19012025-LT-01.qxd 1/19/2025 1:06 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune CLOCK TOWER NIGHT SHELTER LYING SHUT FOR TWO YEARS I WANT TO BE CHALLENGED, SAYS VIJAY VARMA The Darlings actor reveals that his success stems from people recognising his potential. P4 DENSE FOG MAX 18°C | MIN 10°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 8°C OTT RELEASE FOR ABHISHEK BACHCHAN’S I WANT TO TALK The night shelter has been shut for two years after its building was declared unsafe. P2 FORECAST Prime Video has announced the global streaming premiere of the Shoojit Sircar-directed movie. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.48 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7:18 AM » SUNDAY | 19 JANUARY 2025 | LUDHIANA Mayoral elections, councillors’ swearing-in ceremony tomorrow One more joins AAP, total reaches 48, number required for proving majority Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 Ahead of the mayoral elections on January 20, one more Congress councillor on Saturday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), taking the total number of members to 48, the number required by AAP to prove majority for getting the Mayor elected in the House. Now, AAP will safely prove majority to get the Mayor from their party elected. The ruling party on Saturday gained significant strength in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation after Congress councillor Mamta Rani from Ward 41, along with several Congress leaders, joined AAP . Punjab AAP president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora formally inducted all leaders into the party and welcomed them. Along with councillor Mamta Rani, senior Congress leaders Balwinder Singh, Mani Ram and Vishal Dhawan also joined AAP . They stated that they would work with dedication and Cong councillor Mamta Rani from Ward 41, along with other party leaders, joined AAP on Saturday. BYELECTION FOR WEST SEAT IN SIX MONTHS Now, after the death of MLA Gogi, the Ludhiana West constituency seat has fallen vacant. An official notification regarding the seat being vacant has been issued and the Election Commission has been informed. The byelection for the seat will be conducted by mid-July, within six months. commitment to propagate AAP’s pro-people policies. The Mayoral elections were postponed after the demise of Ludhiana West Chinese string seized, three sellers nabbed Ludhiana, January 18 The Khanna police arrested three sellers of banned plastic string and recovered 141 spools from their possession. In a statement issued by the Khanna police it is stated that as per the directions of SSP Ashwini Gotyal, a special drive was launched against Chinese string sellers and other miscreants. Under this campaign on January 17, the Sadar Khanna police was conducting a checking near the Kot police post where a vehicle (chota hathi) came from the Ludhiana side, which was stopped on suspicion and the the driver was identified as Jaspreet Singh of Khanna and the person seating next to driver was identified as Jatin, also from Khanna. During checking, four plastic bags containing 96 spools of banned plastic string were found in the vehicle. When questioned, they said they had to sell them to kite flyers in Khanna. After registering a case, further probe was started to inquire about big suppliers of the banned string. On January 16, when a team of the Khanna City-2 police station was present on the Amloh road to keep check over suspicious elements, they got a tip-off that Rinku of Amloh Road, Khanna, was involved in selling the plastic string. During a probe, 45 spools were recovered from him. A case was registered against the suspect. — TNS MLA Gurpreet Gogi. The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected councillors and elections to the post of Mayor will now be held on January 20. All political bustle around the mayoral elections that had come to a halt is again gaining momentum as the parties got bonus time to set their cards right. The Congress also got more time before the mayoral elections and was seen making every effort to win back councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party’s Gogi group. It was seen making effort to get the councillors back into the party who recently joined AAP but got a major setback with Mamta Rani joining the ruling party on Saturday. Elections to the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation were held on December 21. Of the 95 wards in Ludhiana, the ruling AAP had won 41 seats, Congress 30, the BJP 19, Shiromani Akali Dal two and Independents had bagged three seats. Earlier, Ratanjeet Kaur from Ward 1, Jagmeet Noni from Ward 42, Paramjit Kaur from Ward 45 and Jagadish Lal from Ward 6, BJP councillor Anita from Ward 21 and Independent candidate Deepa Rani Chaudhary from Ward 11 had also joined AAP . Now, after the death of MLA Gogi, the Ludhiana West constituency seat has fallen vacant. An official notification regarding the seat being vacant has been issued and the Election Commission has been informed. The byelection for the seat will be conducted by mid-July, within six months. Inter-state gang involved in ATM fraud cases busted Three land in police dragnet, 56 ATM cards recovered Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 The Khanna police cracked an inter-state gang by arresting its three members who withdrew money after switching people’s ATM cards. The police recovered 56 ATM cards from the suspects. The suspects, Mohammad Zahid (28), Mohammad Ansar (34), both drivers from Gadawali in Palwar, Haryana, and Mohammad Yusuf (33), a building material dealer from Rupahedi in Maibat, Haryana, targeted people, especially the elderly, from Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and other states. The police set up a checkpoint and stopped the suspects’ car in which they found 56 ATM cards of 10 banks. The interrogation revealed the gang’s tactics, including manipulation of ATM machines and exploitation of bank norms to get double transactions. The suspects used to shut ATM machines while making transactions, then complain to the bank about the incomplete transaction and receive compensation for the double transaction. They also used gas cutters to break into ATM The suspects in Khanna police custody. machines and steal cash. The suspects have multiple cases registered against them in various states. Zahid has eight cases, including four in Gurgaon, Ansar has four cases and Yusuf has eight cases, including four in Jammu, three in Rajasthan, and one in Yamunanagar. The police are conducting further investigation, expecting more revelations. According to SSP Ashwini Gotyal, a police team of the Khanna City police station was present at Samadhi Chowk in Khanna on Friday when they received a tip-off about suspects Businessman duped of ~22.18L in cyber fraud Spreading the word Motorcyclists take part in a bike rally organised by the police in collaboration with Fortis Hospital for health awareness and road safety in Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN P2 Ludhiana, January 17 A Ludhiana-based businessman was allegedly cheated of Rs 22.18 lakh by a scammer who promised high returns on investment. The complainant came across an advertisement on a social networking site and joined a WhatsApp group, where the suspect promised high returns on investment in the share market. The fraudster convinced the victim, Baljeet Singh, to transfer Rs 22.18 lakh through various means. The latter realised he had been cheated and filed a complaint at the nearest police station. “On August 14, 2024, I saw an advertisement on Facebook which promised high returns on investment in share market. Nihang, sarpanch among 16 booked for attacking cops Doc attacked with Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 18 A team of the Sadar police station of Ludhiana city was attacked by a nihang, wanted in a vehicle robbery case, and 15 others at Kamalpur village near Jagraon on Friday night when the officials went to nab a vehicle robbery suspect. Sadar SHO inspector Harshvir Singh and Marado police post in-charge subinspector Tarsem Singh suffered injuries in the attack. Taking action in the matter, the Hathur police on Saturday registered a case against the 16 suspects, including the nihang, sarpanch Pamma and a panch. As per information, on January 14, three miscreants in the outfit of Nihangs threatened a farmer with sharp weapons and looted his Incident occurred when victims went to nab a vehicle robbery suspect Maruti Alto car (bearing registration number PB08CB0113) in Sangowal. During investigation of the case, the police apprehended one of the suspects, identified as Manjinder Singh, who gave information to the police about whereabouts of another person, Simranjit Singh, a nihang. The police party, led by the SHO, had gone to conduct a raid at Kamalpur village in Hathur to nab the suspect on Friday night. When the police team reached the place and knocked the door of the suspect, the Nihang, along with his family members and other aides, attacked the police with swords and other sharp weapons. As per sub-inspector Tarsem Singh, the police also fired shots in the air to shoo away the assailants who had gathered around the police party. He suffered serious wounds on his hand while the SHO suffered a cut near his lips. Two other cops suffered minor injuries in the attack. Despite facing the attack, the police team nabbed Simranjit,” The suspects were involved in several vehicle robberies across the state. Further investigation in the case would be conducted to nab the remaining suspects and to recover looted vehicles from them,” he said. ADCP Dev Singh said a complaint was filed at the Hathur police station where a case was registered against the assailants. sharp weapons The injured cops at the Civil Hospital in Ludhiana on Friday night. c m y b cheating people. The police set up a checkpoint and stopped their car, leading to the recovery of the ATM cards and the arrest of the miscreants. The police are now investigating gang’s activities and connections in other states. They are also working to identify and compensate victims of the gang’s fraudulent activities. The arrest of the suspects and the recovery of the ATM cards are significant achievements for the Khanna police, which have been working to crackdown on cybercrime and financial frauds in the area. Ludhiana, January 18 A brutal robbery incident has left a healthcare professional, Vinod Maurya, critically injured who is now unable to speak properly. The incident occurred on January 16, when he was returning home from his private clinic in Giaspura. According to eyewitnesses, a group of around seven miscreants cornered Maurya, threw him off his motorcycle and attacked him with sharp weapons in the middle of the road. The miscreants beat up Maurya, breaking his fingers and hitting him in the jaw, head and eye. The victim suffered severe injuries, including a broken jaw and head trauma. The miscreants took ?6,000 and Maurya’s mobile before fleeing the scene. At present, Maurya is in an unconscious state and admitted to a pri- vate hospital, where he is receiving treatment. He is yet to record his statement. The police have failed to arrest the suspects so far, despite the incident being captured on CCTV footage, which has gone viral. ASI Mewa Singh, in-charge Kanganwal, stated that police teams were working on the case and checking the CCTV footage to identify the miscreants. However, the case would only be registered after recording Maurya’s statement. The incident has created an atmosphere of fear in the area. The police are under pressure to apprehend culprits and bring them to justice. Local residents are demanding immediate action from the police to ensure that such incidents did not occur in the future. — TNS As I clicked the link, I was made to join a WhatsApp group, ‘IEF Grow Together99’. When I joined the group, I started getting messages regarding high returns in share market investment plans. Later, the group admin sent me a link and asked to download the IEF app. Later, I was told that if I would make an investment in the share market through the app, I will get huge returns. Following which, I deposited Rs 22.18 lakh in different bank accounts provided by the scammer. Later, I realised that I was cheated by cyber criminals. Afterwards, I lodged a police complaint in November last year and an FIR was registered in the matter on Friday,” the complainant said. — TNS ATM theft: Case registered after over two years Ludhiana, January 18 Thieves stole Rs 2.9 lakh from an ATM machine at a branch of SBI near Bharat Nagar Chowk two years ago. They used sophisticated technology to steal the money from the ATM. However, a case was registered in this regard on Friday. The bank manager discovered the theft and attempted to file a case but it took over-two-and-a half years for the police to register a case against the unidentified miscreants. The bank manager eventually approached the court, which ordered the police to register a case. The police have now started investigating the case, and further probe will be conducted by Balwinder Kaur, head of Police Division 8. — TNS