26012026-LT-01.qxd 25-01-2026 22:02 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune OFFICIALS URGE YOUTH TO EXERCISE RIGHT TO FRANCHISE ACTRESS PRIYA’S ON-SET PERSONAL SANCTUARY TWISTS FUEL THE PERFORMANCE, SAYS MUKUL HARISH The administration on Sunday organised a district-level event to mark the 16th National Voters’ Day. P2 Priya Thakur has transformed her makeup room into a personal sanctuary, reflecting her warm personality. P4 Mukul, who plays Varun in television drama Anupamaa, believes constant narrative twists are essential to keep show engaging.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 17°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 16°C | MIN 4°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.56 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:21 AM MONDAY | 26 JANUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA TO OUR READERS This week’s Open House debate with readers’ feedback will be published next Monday due to space constraints. Theft accused escapes from police custody Ludhiana, January 25 An accused arrested in a vehicle theft case managed to free his hand from handcuffs and escaped from police custody. The incident occurred when the division No. 2 police were taking the accused and his accomplices back to the police station after presenting them in court on Saturday. The police have registered a case against the escapee, identified as Vicky Raj, and launched a manhunt to arrest him. According to reports, the police recently arrested three accused based on secret information. They were identified as Jamipal and Jagdeep Singh (both residents of Samrala Chowk) and Vicky Raj (resident of the railway station area). The police had recovered a motorcycle without registration plate from their possession and registered a theft case against them. Investigating officer ASI Jasbir Singh stated that the police had secured one-day remand for the accused and were escorting them back to the police station. As the vehicle approached near the JMD Mall, Vicky managed to free his hand from the handcuffs, opened the car door and fled. — TNS Day after 15-yr-old’s death, now ‘China dor’ takes life of woman Khanna CIA chief in trouble, VB nabs his junior with ~5.2L bribe Nikhil Bhardwaj Ludhiana, January 25 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing drive against corruption in the state has apprehended head constable Ramesh Kumar, posted at CIA Khanna, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 5.20 lakh. Stating this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the above-mentioned accused had been arrested based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Master Colony, Khanna, Ludhiana district. He said that the complainant was engaged in the business of property dealing and had complained that the accused, Ramesh Kumar, met him and made allegations regarding his involvement in gambling activities. The accused told the complainant that Narpinderpal Singh, CIA in charge, Khanna, had called him. The complainant stated that despite he not being involved in any such illegal activities, he was forced to contact the CIA in charge. The spokesperson added that the complainant went to the office and met CIA in charge Narpinderpal Singh, who accused the complainant of engaging in betting and illegal lottery activities and demanded Rs 5 lakh through the head con- Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 25 The lethal ‘China dor’took another life day after a 15year-old boy, Taranjot Singh, lost his life in Samrala due to the same reason. Now, a woman got killed after her throat was slit with synthetic thread at Dakha village in Ludhiana district. The incident occurred on Raikot Road while she was shopping for her aunt’s daughter’s wedding. The deceased has been identified as Sarabjit Kaur, wife of Mandeep Singh, a resident of Akalgarh. She was running a food point on Raikot Road in Mullanpur Dakha and had had got married in 2021. According to available information, Sarabjit was driving her scooter on her way to the Raikot Road market. Near the gurdwara, a synthetic thread got entangled around her neck. The sharp edge of the thread severely cut her throat, causing her to fall off the scooter, seriously injured. Some passersby after seeing her lying in a pool of blood took her to a private hospital. Since doctors were unavailable there, she was taken to a bigger hospital in Ludhiana. However, her condition worsened on the way Victim Sarabjit Kaur; and (right) Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia checks the use of ‘China dor’ by flying a drone in Khanna on Sunday. and doctors declared her dead upon arrival. “The woman had suffered a deep cut on her throat and she had also lost blood. Though we tried to save her life by taking her to the hospital, she could not survive and died on the way to the hospital,” said an eyewitness. The family of the deceased has demanded that the administration should make sure that the ban on the sale of Chinese string is followed strictly and action should be taken against children and their parents who fly kites using such dangerous thread. ‘China dor’ has already claimed many lives. Despite this, the lack of an effective ban on it is a matter of concern. Khanna police use drone to check use of ‘China dor’ After the death of 15-yearold Taranjot Singh due to injuries caused by ‘China dor’ yesterday, Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia was present on the ground since morning today, climbing on rooftops to check if anyone was using the banned plastic thread to fly kites. Using drones and binoculars, the police kept a watch on over every street and neighborhood from ele- vated vantage points. Furthermore, the SSP launched a campaign where police personnel in civil clothes inspected shops, but no synthetic string was found at any establishment. “Inspections of kite shops will continue in the coming days. Khanna police have been actively raising awareness among the people regarding the dangers of the prohibited string,” added SSP Ahluwalia. She emphasized that any individual found involved in the use, storage, supply, import or sale of Chinese string would face severe legal consequences. Tribune News Service The accused head constable in the custody of the Vigilance Bureau. stable. He also threatened to arrest the complainant after registering a false case against him. Furthermore, he said that the complainant, under compulsion, arranged Rs 2.20 lakh and went to give it to Ramesh at the house of his acquaintance Dinesh Kumar at Khanna, but the money was returned with the statement that the entire amount of Rs 5 lakh was required. Thereafter, during a conversation with Ramesh, the bribe amount was increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5.20 lakh. The complainant did not want to pay the bribe, due to which he contacted the Vigilance Bureau unit, Hoshiarpur. Subsequently, a case was registered against Narpinderpal and Ramesh. After a preliminary inquiry on the complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused was arrested red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 5.20 lakh from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. The Vigilance Bureau has formed various teams and is conducting raids at the residence and other locations of Narpinderpal to arrest him. In this regard, a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station, Ludhiana, and further investigation into this case is under progress. Close shave for Amritpal group Panic as fire in parked truck causes cylinder blast worker after shot fired at his car Tribune News Service Lovleen Bains Doraha, January 25 A local worker of Akali Dal Waris Punjab De had a close shave after two bike-borne assailants allegedly opened fire targeting him, officials said, adding that the bullet hit the back door of his car. Police said they have registered a case based on a complaint from the victim, Jaswant Singh Cheema of Sunder Nagar, Ludhiana. According to the complaint, Cheema was travelling towards Doraha from Ludhiana in his Toyota Innova car when the two assailants intercepted him near the Gurthali Bridge late on Saturday night. As the unidentified accused opened fired and escaped, the victim rushed straight to the Doraha police station to ensure his safety and filed a complaint. Sharing details about the incident, the victim said he was “lucky” to have escaped. He alleged that he faced a similar situation a fortnight ago, when some unidentified persons forced their way into his office in Ludhiana and threatened him. Alleging threat to his life, Cheema demanded that all those involved in the crime be arrested at the earliest. Akash Dutt, SHO, Doraha, said the case against the two unidentified accused was registered. According to the SHO, the complainant is involved in some monetary disputes, which might have led to the incident. “The investigation has begun,” Dutt added. Ludhiana, January 25 Panic gripped Ghati Mohalla in Sunder Nagar area as a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck suddenly caught fire on Sunday morning, officials said. According to the officials, no casualties or injuries were reported in the incident and there was no damage to anything other than the vehicle. They said that soon after the truck caught fire, its CNG cylinder exploded with a loud bang. Hearing the sound, the residents of nearby houses rushed out and called the fire The burnt truck at Ghati Mohalla in Ludhiana on Sunday. ASHWANI DHIMAN brigade. The fire was then brought under control. With the fire being controlled in time, a major tragedy was averted as the area has multi- ple hosiery units. Had the fire spread and engulfed them, the consequences could have been devastating, the officials said. Prakash, who lives nearby and was at the spot when the fire broke out, said his family was out for a morning walk when they saw flames rising from the truck parked on a roadside. He said the driver got out of the vehicle in time. Officials said the truck was filled with foam used for making mattresses. The Fire Department is yet to ascertain the exact cause of the blaze. Sunder Nagar Fire Station employee Ravinderjit said, “We got a call about the incident at 6.14 am. A fire tender was dispatched immediately. As the fire was spreading, another tender was sent soon after. The firefighters struggled as the truck was loaded with inflammable material.” Local allege that the fire could have been caused by a short circuit in the overhead electricity line. They raised serious concerns about the administration. Pointing out that the power lines in the area hang very low, they claim it is just a matter of time before they cause a serious accident as commercial vehicles pass from the area regularly. According to the locals, they have approached the traffic police multiple times, but to no avail. R-Day function: Security beefed Improvement Trust to re-auction commercial up in Malerkotla subdivisions complex on Maharani Jhansi Road Manav Mander Our Correspondent Malerkotla, January 25 A day ahead of the Republic Day celebrations on Monday, the police have beefed up security in areas falling under the jurisdiction of Ahmedgarh, Amargarh and Malerkotla subdivisions. IG (AGTF) Gurmit Singh Chauhan reviewed the security arrangements made under the supervision of SSP Gagan Ajit Singh, SPs and DSPs. Law and order situation in the state and the railway track blast near Sirhind has necessitated enhancement of security as the region has substantial population of all communities, including Muslims, Christians and followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, besides Hindus and Sikhs. The authorities claimed that vigil had been enhanced in and around the venues of the Republic Day celebrations, educational Police officers lead the flag march in Malerkotla. institutes and busy markets of the region. Specially constituted anti-sabotage teams have been directed to enhance vigil near the scheduled venues of celebrations, besides undertaking combing operations, to keep a watch on strangers and anti-social elements who might intrude the area under the guise of visitors and relatives of residents. Special checkpoints on Ludhiana-Malerkotla, PayalJagera bridge, Ahmedgarh- Raikot highways and link roads have been established, besides enhancing the night vigil and intensifying patrolling throughout the area falling under Ludhiana and Malerkotla districts. Maintaining that the security had been enhanced to boost the morale of the residents and ensure smooth celebrations, Malerkotla SSP said police personnel had been advised to remain extra vigilant and remain out in the field to ensure that no antisocial element or stranger sneaks into the area. “Though we have been holding meetings regarding security arrangements to be made ahead of Republic Day celebrations in the region and had started beefing up surveillance, the final meeting was held under patronage of IG (AGTF) Gurmit Singh Chauhan at the venue of the district-level function,” said Gagan Ajit Singh. c m y b Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 25 The fate of Ludhiana Improvement Trust’s (LIT) commercial complex on Maharani Jhansi Road, Ghumar Mandi, may change as the LIT has once again decided to bring it under the hammer. The complex has turned out to be a white elephant for the LIT. Built around 18 years ago, this 2.22-acre commercial complex, constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 16 crore has failed to find any takers in the past due to high reserve price. A year ago, the LIT planned to shift its own office to this building, but even that plan fizzled out. LIT Chairman Tarsem Bhinder while confirming the development said that they were once again considering to put the complex on auction. “The decision for auction has been taken, but all other formalities like deciding the Ludhiana Improvement Trust’s commercial complex on Maharani Jhansi Road. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA reserve price and other terms and conditions are yet to be finalised,” he said. Multiple efforts have been made for its auction in the past as a single unit for Rs 197 crore, but these have failed as there were no takers. In 2010, a plan was made to relocate powercom office here, in 2013 for relocating Income Tax Department and in 2018 the plan was to convert it into jewellers market. Then in 2019, there was a proposal to use the building basement as a parking lot, but this could not materialise. In 2024, the LIT decided to move its own office here, but even that failed. Even a proposed 20 per cent reduction in price to Rs 158 crore during the tenure of the previous Congress government failed to attract buyers. In absence of any caretaker, the paint and plaster on the façade is wearing off, floor tiles on the ground parking are coming off and the vacant area all around the complex has become a safe haven for vendors and anti-social elements. The complex has twolevel parking in lower and upper basement, coupled with surface parking on the ground floor. It has parking space for 250 cars and nearly 100 two-wheelers. An LIT official shared that according to the original plan, there was provision for four banks and 14 showrooms on the ground floor, two food courts, two department stores and 11 showrooms on the first floor, 14 offices and two shops each on second, third and fourth floors. The top floor (fifth) was designed as a residential area with 10 apartments, each having three bedrooms and a carpet area of 1,796 square feet.