14092023-LT-01.qxd 9/14/2023 12:52 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune CLOGGED SEWERS TROUBLE WARD 39 RESIDENTS KHATRON KE KHILADI 13 WELCOMES EX-FINALIST SANYA MALHOTRA TALKS ABOUT HER ROLE IN JAWAN Residents of Ward 39 are facing issues such as waterlogging and contaminated water supply. P2 Faisal Shaikh is thrilled about his comeback to reality and stunt show Khatron Ke Khiladi 13. P3 Sanya Malhotra says she was more focused on what she could learn from actor Shah Rukh Khan. P4 » » FORECAST GENERALLY CLOUDY MAX 34°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 28°C SUNSET THURSDAY 6.34 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 6:10 AM » THURSDAY | 14 SEPTEMBER 2023 | LUDHIANA Cyber wing recovers ~84L of victims in eight months Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 Setting a record of sorts, the cyber crime unit of the Ludhiana Commissionerate has recovered Rs 84.27 lakh hardearned money of city residents which was taken away by cyber crooks by resorting to different kinds of online frauds in eight months. It became possible after Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu empowered the cyber unit with latest tools and equipment to ensure speedy and timely tracking of online frauds along with recovery of stolen cash. Revealing more on the matter, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti told The Tribune here on Wednesday that the cyber wing acts on complaints being received through the Punjab Grievance Division (PGD portal) and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). After receiv- Jail warder attacked by inmates Ludhiana, September 13 A jail warder, Amandeep Singh, was attacked by jail inmates at the Central Jail here. The police registered a case against the five jail inmates under the Prisons Act and under various sections of the IPC. The suspects have been identified as Gurmukh Singh, alias Gora, Gaurav Kumar, Khadak Singh, alias Gaggu, Sarabjit Singh and Mandeep Singh, alias Deepa. Assistant superintendent (jail) Gagandeep Sharma said on September 12, jail warder Amandeep Singh was counting prisoners and was asking them to come out of their barracks. Inmate Mandeep Singh, alias Deepa, refused to come out and misbehaved with the warder. Afterwards, Deepa was locked in the cell block as per the orders of the jail superintendent. Later, the suspect, along with the other inmates, attacked the warder and removed his turban. They also threatened to kill him. — TNS CP EMPOWERS UNIT WITH LATEST TOOLS The cyber wing’s achievement became possible after Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu empowered the cyber unit with latest tools and equipment to ensure speedy and timely tracking of online frauds along with recovery of stolen cash. ing complaints, the cyber wing swings into action and try to ensure recovery of stolen funds. From January 1, 2023, to September 10, 2023, the wing had received 7,283 complaints of different kinds of cyber frauds, of which 3,863 had been disposed of while the probe was on to sort out the remaining 3,420 complaints. “While disposing of these complaints, it has managed to recover Rs 84.27 lakh stolen funds of the victims. The maximum Rs 35.53 lakh had been recovered in one complaint, followed by Rs 11.30 lakh and Rs 5 lakh in other complaints. While the minimum of Rs 10,000 had also been recovered in one complaint. It shows that each complaint is redressed irre- spective of the amount involved in the cyber fraud,” the ADCP said. V-Trade app racket The cyber wing hogged limelight on May 15 this year when it busted a racket of running an online trading app ‘V-Trade’ through which the suspects duped hundreds of people of crores of rupees. The police had then arrested the suspects including mastermind Anil Jain (40) of Bawa Colony, Karamjit Kaur (31) of Malerkotla and Sunny Kumar (37) of Haibowal. They owned an office, ‘Vardhman Commodities and Securities’, at Feroze Gandhi Market here. They promised victims substantial profits through online trading. Bhatti revealed that the police had seized Rs 40.62 lakh in cash, Rs 30 lakh in bank accounts, ornaments (62 articles) worth Rs 80 lakh, documents of four properties worth Rs 5 crore, two luxury cars, five laptops, six computers, etc. Fake recruitment in CCTNS On March 3, 2023, the cyber wing had busted a major racket being run by Pankaj Suri of Bhamian Kalan who by posing himself as the Central Commandant of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) had been taking money from gullible youth on the pretext of recruiting them as volunteers in the Central Government. The police had then seized fake ID cards of the Commandant, CCTNS, Director, Anti Corruption and Crime Bureau of India, and Director, Clerk Bar Association, stamps of the CCTNS, New Delhi, Women Brigade Anti-Corruption Crime Bureau, fake press cards, etc, from him. Woman among four nabbed with 800-gm opium, heroin Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 The Ludhiana police today claimed to have nabbed four persons, including a woman, and seized opium and heroin from their possession in separate incidents. Joint Commissioner of Police (City) Saumya Mishra while addressing mediapersons said on Tuesday SHO, Haibowal, Inspector Bitten Kumar, had received a tip-off that Rajiv Aggarwal, alias Bittu, of CRPF Colony was involved in opium smuggling. After verifying his location, the police conducted a raid and nabbed the suspect along with 800 gm of opium. One of his accomplices, Jaspal Singh Sodhi, was at large and raids were on to nab him. A case under the NDPS Act was registered on Tuesday. In another incident, officials at the Jagatpuri police post of the Haibowal police station arrested three persons name- The suspects in Ludhiana police custody. TRIBUNE PHOTO ly Amit, alias Pappu, of Green Enclave, Harsh, alias Love, of Jagatpuri and Asha Rani of Pritam Nagar, Haibowal, and seized 10 gm of heroin from their possession. The police also impounded their car (bearing registration no. PB10AF 3535) which was being used for smuggling. Two of their accomplices, Channi and Raji, of Pritam Nagar are still at large in the case, Mishra said. 24 arrested in NDPS cases in two weeks JCP Saumya Mishra while revealing the action taken against drug smugglers by Zone 3 in the past two weeks, said the police registered 18 cases of drug smuggling in which 24 persons were arrested. From them, the police recovered 354 gm of heroin, 800 gm of opium, 80 gm of drug powder,1,100 intoxicating tablets, two cars, two motorcycles, a Honda Activa scooter and a pistol with seven live rounds. Besides, 10 suspects were nabbed along with 26 vehicles in theft and snatching cases. Trio dupe man of ~40 lakh Ludhiana, September 13 Three conmen duped a resident of Rs 40 lakh on the pretext of exchanging foreign currency. The suspects after taking cash in the Indian currency, handed over a bag to him claiming to be foreign currency but in reality, it contained only plain paper. The complainant, Amit Kumar, of Rajan Estate, Haibowal, said his friend Gaurav Kumar of Salem Tabri owns a medical store at Haibowal. On September 8, Gaurav told him that three unidentified persons came to his store and told him that they have thousands of Malaysian Ringgits which they want to exchange with the Indian currency at a lower price. “On September 10, I brought Rs 40.20 lakh cash to exchange with the foreign currency. I along with my friend Gaurav went to Dana Mandi on the Bahadurke road where the suspects took the Indian currency and handed over a bag to us. Later, we were shocked to know that it contained only plain paper in size of currency notes,” he alleged. The victim said they only knew the names of two suspects, Mohd Miraj and Arman. ASI Charan Singh said a case had ben registered. — TNS Man wanted in firing case held Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 The Shimlapuri police claimed to have nabbed a person wanted in a firing case. An illegal weapon used in the crime was also seized from the suspect. He has been identified as Navdeep Singh, alias Navi, a resident of New Janta Nagar. ADCP Suhail Qasim Mir while addressing mediapersons said on September 3, Tanishpreet, his cousin Jaskirat Singh and friend Lovepreet Singh had gone to the Chimni road, Shimlapuri, to have food where they had arguments with Deepak. Following which, Deepak, along with his companions, including Ashu, Rajat and Vishal, alias Goli, attacked them. The ADCP said when the victims went to the Civil Hospital for treatment, Deepak with his companions went to the house of the complainant, Tanishpreet, and fired shots at his family members. On September 8, the police continued on page 2 House surgeons freshers with no clinical experience: SMO PATIENT’S DEATH Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in-charge of the Civil Hospital here, Dr Mandeep Sidhu, has said house surgeons deputed on duty were newly appointed fresh graduates with no clinical experience. In her statement before the high-level inquiry committee, she blamed staff shortage, untrained doctors, and heavy patient load for the “serious, additional, and supervisory lapses” at the hospital. The SMO was found lacking in control and supervision over staff and management during the inquiry into the death of an unidentified patient at the Civil Hospital on August 27, which was conducted by a panel, headed by the Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik as its chairperson and comprising Additional Deputy Commissioner Gautam Jain, SDM (East) Gursimran Singh Dhillon, and Civil Surgeon Hatinder Kaur as members. The inquiry, ordered by Chief Secretary Anurag Verma while taking cognisance of the matter on August 29, had already reported additional/ supervisory lapses on the part of five other doctors and lack of better management/ vigilance on the part of another doctor on duty at the hospital on the fateful day. “I am currently working with shortage of staff and running the hospital with best of my efficiency and skill,” the SMO said in her statement, a copy of which is with The Tribune. Blames staff shortage, untrained docs, heavy patient load for ‘serious lapses’ at Civil Hospital She submitted that the house surgeons were newly appointed fresh graduates with no clinical experience and most of them were doing their first job here. “Efforts are being made to optimally use their services for the betterment of patients but they are still not well trained to coordinate things in wards with heavy patient load,” Dr Sidhu deposed. The SMO submitted that the house surgeons were still poor in record keeping and making notes on files. “They have been warned many times to coordinate well among themselves and with the staff,” she claimed while stating that they need to inform before changing their duties, if required. Apprising the probe panel that the house surgeons were newcomers and were here for six months only, Dr Sidhu said to improvise the irregularities made by the house surgeons, nodal officers had been changed and consultants were regularly making rounds in the patient wards to ensure proper monitoring and training the inexperienced surgeons. Admitting that there are laps- es on the part of the hospital staffers, the SMO said, “There was a lapse on the part of the Class IV employee, who shifted the patient to the unidentified ward, following which the patient was made to lie unattended on the stretcher.” “Vitals at the time of shifting the patient were not noted in the file,” she confirmed while stating that since the unknown patient ward capacity was of eight patients, which was full at that time, the patient was kept on the stretcher. Also reporting lapse on the part of staff nurse, Dr Sidhu said the staff nurse on evening duty left the premises of the hospital before the scheduled time without following the proper procedure as the handing over of notes to the next staff nurse to take her place on duty was mandatory. Further confirming lapse at the level of the house surgeon, the SMO endorsed the inquiry committee’s findings that nobody was present in the ward due to the laxity in getting the leave sanctioned and getting replacement in duty. “Lapse was also at the level of the emergency medical continued on page 2 Now, house surgeon resigns, nursing sister takes VRS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 After six doctors resigned from their posts recently, another house surgeon from the Civil Hospital here resigned from the post and one nursing sister took voluntary retirement today. Earlier, one medicine specialist and five house surgeons had already tendered their resignation. Staff crunch has been a major concern at the hospital for the past years. The series of events occurred after the August 27 incident where a patient died after falling off a stretcher and the incident came to the notice of the Chief Secretary, following which the staff were issued strict instructions and they, in turn, started facing work pressure. Following the trag- ic incident, three employees were also suspended. After the resignation of the nursing sister, Meena Kumari, the charge has been given to staff nurse Ekta Sood. Sister Rita has been given the additional charge of officiating matron. Meanwhile, the visit of the Principal Health Secretary to the hospital on Wednesday was postponed. — TNS Union flays deployment of Govt buses ferry AAP workers to Amritsar, passengers suffer teachers as nodal officers EVENT RELATED TO FIRST SCHOOL OF EMINENCE IN HOLY CITY ATTENDED BY DELHI CM Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 13 As many as 130 teachers from government schools in the 14 constituencies of Ludhiana were assigned the role of nodal officers for an event related to the School of Eminence in Amritsar attended by Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday. A teachers’ union expressed criticism regarding the deployment of teachers for the event in Amritsar, stating that the deployment of teachers to gather crowds at political events was not appropriate. Sources said each teacher was designated as a nodal officer for a specific bus allegedly for ferrying AAP workers and others to the event in Amritsar. Sources said the teachers who served as nodal officers for each bus were taken to the event attended by Kejriwal. A government teacher said, “One of the teachers who was designated as a nodal officer informed me that they were directly taken to the event addressed by Arvind Kejriwal in Amritsar instead of the state’s first School of Eminence.” Members of the Government Teachers’ Union Punjab have criticised the move of deployment of the teachers for such an event. State president of the union Sukhwinder Singh Chahal and general secretary Gurbinder Singh said the union had objected to the forceful deployment of teachers for managing crowds at the Amritsar event related to the School of Eminence. Gurbinder Singh said the government should implement comprehensive reforms in the education system instead of prioritising only some schools. He said it was not appropriate to deploy teachers to gather crowds at ‘political’ events. It’s important to note that the District Education Officer (DEO), Senior Secondary, Ludhiana, had issued the directive to deploy the teachers as nodal officers for the event related to the School of Eminence in Amritsar. These teachers were also instructed to display a banner in front of the bus they were assigned to travel on. DEO Senior Secondary, Dimple Madan said it was an event related to the inauguration of the School of Eminence in Amritsar for which the teachers were deployed. She, however, claimed that it was not any political event. — TNS Ludhiana, September 13 Passengers faced inconvenience as a large number of government-run buses were deployed to ferry AAP workers and supporters to Amritsar for an event attended by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday. He also inaugurated the state’s first School of Eminence in Amritsar. Based on information obtained from sources, around 85 buses from Ludhiana were pressed into service to transport AAP workers and supporters from Ludhiana to Amritsar for the event. Consequently, there was a shortage of buses at the Ludhiana bus stand, leading many passengers to resort to private buses to reach their destinations. c m y b Many passengers took private buses to reach their destinations in the absence of government buses at the Ludhiana bus stand on Wednesday. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN The government buses which were deployed to ferry AAP workers from Ludhiana to Amritsar were of Punjab Roadways and PRTC, as per information. Utilisation of government-run buses for the Amritsar event has raised many questions. Surjit Singh, a passenger at the bus stand, expressed discontent, stating that there were fewer government-run buses available today as compared to other days. He initially had no information of the reason but later came to know that the buses were being used for an event attended by the Delhi CM in Amritsar. He emphasised that these buses are intended for the public and should not be utilised for political events. A BJP leader, Amarjit Singh Tikka, criticised the AAP government in the state for deploying government buses for a political gathering. He highlighted that numerous passengers faced inconveniences because a large number of government buses were assigned to ferry AAP workers from Ludhiana and other parts of the state to Amritsar, where AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal made multiple announcements. He termed this as a blatant misuse of government resources for political purposes and demanded that Kejriwal should tender an apology. When asked about the matter, Navraj Batish, General Manager of Punjab Roadways, Ludhiana, confirmed that 39 buses from the Punjab Roadways depot in Ludhiana were used for the purpose. However, he had no information regarding the number of PRTC buses used for the same.