04012023-LT-01.qxd 1/4/2023 12:38 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana TRIBUNE 2ND DGP COMMENDATION DISC FOR INSPECTOR JUNEJA IN WEEK PAGE 2 Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu decorated Inspector Juneja with DGP disc at his office on Tuesday. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 3 RUHAANIKA DHAWAN BUYS HOUSE WORTH CRORES AT THE AGE OF 15 PUNJABI ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS SET FOR A BOOM Ruhaanika Dhawan at the age of 15 bought a house worth crores. The actor also shared pictures of her new house. MAX 17°C | MIN 5°C | YESTERDAY MAX 13°C | MIN 6°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5:37 PM PAGE 4 With films, sequels and web series lined up for the year, the Punjabi entertainment industry is set for a boom. SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:25 AM WEDNESDAY | 4 JANUARY 2023 | LUDHIANA after, Gangster Ajay Pandit held Dayofficeemployees of driving centre, DC observe pen-down strike from village in Himachal On Monday, MLA handed over 3 pvt workers to police over bribe allegations Tribune News Service Case registered Was planning to commit another murder in connivance with inmate Ludhiana, January 3 against trio Tribune News Service Day after MLA Gurpreet Gogi Ludhiana, January 3 The Ludhiana police have arrested a notorious gangster, Ajay Sharma, alias Ajay Pandit, wanted by the police in several heinous cases, including murder. He was arrested from Basoli village near Una in Himachal Pradesh late night on Monday. Ajay was a resident of Guru Arjan Dev Nagar here. While he was on the run, he had killed a youth, Paras Khatri, in Jamalpur in October last year. He was said to be a big headache for the police as he was committing crimes while being at large. The police recovered two illegal pistols of .32 bore along with four live cartridges from the gangster’s possession. Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) RS Brar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Tushar Gupta, Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) in-charge Inspector Beant Juneja addressed a press conference regarding the matter here on Tuesday. The Police Commissioner said the police had secret information that gangster CP Mandeep Singh Sidhu and other cops address the media in Ludhiana on Tuesday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN WILL BRING JAIL INMATE FOR QUESTIONING Preliminary questioning of the gangster revealed that he was in touch with some other gangster, reportedly a member of a gang lodged in the Ludhiana Central Jail. Both had been planning to eliminate a person of Ludhiana. Since Ajay contacted the inmate on phone, it became a serious matter as the inmate was using a mobile inside the jail. We will bring the inmate on production warrant for questioning. Mandeep Singh Sidhu, CP ❝ ❞ Ajay Pandit was hiding at Basoli village in Himachal and so as not to be identified he had also changed his looks by growing beard. “After getting his exact location, ADCP Tushar along with CIA Inspector Beant Juneja, Inspector Bikramjit Singh conducted a late-night raid and apprehended the gangster. The gangster had been frequently changing his hideouts and this hideout in Himachal was the recent one,” added the Police Commissioner. Sidhu also hinted action against those persons who had given shelter to the gangster till now and a probe was also on to ascertain if the gangster was living in other states on the same identity or on a fake identity. The gangster is facing 11 cases of heinous crimes, including murder, registered at various police stations in Ludhiana. While being at large, the gangster had also attempted to kill a person in Himachal and a case of attempt to murder was also registered against him by the HP Police last year. The accused had been playing hide and seek with the Ludhiana police since 2016. conducted a surprise checking at the Automated Driving Test Centre and handed over three private workers to the police over corruption allegations, employees of the centre along with members of the DC Office Employees Association, Ludhiana, went on a pen-down strike on Tuesday to mark their protest against the MLA’s action. The members of the DC Office Employees Association, Ludhiana, said the allegations levelled by the MLA against the private employees of the Automated Driving Test Centre were false and there was no evidence against them. They also met the Commissioner of Police today, demanding a probe into the matter. Gogi must tender apology, say DC office employees Meanwhile, members of the DC Office Employees’ Union, Punjab, have condemned the MLA Gogi’s action. They demanded that Gogi must tender an apology otherwise, they would launch an agitation against him across the state. MLA Gurpreet Gogi had conducted a surprise check at the Automated Driving Test Centre, near SCD Government College, on Monday. Vis- Tribune News Service The DC office wears a deserted look during the employees' strike in Ludhiana on Tuesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN itors had complained to the MLA about the harassment they faced as the centre staff concerned were unavailable on their seats. It had come to light that the staff had gone to attend a religious function to mark the first working day of the New Year at that time. While addressing a press conference here today, Gogi said the visitors had also complained to him against a few private employees who allegedly used to take bribes from the visitors to get their driving tests conducted and passed. Three private employees, including a security guard, who were accused of taking bribes from visitors, were handed over to the police for further action. Gogi said the private security guard was wearing a uniform which looked like a police uniform and he was also accused of taking bribes. All three persons, including the security guard, which were handed over to the police, were private workers not government employees. The MLA further said the people used to complain to him about the ongoing corrupt practices at the driving test centre and RTA office. “I have done nothing wrong. I had conducted a surprise checking after the people complained to me about the wrong practices at the centre. Though the staff have gone on strike, guilty would not be spared,” he said. Raising questions, Gogi said the RTA, Ludhiana, often remains unavailable at his office due to which issues of the people were not addressed on a timely basis. He said the matter would be discussed at the government level. Meanwhile, the public faced a lot of inconveniences as the work at the driving test Centre, RTA Office, and DC office were affected due to the strike of employees today. ROB, RUB PROJECT ON PAKHOWAL ROAD Mann to hand over job letters to over 4,700 master cadre teachers NGO, shopkeepers protest delay S DC reviews arrangements for event to be held at PAU tomorrow Ludhiana, January 3 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will hand over appointment letters to nearly 4,700 master cadre teachers at Dr Manmohan Singh Auditorium of Punjab Agriculture University, here, on January 5. Deputy Commissioner Jaspreet Singh today took stock of preparations for the mega event. Holding deliberations with officials, the Deputy Commissioner accompanied by ADC Amarjeet Bains and other officials gave detailed directions to officials and ordered the formation of various committees for the smooth holding of the event. He asked them to ensure adequate arrangements regard- ing sitting, parking of vehicles, deployment of medical and firefighting teams, security and other things must be meticulously planned and followed for the event. The DC asked the officials to ensure all teachers, dignitaries, appointees, etc, must not face any inconvenience while entering the venue. — TNS Ludhiana, January 3 Members of Yuva, an NGO, along with shopkeepers and city residents staged a protest against the Municipal Corporation and Ludhiana Smart City Limited for failing to complete the ROB and RUBs project on Pakhowal Road here. The shopkeepers also complained that their business was disturbed due to the delay in the completion of the project. A number of traders have already shut down their businesses. The project under the Smart City Mission was supposed to be completed by August 31, 2021, but the LSCL and the MC failed to get it completed on time. It also missed the December 2022 deadline. Notably, both sides of a RUB (also part of the same project) that connects Sarabha Nagar with Pakhowal Road and Ishmeet Singh Road were opened for traffic movement last year. But, the construction of ROB and another RUB on Pakhowal Road are yet to be completed. Raising questions over the slow pace of the work, Kumar Gaurav, president of the NGO, said: “The estimated cost of the project was earlier Rs 124 crore. Its cost has been further increased by Rs 9 crore. Still, the project is incomplete due to which res- idents and shopkeepers have been left to suffer. The civic body is responsible for the delay in the completion of the project. We demand the government must order a probe.” He questioned as to why proper planning was not done before launching the project. The protesters said the railway portion of the ROB had already been constructed but the work under the MC’s jurisdiction was pending. — TNS Police range crackdown on drugs, gangsters, terrorists sets record NDPS cases, arrests of smugglers, recoveries of narcotics more than doubled, illicit liquor trade went down in 3 police dists during 2022 Nitin Jain COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF 2021-22 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 3 The Ludhiana police range, comprising three police districts – Ludhiana Rural, Khanna, and Nawanshahr – have created a record of sorts under its crackdown against drugs, gangsters and terrorists during the previous year, if the official figures are any indication. While the number of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, arrests of the drug smugglers and recoveries of narcotics more than doubled, the illicit liquor trade registered a decline in 2022 as compared to 2021, officials have confirmed. The illicit liquor trade witnessed a sharp decline in 2022 as 2,621.82 litres of recovery had been made last year as compared to 16,941.557 litres seized in 2021. The recovery of lahan and English wine also declined this year while the seizure of licit liquor went up NDPS ACT YEAR 2022 2021 CASES 999 408 GANGSTERS 7 gangsters held in 2022 Five gangsters arrested in 2021 THEFT 288 cases, 161 traced, property worth Rs 7.07lakh recovered in 2022 129 cases, 70 traced, property worth Rs 68.55lakh recovered in 2021 FORCIBLE THEFT 136 cases, 82 traced, property worth Rs 1.07crore recovered in 2022 90 cases, 55 traced, property worth Rs 28.93lakh recovered in 2021 DACOITY 7 cases, 5 traced, property worth Rs 15.96-lakh recovered in 2022 2 cases, 2 traced, no property recovered in 2021 ROBBERY 8 cases, 5 traced, property worth Rs 60,400 ARRESTS SEIZURES 1,354 4,464-kg 587 3,670-kg ARMS ACT 73 arms, 423 cartridges, 22 magazines, 4.5-kg RDX seized in 2022 74 arms, 325 cartridges recovered in 2021 recovered in 2022 6 cases, 2 traced, property worth Rs 1.34-lakh recovered in 2021 BURGLARY 232 cases, 103 traced, property worth Rs 25.48-lakh recovered in 2022 170 cases, 80 traced, property worth Rs 63.23lakh recovered in 2021 (SOURCE: LUDHIANA POLICE RANGE, FIGURES FROM JAN 1 TILL DEC 31) from 21,674.725 litres in 2021 to 56,333.9 litres in 2022. Ludhiana range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaustubh Sharma told The Tribune here on Tuesday that the police of all three districts in the range had been undertaking a sustained campaign against the smuggling of drugs and activities of gangsters and anti-social elements. He said the war on drugs and drive against gangsters had evoked a massive response with the large number of smugglers, peddlers and gangsters landing in the police net with a huge cache of synthetic drugs since Jan- uary 1 last. The IGP said under the war against gangsters, notorious gangster Harpinder Singh, alias Rupa, with his two associates Kulwinder Singh, alias Pistol, with his associate, USA-based Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit Bal along with his seven associates had been c m y b arrested during the past year. “A terror module was also busted with the arrest of 15 members to solve the cases of bomb blast attack at CIA staff in Nawanshahr and at the Kalwan police post in Ropar,” Dr Sharma said while adding that the seizure of 38 kg of heroin from a gangster, Rajesh Kumar, alias Sonu Khatri, was among the biggest catch made by the Nawanshahr police under the sustained campaign against drugs. The comparative figures compiled by the Ludhiana Police Range showed that as many as 999 cases under the NDPS Act had been registered in three police districts last year as compared to 408 FIRs lodged during the corresponding period in 2021. The number of arrests in the NDPS cases also went up to 1,354 in 2022 against 587 arrests made in 2021. The drug recoveries included 81.172 kg opium last year as compared to 59.354 kg in 2021, 4,225.675 kg poppy husk in 2022 against 3,401.3 kg in 2021, 13.926 kg charas last year as compared to 1.4 kg in 2021, 45.736 kg heroin in 2022 against 10.146 kg in 2021, and 34 gm smack was recovered last year as compared to 33 gm recovery made in 2021. However, the recovery of ganja declined from 195.2 kg in 2021 to 95.225 kg in 2022, and narcotic powder seizure also went down from 3.337 kg in 2021 to 2.243 kg last year. When it comes to the arrest of gangsters, seven members of criminal gangs, including four listed under the B category and three in the C category had been apprehended in the Ludhiana police range in 2022 as compared to five gangsters, including two each of the B and C categories and another of the A category, nabbed in 2021. Under the recovery of arms and ammunition, 63 pistols, four revolvers, a rifle, five guns, 423 cartridges, six hand grenades, two guptis, one knife, 10 detonators, 22 magazines and 4.5 kg RDX were confiscated last year. Of the total 288 theft cases registered in 2022, 161 had been traced while property worth Rs 70,70,200 had been recovered of the total property worth Rs 3,13,82,093 stolen across three police districts last year. continued on page 2 Ludhiana, January 3 A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Gogi conducted a surprise checking at the Automated Driving Test Centre near Rose Garden, the city police today registered a case against the three employees of the Smart Chip company managing the affairs at the centre. The employees were booked on the charges of fraud and criminal conspiracy. They have been identified as Ravinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Ram Singh. During the MLA’s visit, people present at the centre had complained that the employees were giving a preference to those applicants who were giving bribes and others had to face harassment. It was also alleged that after taking bribe, the employees ensured the passing of driving test of those persons as well who did not know how to drive. After the registration of FIR, company employees met the Police Commissioner today and demanded an impartial inquiry into the case registered by the police. 4 mobiles, 115 tobacco sachets seized from jail Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 3 The surprise checking at the Ludhiana Central Jail has led to the recovery of four cellphones and 115 sachets of tobacco. One mobile was recovered from two jail inmates, Bidesh Kumar and Chandan Kumar, one from Harjit Singh and two mobile phones were found abandoned in the premises. Besides, 115 sachets of tobacco were recovered from inmate Sunil. A case under the Prisons Act was registered against the inmates. Assistant Superintendent of Jail Satnam Singh said he along with the team conducted a checking in the jail on December 31 and recovered the banned items from the jail and jail inmates. During this checking, two mobiles were recovered from three jail inmates while two were found abandoned. Jail officials said abandoned mobile phones and tobacco sachets could have been dumped by jail inmates due to fear of being caught in the surprise checking. Now, a probe would be conducted to identify the inmates who abandoned mobiles, tobacco sachets. An inquiry would also be conducted to identify the source which facilitated sneaking of the mobiles inside the jail. A fresh case under the Prisons Act was registered against the identified and unidentified inmates. A further probe has been launched by the police into the case.