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P4 » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 16°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 4°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.52 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:17 AM FRIDAY | 23 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA Cross-border smuggling network busted, 7 nabbed; Portugal-based handler identified Heroin, two pistols, ~2L drug money seized; Links found in K’thala, Ludhiana jails Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 22 Achieving a major success in dismantling the cross-border smuggling network, the Khanna police have arrested seven drug peddlers and recovered 195 gm of heroin, Rs 2 lakh drug money and two illegal .30 bore pistols from the suspects in the past few days. The arrests became possible with the sustained investigation into links of two peddlers arrested in the first week of January from whom the police had then recovered a drug haul of 4.20 kg of heroin. The police investigation also exposed a Portugual-based handler who has been managing the cross border delivery of heroin and then further transporting the same through his network to the clients. The handler, a native of Punjab, was earlier lodged in a Faridkot jail, and later fled the country. Even a criminal lodged in the Ludhiana jail has also been managing the smuggling network through mobile phone. A known gangster, Vicky Marado, was also found to be member of this smuggling network, who was operating the same from Kapurthala jail. Senior Superintendent of SSP Darpan Ahluwalia addresses the media in Khanna on Thursday. Police (SSP), Khanna, Darpan Ahluwalia, while addressing a press conference on Thursday stated that on January 6 during a naka, Angrej Singh of Kiri Botal, Tarn Taran, and Jashanpreet Singh of Bhairupa village in Bathinda were arrested along with a car. During the search of the vehicle, 4.20 kg of heroin was recovered. Both suspects used to get only Rs 20,000 commission for every one kg of delivery of heroin. During investigation and interrogation of the suspects, it came to light that for a considerable period of time they had been After committing murder, suspectcaptured waving hands in CCTV camera Ludhiana, January 22 When the Punjab Police are making all efforts to look for gangsters and their associates, a criminal after committing a murder was captured in a CCTV camera waving hands like he has achieved something. It showed the fearless nature of such criminals. On Wednesday, a youth, Pradeep Billa, facing six criminal cases, including attempt to murder, was shot dead by two armed men in Green Park, Jamalpur. He was also wanted by the police in an attempt-tomurder case. A CCTV footage went viral on social media showed the two murderers fleeing on a black Honda Activa. The body language of the suspects in the footage are a testament to their fearless nature. It shows that after firing, the masked suspects took their two-wheeler parked outside the park and rushed towards the main road. The suspect riding the scooter was seen raising his hands, expressing victory, after the crime. Initial police investigations indicate an old rivalry and a girl as the reasons behind the incident. Two girls were present with Billa at the time of the incident. As per the police, a long-standing dispute between the suspects and the victim escalated into violence on Wednesday afternoon. ACP Inderjit Singh said the police had got vital clues about the suspects and they were searching for them. The case would be cracked soon. — TNS receiving heroin in large quantities from Harshdeep Singh, a resident of Diwala village, Samrala, and Prabhjot Singh of Katani Kalan village here. Accordingly, they were nominated in the present case and arrested on January 9. Further interrogation of the suspects led to the nomination of the other persons, including Manpreet Chaudhary, alias Bhima, of Doraha, Prabhjot Singh of Machhiwara, Anmol Singh, alias Akash, of Katani Kalan village, Gurtej Singh, alias Guri, of the Kharar road, Mohali, Sunny of Amloh, Love, alias Kalu, of Jagraon, Sranjeet Singh, Arshdeep Singh of Kapurthala, Sunil Kumar, alias Bachi, of Samrala, Amrik Singh, alias Vicky Marado, of Ludhiana, Kuwarveer Singh of Salem Tabri, Ludhiana, Akashdeep Katani Kalan, Parmveer Singh of Samrala, Arshdeep Singh of Kapurthala and Sunny of Amloh. Dr Ahluwalia said later, Sunil Kumar and Gurtej Singh were arrested and their questioning led to the recovery of two pistols along with magazines, 95 gm of heroin and ?2 lakh drug money. Manpreet Chaudhary was also arrested on January 21 and 100 gm of heroin was recovered from his possession. Kunwarveer, Prabhjot, Amrik and Harshdeep were also arrested. Now, further in-depth interrogation of the seven suspects was on and more important disclosures were expected. Since the Portugal-based handler was found behind the network, who basically belongs to Punjab, the police would start legal proceedings against him as per law, she said. The SSP said the network had links in the Ludhiana Central Jail from where Sunil Kumar has been actively running the smuggling racket. The police even recovered a mobile being used by Sunil from jail to strike drug deals. Forensic examination of the mobile was on and more links of the cross border network can be exposed. Among the nabbed suspects, gangster Vicky Marado, a known gangster, has been facing 26 criminal cases of attempt to murder, extortion, Arms Act, NDPS Act and robbery. He was also arrested in a cross-border drug smuggling case by bringing him on production warrant from the Kapurthala jail after his links were found in the case. Bajwa visits woman who lost six sons to drug abuse, questions CM Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 22 Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Wednesday visited Sherewala village near Sidhwan Bet in Ludhiana district to meet the woman who lost all her six sons to alleged drug addiction and overdose, calling the tragedy a heartbreaking indictment of the Aam Aadmi Party government’s complete failure to tackle the drug menace in the state. Calls Op Prahar a publicity stunt, extends financial aid to woman Bajwa met the bereaved woman at her residence and expressed anguish over the irreparable loss suffered by the family. He said the death of six sons in a single household exposes the grim reality behind the government’s tall claims on drug control. During the visit, Bajwa extended monetary assistance to the victim and assured her of continued support. He also made an appeal to NRIs and the global Punjabi diaspora to come forward and support families destroyed by drugs. “State’s NRIs have always stood by their people in times of crisis. I urge them to help families who have 65L families in state to be provided free medical treatment up to ~10L Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 22 The Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme was formally launched in Mohali on Thursday by CM Bhagwant Mann and a function was organised to kick-start the scheme for Ludhiana district. With the help of the health insurance, nearly 65 lakh families in the state will be provided free medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh. Khanna MLA and Punjab Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Labour, Hospitality, Rural Development and Panchayats, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, while presiding over an event, showing live telecast of the scheme’s launch, at Lalheri Chowk, Khanna, said Punjab had become the first state in the country to provide every family with free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh. action was taken only after four years of unchecked lawlessness. He asked whether the delay was part of a calculated political strategy. “If gangsterism and organised crime are such grave threats today, where was this urgency for the past four years? Was chaos allowed to grow deliberately so that lastminute ‘operations’ could later be showcased as achievements?” he asked. He pointed out that Punjab’s descent into criminal anarchy began almost after AAP assumed power in 2022. “Within weeks, kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian was assassinated. Just two months later, the nation was shaken by the daylight murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. These were early continued on page 2 Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond addresses a gathering during an event in Khanna. A large number of people from the Khanna constituency listened to views of the Chief Minister during the live telecast. Sond said soon, state residents would get Chief Minister Health Cards. Under the card, every family would get health insurance coverage up to Rs 10 lakh, which will significantly reduce the finan- Ludhiana, January 22 The Ludhiana bus station is currently undergoing a major renovation project that will transform the facility into a model of inclusivity and accessibility. Once completed, first phase will benefit over 5K daily commuters, making bus stand safer The project is being undertaken by the administration in collaboration with Act Humane Foundation. Tactile pathways are being laid to guide visually impaired passengers, Braille signages are being installed net with 1 kg heroin Tribune News Service Tribune News Service pendence. In the first phase of the project, several key interventions are being introduced. been shattered by the drug menace and abandoned by the state,” he said. Questioning the state government’s anti-drug campaign, Bajwa said the muchpublicised ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ drive has failed on the ground. “If the campaign had delivered results, such tragic stories would not be emerging every day. Phase 1 collapsed and instead of admitting failure, the government hurriedly announced Phase 2 to divert attention,” he said, adding that drug overdose deaths continue unabated across Punjab. Referring to the overall lawand-order situation, Bajwa launched a blistering attack on the Aam Aadmi Party-led government over the sudden rollout of Operation Prahar, questioning why decisive Event marks launch of CM health scheme Man lands in police cial burden during treatment of serious illnesses. He said the important scheme would benefit nearly 65 lakh families in the state. The insurance company had almost completed all related processes and now, only the distribution of the health cards to the people remains. Both government and private hospitals where patients would be treated under the scheme had been listed, ensuring that people could access quality treatment without difficulty. Minister Sond further said the scheme had been implemented across the state. With this, people from all sections of society would get treatment facilities without any discrimination. Bus station undergoes renovation to aid differently abled The project is being undertaken by the district administration in collaboration with Act Humane Foundation. It is designed to ensure that differently-abled commuters travel with dignity and inde- Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa meets the elderly woman at Sherewala village in Ludhiana. to make navigation easier and ramps and safety railings are being constructed to support smooth movement on c m y b the premises. Disabled-friendly washrooms equipped with emergency alarm systems are also being added, ensuring that the facility meets universal accessibility norms. Once completed, the phase will benefit over 5,000 daily commuters, making the bus stand safer, more convenient and truly inclusive. The second phase of the renovation will extend the accessibility measures to public transport buses, thereby strengthening inclusive mobility across the district. The step will ensure that accessibility does not stop at the bus stand but continues seam- lessly into the transport system itself. Coordinating the project, Tansheen Kaur has been working closely with departments and partner organisations to ensure timely and effective implementation. Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain also visited also conducted an inspection of the bus stand to review the ongoing work. A visually impaired commuter, Ramesh Kumar, expressed his gratitude for the initiative, saying: “For the first time, I feel the bus stand is being designed with people like me in mind. Tactile paths and Braille signs will make my journey safer and more independent.” Ludhiana, January 22 Continuing its crackdown on drug trafficking under ‘Operation Prahaar’, the Khanna police arrested a 23year-old man and recovered one kg of heroin from his possession in the Samrala area. He was identified as Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Oda Basti, Border Road, Fazilka. The suspect was reportedly acting as a carrier for a larger narcotic network operating from border districts. According to Khanna SSP Dr Darpan Ahluwalia, the breakthrough came on the evening of January 15. Acting on a specific intelligence tip-off provided to ASI Pramod Kumar, a police team conducted a strategic raid near the bus stand on the Samrala Bypass, Chandigarh Road. “We received reliable information that a suspect was arriving with a heavy consignment of drugs,” said Dr Ahluwalia. “Based on this, a team intercepted the youth at the bypass. On searching the backpack he was carrying, the officials recovered one kg of heroin.” The SSP said the suspect was currently undergoing custodial interrogation. Investigators were working to trace links” of the consignment to identify original suppliers and intended recipients. Woman drugged, gang-raped, 3 booked after five months Ludhiana, January 22 A case of fraud, drugging, gang rape and blackmailing has come to light in the city. Based on the victim’s complaint, the police registered a case on Wednesday against Rishi Pal Singh, Paramjit Singh and an unidentified man five months after the crime. According to the victim, she first met Rishi Pal. When she expressed need for financial assistance, he introduced her to Paramjit, who lent Rs 2.70 lakh to the woman at 10 per cent interest. She returned the money on time, which earned the suspect’s trust. The victim said on August 13, 2025, Rishi Pal called her to his office near the Shani temple, where Paramjit and another unidentified man were also present. Three men gave her a cold drink laced with sedatives and took turns to rape her. The suspects filmed the act. When she regained consciousness, the suspects forcibly took a blank cheque and got signed documents from the woman. They blackmailed her by threatening to make the video viral and kill her. SI Sukhdev Raj said after registering a case, the police launched further probe. — TNS