16052024-ATR-01.qxd 5/16/2024 12:51 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 42°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 23°C PROTESTERS BURN CONGRESS NOMINEE GURJEET AUJLA’S EFFIGY BJP'S RETURN WOULD TEAR SOCIAL FABRIC, SAYS HAYER DENIS VILLENEUVE’S DUNE: PART TWO TO STREAM ON OTT NOW A section of the SC community, backed by the BJP, burnt an effigy of the Congress Lok Sabha nominee Gurjeet Singh Aujla. P2 AAPcandidate Hayer claimed that residents had comprehended that return of the BJP would prove a danger to Constitution.P3 The wait is over now for Dune: Part Two fans as Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction film will be available on Max from May 21.P4 » » » SUNSET THURSDAY 7.21 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:32 AM THURSDAY | 16 MAY 2024 | AMRITSAR Driver nabbed for burglary at house Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 Two days after a house was burgled in the Shashtri Nagar area located on Lawrence Road here, the police have arrested driver of the house owner identified as Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Kallewal village. The police recovered Rs 70,000 in cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 6.43 lakh from his possession. Prabhjot Singh Virk, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said two days ago complainant Munish Suneja stated to the police that an unknown person had decamped with cash and jewellery from his house. Following the complaint, a police team under the supervision of Varinder Singh Khosa, Assistant Commissioner of Police (North), investigated the incident. After a preliminary probe, the police arrested Sukhpreet Singh, the driver of the complainant. Khosa said Suneja had hired Sukhpreet as driver around a week ago. After winning the trust of the complainant’s family, he decamped with jewellery and cash on Monday, Khosa said. The police arrested driver from Madan Mohan Malviya Road and recovered jewellery and cash from him, he added. STF recovers 1.98 crore tablets, 40 kg powder from Himachal-based firm has ❝Though the firmraw the record of procuring OPIOIDS RACKET PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 The Special Task Force (STF), Border range, has recovered 1.98 crore tablets of Alprazolam, besides 40kg of raw chemical used for manufacturing intoxicant tablets from a pharmaceutical firm at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh during its six-day operation. An STF team led by DSP Vavinder Mahajan had been camping at Baddi to scrutinise records of the firm. According to the police during scrutiny of the records, it was found that Biogenetic Drug Private Limited had got a license for manufacturing Alprazolam in May 2023. “Though the firm has the record of procuring raw chemical and manufacturing intoxicant tablets, it failed to produce records regarding its further sale and supply,” said a police official privy to the investigation on condition of anonymity. As per records seized, the company had manufactured over 20 crore of Alprazolam tablets in just eight months — from May 2023 to December Intoxicants seized by the Special Task Force, Border range, from a pharmaceutical factory at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. FILE PHOTO 2023. Alprazolam is usually misused by drug addicts for addiction. With 40kg of raw material confiscated from the firm, the company could manufacture eight crore tablets that would ultimately reach Punjab for consumption, the police official said. The firm also came under the radar of the Delhi Police special cell which had confiscated around seven lakh Alprazolam tablets of the same brand in the National Capital. The police had summoned the company authorities for joining probe there. More heads would likely roll during further probe into the racket, the police official said. For the past three months, the STF was investigating interstate racket involved in illegal psychotropic substances manufacturing and supply. The operation spreads across five states that include Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The police have arrested a total of seven drug smugglers and suppliers and recovered 70.42 lakh intoxicant tablets and capsules, 725.5 kg of intoxicant Tramadol powder and Rs 2.37 lakh drug money. chemical and manufacturing intoxicant tablets, it has failed to produce records related to its further supply and sale. With 40kg of raw material confiscated from the firm, it could manufacture eight crore tablets that would ultimately reach Punjab for consumption. ❞ A POLICE OFFICIAL An intelligence-based operation led to the arrest of two drug peddlers identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Dhami, a resident of Kot Muhammad Khan village in Tarn Taran district, and Jaspreet Singh, alias Jass, a resident of Govind Nagar in Amritsar. They were arrested after the recovery of 4.24 lakh intoxicant tablets/capsules and Rs 1 lakh drug money from Beas in February this year. Following the trail, an STF team headed by SP Vishaljit Singh and DSP Vavinder Mahajan arrested the king- pin of the racket identified as Alex Paliwal from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh after recovering 9.04 lakh intoxicants and Rs 1.37 lakh drug money from his possession. The probe was extended to Himachal Pradesh after Paliwal’s questioning. The firm’s records traced the supply chain to M/s Aster Pharma in Maharashtra, where further investigation exposed Biogenetic Drug Private Limited’s sister pharma manufacturing unit Smilax Pharmachem Drug Industries based in Baddi. Subsequent operation yielded seizure of 47.32 lakh intoxicant capsules and 725.5 kg of Tramadol powder, sufficient to manufacture 1.5 crore capsules. The records revealed that Smilax Pharmachem Drug Industries had purchased 6,500 kg of tramadol powder within a year. The police official said concurrent investigations into transportation and distribution of tablets and powder led to the arrest of individuals, including Intezar Salmani, Prince Salmani, Baljinder Singh, and Suba Singh, unravelling the intricate web of interstate drug trafficking. LS election: 34 candidates 250 more paramilitary companies to arrive in state left in fray after rejection of Special DGP Arpit Shukla reviews security arrangements with senior officials 13 nomination papers Tribune News Service INDIA VOTES 2024 Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 After the scrutiny of papers by the district election office, a total of 34 candidates have been left in fray as nominations of 13 aspirants were rejected on technical grounds. Apart from Congress candidate Gurjeet Singh Aujla, SAD’s Anil Joshi, BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu, AAP’s Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, SAD (Amritsar) Iman Singh Mann and 18 independent aspirants, 11 smaller parties have also Lawyers object to Waris Punjab De chief’s candidature Tarn Taran, May 15 Two senior advocates from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Harinderpal Singh Ishar and Pardeep Kumar Rapria, today challenged the candidature of the Independent candidate Amritpal Singh of Waris Punjab De against his alleged lapses in the forms submitted in the office of Sandeep Kumar, Returning Officer, Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, here today. Harinderpal said he and his colleague appeared in the office of Returning Officer-cumDeputy Commissioner on behalf of two candidates, one belonging to a political party and the other an Independent. The lawyers said that the Returning Officer in spite of calling the other party to file a reply, himself rejected their objections. — OC fielded their candidates. At least four candidates, including Anil Joshi, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Vishal Sidhu of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Shamsher Singh, an Independent candidate, have criminal records. Candidates wishing to withdraw from the contest can do so till May 17 after which the remaining contenders would be allotted election symbols. Meanwhile, election observers conducted an inspection of the strong rooms where electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be kept till the counting of votes. They asked the district administration to make elaborate security arrangements to ensure that the EVMs were kept safely at strong rooms. Amritsar, May 15 Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla today held a meeting with senior police officials of the border range to review security arrangements for the upcoming 18th Lok Sabha elections. Later speaking to the media, Shukla said at least 225 more companies of paramilitary forces would be arriving in Punjab. He said 80 per cent of the police force was being mobilised to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in the border state. He said already 25 companies of the Central forces had been deployed in the state. Rakesh Kumar Kaushal, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Border range, and Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner of Police (CP), Amritsar, were among those present at the meeting. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla addresses mediapersons in Amritsar on Wednesday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Shukla said there were 14,547 polling locations in the state out of which 3,103 were declared sensitive. He said the police had set up 220 special check points in 10 districts bordering neighbouring states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, to check influx of narcotics, illicit liquor, cash and weapons. He directed all police officials not to let anyone disturb the hard-earned peace in the state. He asked police officials to intensify checking of vehicles, espe- cially commercial, entering and exiting the state to check the influx of narcotics and illicit liquor. Notably, the Punjab Police have recovered Rs 5.45 crores of unaccounted cash, 11.49 lakh litres of liquor and 99.62 kg of drugs since the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. Shukla said the Punjab Police was committed to provide level playing fields for all candidates contesting the Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, the Special DGP apprised officials about norms for the deployment of forces at normal polling stations, and critical and vulnerable polling locations, where the CAPF forces in addition to the Punjab Police would be deployed. He also apprised officials about the norms regarding providing security to candidates. Hawala money and currency counting machine seized in Amritsar. ~19.26 lakh hawala money, currencycountingmachine seized from shopkeeper Transferred ~1.12 crore in recent past PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 Following the interrogation of a drug peddler, the Amritsar (Rural) police have seized huge amount of hawala money along with a currency counting machine. The racket was part of a Pakistanbased trans-border weapons and drug supplier module headed by a smuggler known by the name Qasim Dhillon. The police have arrested a shopkeeper identified as Manik Arora, a resident of Chand Arora, in this connection. He was produced in a court which sent him to twoday police remand for further investigation. Satinder Singh, SSP Amrit, sar (Rural), said the police seized Rs 19.26 lakh from Manik’s possession. Preliminary investigation revealed that he sent around Rs 1.12 crore of unaccounted cash to his Delhi-based accomplices in seven rounds after getting instructions on virtual numbers by his handlers. The police also seized a currency counting machine from his possession. According to information, the Gharinda police nabbed two drug peddlers identified as Akashbir Singh of Naushehra Dhalla in Tarn Taran and Banty of Khaparkheri village in Amritsar. The police had confiscated 510 grams of heroin, a bike and a mobile phone from their possession. They had links with Qasim Dhillon who had sneaked in the contraband with the help of drones into the Indian territory. Akashbir’s questioning led the police to Manik Arora. He had an undergarments shop at the IDH market near bus stand. He used to get instructions from his handlers on virtual numbers. He collected the money and later handed it over to his Delhi-based accomplices. “Investigations are in progress to identify Delhi-based persons involved in the racket. Besides, the police have started the process to identify properties acquired by suspects from the ill-gotten money of drug trade and hawala racket,” the SSP said. These properties would be freezed during further course of investigations, he said. Three nabbed for looting jewellery shop at gunpoint Amritsar, May 15 Two unidentified robbers looted a jewellery shop at gunpoint in the Naraingarh area falling under the Chheharta police station here on Tuesday evening. The suspects fled from the scene while brandishing weapon. The police arrested three persons within 24 hours of the incident. Police commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said those arrested included Dhruv and Gagan of Riasat Avenue and Sahiljit of Mahal village. Sahiljit had conducted recce before the incident. The police recovered 15 gold chains and seven rings, besides two toy pistols from them. The police also seized the scooter with a fake number plate, used in the crime. Owner Sahibjit Singh stated to the police that two scooterborne persons entered his shop in the Naraingarh area and asked him to show jewellery. He said a few minutes later, the duo took out a gun and dragged him into a corner and tied him up. He said they put jewellery in a bag and fled on their scooter. The police reached the spot and analysed footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area to find clues about robbers. A case under Sections 379-B of the IPC and the Arms Act was registered against the suspects. — TNS Amritpal’s nomination Frequent fires at garbage dumps affecting city’s air quality accepted at DC office Neha Saini Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, May 15 The nomination papers of Amritpal Singh, jailed Waris Punjab De chief, were accepted here today at the office of Sandeep Kumar, Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Khadoor Sahib. In all, 43 candidates filed their nominations till May 14. During scrutiny, papers of eight contenders were rejected after they failed to procure the authority letter of the party of which they claimed to be the candidate. After acceptance of the nomination papers, Amritpal would be contesting the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate. Amritpal’s father Tarsem Singh had filed his nomination papers on Monday. Amritpal has movable property worth Rs 1,000 (money deposited in a bank) and the value of his immovable property is also of the same amount. He has no cash in hand. His wife has Rs 18 lakh bank deposits. Sources said there was no criminal case pending against Tarsem Singh while 12 cases were registered against his son Amritpal. Tarsem has seven canal agricultural land and a house. The total value of the property has been estimated at Rs 32 lakh. Tarsem has Rs 60,000 cash in hand while his wife Balwinder Kaur, mother of Amritpal, has an amount of Rs 40,000. Harpal Singh Baler of the SAD (Amritsar), who filed his nomination papers on Tuesday, said he would withdraw from the contest in Amritpal’s favour in a day or two. — OC Amritsar, May 15 Two dump fires recently at Bhagtanwala and Ranjit Avenue resulted in air quality index (AQI) in the city reaching unhealthy levels, between 200 and 300. With garbage hills at Bhagtanwala continuing to emit fumes for the last six days, locals have been reporting high quantity of ash residue and soot in air around residential localities and in walled city lanes. But that is not the only problem for people in Amritsar, who have been forced to breath toxic fumes and air contaminants, generated by burning piles of garbage that has become a common practice all across the city. If Bhagtanwala was less of a problem, new landfills have been created at Fatehpur, Chabbal Road and in the out- c m y b Smoke billows from garbage at the Bhagtanwala dump; and (right) AQI monitor installed in Amritsar. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR er area of Ranjit Avenue along the Amrit Anand Park, thanks to unauthorised dumping garbage in open spaces, making them vulnerable to fire outbreaks due to rising day temperature. Inside the walled city, from narrow bylanes near Darbar Sahib to Ram Bagh, one can see numerous piles of garbage that are burnt at night in the name of dispos- al. Similarly, the stretch from Putlighar Chowk to Gawal Mandi Chowk also reveals a similar story. Two days ago, Voice of Amritsar (VOA), an NGO , along with some residents of localities near Amrit Anand Park, reported high levels of smoke and soot in the morning due to burning of garbage at an unauthorised dump near the park. Another fire was reported from a garbage heap lying on a vacant plot in front of the Red Cross office on Old Jail Road. “The AQI reported near the Red Cross office on Old Jail Road was near 399, which was quit dangerous. Ignoring these clarion calls by residents and the NGOs, the administration is just sleeping on a looming health hazard,” shared Rajwinder Pal Singh, a resident of Ran- jit Avenue and one of the volunteers of the VOA. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has constituted a committee to monitor air quality in the city and check pollution, especially caused by vehicles and dump fires. Prof Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman, PPCB , agreed that dump fires were an annual problem. Continued on page 2
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