of his associate, Deepak Bali, alias Deepak Kumar, alias Deepu, a resident of Balmiki Mohalla, Peer Khana Road, near Ravidas Gurdwara, Khanna. Deepak was subsequently arrested. Police said both accused admitted to their involvement in the snatchings. The duo further disclosed that they had sold the stolen gold earrings to two local jewellers, Kapil Kumar, a resident of Basant Nagar, and his brother Japinder Kumar, who own Ramesh Jewellers in Khanna. Both jewellers were arrested in connection with the case, and two gold earrings were recovered from them. On secret trip for e-gaming tourney in Raj, 3 Machhiwara kids brought back Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 26 The questioning of two Machhiwara college students, who were traced in Rajasthan and brought back to Punjab after their families lodged missing-person complaints with the Khanna police, has revealed the extent of their obsession with the online game Free Fire. Had planned to participate in online tournament The students, Utkarsh and Varun Kumar of Machhiwara, had left home with Ludhianabased migrant worker Mohit Kumar without informing their parents. According to the family, the parents frequently scolded them for “wasting their time” on online gaming. The trio travelled to Rajasthan to meet other gamers whom they knew only through Free Fire. They had planned to participate in an online gaming tournament. After an investigation, the Khanna police traced the trio on Tuesday to a hotel near Jaipur. During questioning, the youths admitted to being heavily addicted to the game, describing it as a battle-royale game and saying they were willing to go to great lengths to continue playing it. A big shock for the parents Gagandeep Sharma, a cousin of Utkarsh, said Utkarsh was a BCom student at a college in Machhiwara and spent Three youths who went to Rajasthan to meet online gaming friends brought back by the Khanna police. several hours playing Free Fire every day. His parents had become frustrated with his gaming habits and repeatedly asked him to stop, but he did not listen. Gagandeep said Utkarsh, Varun, Mohit and several other gamers from across the country had formed an online team to play Free Fire together. “Their gaming addiction was affecting their studies. Utkarsh and Varun failed in their examinations. When we contacted the college administration, we were shocked to learn that the duo had not appeared in four exams,” Gagandeep said. He said the two students later admitted that although they had gone to college to appear in the examinations, they instead sat on the college grounds and played Free Fire because an online tournament was underway. “They said they had to fight for ‘survival’ in the game. After this, their parents became stricter and stopped them from playing the game altogether,” he said. Were upset over parents’ restrictions Unable to accept the restrictions, Utkarsh and Varun decided to leave Punjab with their Ludhiana-based friend Mohit. They wanted to stay away from home so that nothing would interfere with their gaming, Gagandeep said. On August 20, the trio took a car and left for Rajasthan without informing their families. When their parents were unable to trace them, they lodged missing-person complaints with the Khanna police. New SIM cards for uninterrupted gaming Gagandeep said the three youths were connected with several online gaming friends from Rajasthan and other states and had planned to meet them in person. “At the hotel in Rajasthan, they played a Free Fire tournament as a team. They had planned more tournaments with other team members from different parts of the country,” he said. The youths switched off their mobile phones and purchased new SIM cards so their families could not contact them while they were playing in the tournament, Gagandeep said. He added that although they had left home on August 20, they had no fixed plan to return. The trio had only Rs 11,000 with them. Police warn against meeting online contacts Samrala DSP Pritpal Singh Sandhu, who supervised the operation to trace the youths, said the case was serious because the boys had switched off their phones after leaving home. “When they reached a hotel near Jaipur, a friend from Sikar came to meet them. They played Free Fire together. Once our police team traced their exact location and raided the hotel, all of them were found there,” Sandhu said. He added that the trio had also planned to travel to Khatu Shyam, Haridwar and Kedarnath with their gaming friends. Interestingly, Utkarsh and Varun had never met Mohit or the person from Sikar before. Their relationship with them had been established only through Free Fire. “Meeting unknown persons could have endangered the lives of Utkarsh and Varun,” the DSP said. Sandhu said Mohit’s background was being verified. The police were also in contact with their Rajasthan counterparts to determine whether the person from Sikar had any intention of exploiting the Machhiwara students under the guise of an online gaming friendship. Khanna SSP Dr Darpan Ahluwalia appreciated the police team for tracing the youths safely and cracking the missing-person case. He said online gaming could, in some cases, also expose young people to radicalisation and recruitment. “Although this angle has not been established so far, the probe will explore it,” he said. One held with 5 kg opium Ludhiana, August 26 The Special Cell of the Ludhiana Police on Wednesday apprehended a man travelling in a white Brezza and recovered 5 kg of opium from his possession. Following the significant recovery, police have launched an investigation to trace the source of the consignment and determine its intended destination. The accused is being interrogated to ascertain how he came into possession of such a large quantity of opium and to whom it was to be delivered. Additional DCP (Crime) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti, ACP Deep Karan Singh and Special Cell in-charge SHO Inspector Harpreet Singh Dehal issued a joint statement regarding the operation. According to police officials, Special Cell teams were conducting patrols to check drug smuggling when they stopped a white Brezza near Hawas Chowk on suspicion. A search conducted in accordance with legal procedure led to the recovery of 5 kg of opium from the occupant. The accused was identified as Sandeep Singh, a resident of Mohalla Meharban. A case was registered against him at the Meharban police station under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act. He will be produced before a court to seek his remand for further interrogation. Police officials said questioning would focus on identifying the suppliers of the opium consignment and those involved in its further distribution. They added that the possibility of more arrests in connection with the case was not ruled out. — TNS 50K units face uncertainty as mixed land use extension nears expiry Scorpio parked outside Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 26 The fate of nearly 50,000 micro and small industrial units operating in mixed land use (MLU) areas hangs in the balance, with the state government yet to clarify whether their permission to operate will be extended. The current three-and-a-half-year permission period is set to expire on September 30. Under the existing rules, these units will not be allowed to continue industrial activities in the MLU areas unless the state government grants a further extension. AAP MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu said he was in touch with the state government and expected the industry to get an extension soon. “I’m on it, and industrial units will get an extension to work in the MLU,” Sidhu said. With no official communication on the extension so far, industry representatives have expressed concern. World MSME Forum president Badish Jindal said immediate intervention by the government was required, particularly as several departments were not entertaining applications for no-objection certificates (NOCs). These clearances are mandatory for approvals from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Fire Department and other agencies. “These industries provide employment to over five lakh people. Big corporate houses are dependent on vendors manufacturing bicycle components, rims, auto parts and other products through processes such as electroplating and polishing. The issue has now reached a critical stage,” Jindal said. He said the permission granted by the Punjab Government through the Local Government Department on October 6, 2023, allowing industries in the MLU areas to continue operations until September 2026, was nearing expiry. FACT FILE ■ Nearly 50,000 small industrial indirectly affected units face uncertainty ■ More than five lakh workers may be affected ■ Nearly 10 lakh people, including family members, transporters, suppliers, traders and service providers, could be ■ Punjab’s manufacturing supply “Unless immediate action is taken, the future of nearly 50,000 small industrial units and approximately five lakh workers will be pushed into uncertainty,” Jindal said. “Ludhiana is not merely a city; it is the industrial heart of Punjab. The bicycle, auto parts, sewing machine, hand tools and hosiery sectors, along with hundreds of ancillary manufacturing activities, depend heavily on these small units,” he added. Jindal, on behalf of the World MSME Forum, has also written to the Chief Minister seeking immediate intervention. chains could face severe disruption ■ Thousands of the MSMEs already struggling with rising costs, competition and shrinking margins could be forced to shut down permanently Avtar Singh Bhogal, a member of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), said the units were spread across more than two dozen areas falling under the MLU. “These localities include Janta Nagar, Shimlapuri, New Shimlapuri, Gill Road, Dashmesh Nagar and several other scattered industrial clusters,” he said. Bhogal said many of these industries had been operating for decades and had become an integral part of Punjab’s industrial ecosystem. “These industries were not established overnight. Successive governments permitted them to operate because they became an integral part of Punjab’s industrial and economic structure. How can you ask these industries to move when more than 60 per cent of the areas comprise industries and around 40 per cent are residential? The government needs to consider relocating residents to better areas by providing land at subsidised rates. If industries are forced to move, manufacturing supply chains will suffer severe disruption,” he said. Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association president JS Thukral said no relocation package was announced for the affected units. “No financial assistance scheme exists for shifting machinery and infrastructure. No affordable industrial plots have been allotted. The government expects us to stop work and sit idle. Who will look after our families if we are not allowed to work here in the MLU?” Thukral asked. YS Ratra, Chief Engineer, PPCB, said the industry still had time before the current permission expired and expressed hope that the state government would issue further directions. “The industry still has one month to work in these areas, and by that time, some orders are expected from the state government,” Ratra said. house in Dugri stolen Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 26 Thieves stole a brand-new Mahindra Scorpio-N parked outside a house in Ludhiana’s Dugri area in the early hours on Tuesday. The accused reportedly used a master key to unlock the vehicle and fled with it. The SUV was purchased by a 31year-old man as a gift for his father on Father’s Day. In his complaint to the police, Mayank Takkar, a resident of New Model Town, said he had parked the newly purchased Scorpio-N near a park in front of his house. The vehicle was carrying a temporary registration number as its permanent number had not yet been allotted. According to the CCTV footage, a few persons arrived in a car in the early hours and surveyed the area for some time before targeting the CCTV cameras capture thieves Scorpio-N. One of them got out of the car, unlocked the SUV using what appeared to be a master key, started it and drove away with the others. The entire operation was carried out within a short time. Mayank, who is the North head of a multinational company based in Gurugram, said he had purchased the Scorpio-N for his father. The theft has come as a major shock to the family. Dugri police on Tuesday registered a case against unidentified persons and launched an investigation. Investigating officer ASI Rajesh Kumar said police teams were examining the CCTV footage from surrounding areas to identify the accused and trace the stolen vehicle. Road in Model Town Extension remains uneven months after completion of sewerage work Sukhpreet Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 26 Hundreds of residents of Block-A in Model Town Extension, opposite Gate No. 1 of New Krishna Mandir, have been facing difficulty in commuting for nearly six months as the road has remained uneven and muddy following sewerage work in the area. Residents said a sewerage problem surfaced around six months ago, after which a contractor laid a new pipeline. However, the road was not properly restored after the work was completed, leaving a rough stretch outside several houses. The situation worsened after Tuesday’s rain, when the road became muddy and waterlogged. Residents said walking and driving through the lane had become difficult, particularly for children and senior citizens. They also expressed concern that ambulances and other emergency vehicles could face difficulty reaching homes if the condition persists. Maninder Singh, a resident, said the affected stretch covered houses numbered 343-A to 483-A. “This is a developed residential area, but residents have been facing difficulties commuting on this road for months. The civic authorities should ensure that the road is restored at the earliest,” he said. Another resident, Harish Rajpal, said even a short spell of rain made the stretch difficult to use. “Every time it rains, the road becomes muddy, and getting in and out of the lane becomes difficult. The rainfall this time was not very heavy. A prolonged spell could make the situation much worse,” he said. Residents have sought immediate restoration of the road, particularly with more rain expected during the monsoon. They said the surface should be properly c m y b levelled once the sewerage work is completed to ensure that routine movement is not disrupted. Arvind Kumar, Executive Engineer, Municipal Corporation, said the road could not be reconstructed immediately after the sewer pipeline was laid. “The soil needs some time to settle after the sewer line is laid. If the road is constructed immediately, it can get damaged again. We will get the stretch repaired as soon as possible,” he said. Arvind Sharma said he had taken up the matter with the Punjab State Human Rights Commission and had also sent copies of the complaint to senior officials of the Local Government Department, the Municipal Corporation and the district administration. He said the road required the authorities’ attention and called for proper supervision of restoration work to ensure residents did not face the same problem again. The muddy, potholed road filled with rainwater in Ludhiana.