04022026-LT-01.qxd 2/4/2026 12:40 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune WILL FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: MLA ON HONDH MASSACRE DORAHA SERVICE LANE LIES IN PATHETIC STATE JAAFAR JACKSON SHINES IN BIOPIC MICHAEL As many as 32 Sikhs were killed allegedly by a ‘political mob’ of the Congress in November 1984. P2 Commuting on Rajwant Road has turned into a life-threatening ordeal for residents. P3 Lionsgate has released a new trailer for Michael, much-anticipated biopic chronicling Michael Jackson’s life. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 20°C | MIN 8°C YESTERDAY MAX 18°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.02 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:11 AM WEDNESDAY | 4 FEBRUARY 2026 | LUDHIANA 4 peddlers booked for drug racket run Body of man, in his thirties, by US man, police probe link to clubs found in Buddha Nullah Was in a poor state, making identification difficult Kingpin’s close aide arrested in city recently with 273 gm of heroin, 61 gm ICE Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, February 3 After the arrest of a smuggler, Taranveer Singh, alias Dhanna, a resident of Neelon Kalan, with 273 gm of heroin, 61 gm of ICE drug, taking investigation into the smuggling racket further the Koom Kalan police have nominated a Punjab origin US-based man in the case. The latter is being considered as the kingpin of the racket who has been running the smuggling network while staying abroad. Talking to The Tribune, ACP, Industrial Area-B, Inderjit Singh, said the foreign-based man, identified as Jatinder, a resident of Rampur village in Ludhiana, was nominated as a key suspect in the drug smuggling racket. The man had hired youths in Close aide of US-based kingpin in Ludhiana police custody. FILE JOBLESS YOUTHS BEING LURED Sources said unemployed youths were being tapped by kingpin Jatinder, who is staying in the US, and his close aide Taranveer, who has been nabbed recently, and engaged in drug peddling. The youngsters are being used as couriers and in lieu, they get meagre sums. Ludhiana to pick up drugs and further delivering the same to clients.”After the arrest of Taranveer, the name of Jatinder had come up. Taranveer has also been in touch with him for carrying out drug smuggling in the region. Police investigation has also found that Taranveer has also engaged four more youths in the network and they had also been nominated in the case. Now, police raids are on to nab them and legal proceedings to punish the kingpin would also be initiated. He said the foreignbased man had gone to the US via donkey route. He also has cases of drug smuggling and others registered against him in Punjab. The police even recovered a mobile phone from Taranveer which also established the link of the latter with the kingpin staying in the US. When asked if drugs were being supplied to youths in clubs or hotels also, the ACP said the police were exploring all angles in the network and angle of delivery of drugs in clubs was also being verified. They were minutely scanning links in the drug network. Inderjit Singh said now, police raids were on to nab the four suspects booked in the case and their arrests might give police vital leads. Some major recovery could also be made in the future. Sources said unemployed youths were being tapped by kingpin Jatinder, who is staying in the US, and his close aide Taranveer, who has been nabbed recently, and engaged in drug peddling. The youngsters are being used as couriers and in lieu, they get meagre sums. Ludhiana, February 3 The body of an unidentified man was found in the Buddha Nullah, near Chand Cinema. Passers-by spotted the body floating in the water on Tuesday morning, prompting a crowd of local residents to gather at the place. After receiving information, a police team from Police Division 4 reached the spot. Police pulled out the body from the drain and after a preliminary investigation, sent it to the Civil Hospital mortuary. The body was in a poor condition, making it difficult to identify the deceased. SHO Gurjeet Singh said the body appears to be approximately 10 to 12 days old and likely came here from another area, possibly washed ashore. The deceased was estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old but his identity had not yet been established. According to the SHO, the police are investigating the People gather in large numbers at the spot where the body was recovered in Ludhiana on Tuesday. INDERJEET VERMA matter seriously. Footage from CCTV cameras installed along and near the drain is being examined. Additionally, missing persons’ reports filed with nearby police stations are also being investigated. The police said after tracing the deceased’s family, further Six of gang stealing BTS devices from After bailable warrant against CP by mobile towers land in police dragnet Jal court, order challenged in HC Suspects involved in theft from about 24 towers during past months: Probe Tribune News Service Mahesh Sharma Ludhiana, February 3 After a Jalandhar court has issued a bailable warrant against Ludhiana Commissioner of Police (CP) Swapan Sharma and ordered him to appear in person on Wednesday and deposit a surety of ?5,000 for failing to appear before the court despite repeated summons, the order has reportedly been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A copy of the court orders with The Tribune states: “The Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, also has moved exemption request through learned Additional PP on the ground that he is held up in law and order duty. Similar multiple requests earlier also were received and were allowed in view of the circumstances. These repetitive requests have halted proceedings in the time-bound matter. On intimating that this request could not be allowed today, the Additional Malerkotla, February 3 The police claimed to have busted an interstate gang of miscreants that had been involved in stealing base transceiver station (BTS) devices from mobile towers situated in various parts of Malwa. Though a joint team of police officials, posted at the CIA, Mahorana, and cyber crime police station, Malerkotla, have nabbed six members of the gang, stolen equipment and paraphernalia used in the crime are yet to be recovered. While prime suspect Akhilesh Akhil and Sachin of Dhamkaur village of Ambala were identified and arrested on the basis of investigation conducted by police officials, led by Cyber Crime SHO Manjot Singh, Samsher Shera of Chora village in Patiala, Pankaj of Narela village in The members of the thieves’ gang in police custody at Mahorana in Malerkotla. UP , Samir Malik of Mallupura village, UP and , Nafis Ahmed of Ahmednagar in Meerut district of UP were arrested on the basis of information extracted from the prime suspects from different places. SSP Gagan Ajit Singh said police officials, supervised by DSP (D) Satish Kumar, had busted the gang during investigation of a case registered against unidentified persons at the Amargarh police station on October 17. The case was registered following the receipt of a complaint regarding theft of BTS devices from a mobile tower installed at Mohali village near Bagrian. Preliminary investiga- tions revealed that the suspects had been involved in theft of BTS units from about 24 towers situated at Amargarh, Malerkotla, Devigarh, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar cities during the past couple of months. The stolen cards were sold in UP and payments were usually made through online mode. CP is a prosecuting agency, he can’t appear as defence witness, says senior police official PP has failed to produce the said witness. Request is declined.” One of the senior police official requesting annonymity said the defence accused was a organised criminal smuggling syndicate and they want the CP to appear as a defence witness. The CP was a prosecuting agency and could not be appear as a defence witness. The order had been challenged from the government side through the Advocate General’s office. The case dates back to March 2024 when the Police Commissionerate, Jalandhar, claimed to have busted an international drug trafficking syndicate involved in the illicit trade of narcotics across four countries using courier services. The operation led to the arrest of three persons – Aman, Sunny and Shejal – and the seizure of 5 kg of opium. On March 10, the police further exposed the extensive supply chain involved in the operation and arrested nine more smugglers with 22 kg of opium. Those arrested were identified as Abhi Ram, alias Alex, from Jharkhand, Money, Pawan, Sikandar, Amarjit Kaur and Sunny from Jalandhar, Balihar from Hoshiarpur, Amit Shukla from Phagwara, and Parmod from Delhi. On March 24, the police arrested another suspect, Gagandeep Singh, in the case and recovered 2 kg of opium from him. So far, the total recovery of opium in the operation is 29 kg and 13 persons were arrested. Six customs officials were also implicated in the case. At that time, the case was registered under the NDPS Act, Swapan Sharma was serving as the Jalandhar CP and at present, he is serving as the Ludhiana CP . Meanwhile, the CP Swa, pan Sharma, could not be contacted for his comments on the matter. action would be taken and a post-mortem will also be conducted to determine the actual cause of death. The police had also appealed to the public that if anyone in their area had been missing for a long time, they should inform the authorities. — TNS Sarabha Nagar SHO suspended for dereliction of duty Ludhiana, February 3 Disciplinary action was taken against an SHO of the Police Commissionerate on Tuesday. Inspector Aditya Sharma, SHO of the Sarabha Nagar police station, was suspended with immediate effect by CP Swapan Sharma. As per sources, Sharma was scheduled to attend an important training session in Phillaur but he reportedly failed and caused embarassment to the Police Department. Sources said the situation escalated after his absence, when a police officer reported to higher-ups that Sharma had also allegedly mistreated a department official. The matter was brought to the attention of the CP through senior officials. After receiving the complaint and preliminary reports, the CP issued an order suspending the SHO. It is reported that the department also sent a detailed report of the entire incident to the top cop, which led to the action. Department insiders said officials considered it as a serious case of indiscipline and deemed action necessary. — TNS Girl blackmailed using AI-generated obscene pics Consistency, dedication pay off, says judicial service exam topper Ludhiana, February 3 In a disturbing misuse of technology, a couple allegedly created objectionable images of a close relative’s daughter. The suspects extorted lakhs of rupees from the girl by threatening to post the photos online. When the girl’s father came to know about the matter, he submitted a written complaint to the Police Division 6. Investigating officer inspector Jatinder Kumar said after a thorough investigation, the police registered a case against Raghav, a resident of Jalandhar, and his wife Simranjit Kaur, alias Simran, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act. The victim, a student and daughter of the complainant, told the police that the sus- Tribune News Service Couple extorted huge sum from close kin, put her pictures online pects, Raghav and his wife, were her close relatives. They conspired to blackmail the girl. They misused artificial intelligence (AI) to create fabricated and objectionable images of her. Through the pictures, the couple extorted lakhs of rupees. Despite paying the money, they eventually made the photos viral, he said. Kumar said on receiving the complaint, the police conducted a probe. After collecting technical evidences ralated to the case, an FIR was filed against the couple and a search was launched to arrest them. — TNS Shivani Bhakoo & Rajnish Lakhanpal Ludhiana, February 3 Prabhjot Singh Sachdeva, the topper of the Punjab and Haryana Superior Judicial Service Examination, the results of which were declared recently, firmly believes that hard work always pays off. “Determination, consistency and perseverance are key ingredients to achieve success and fulfil one’s dreams,” he said. Nothing is impossible for those who remain steadfast towards their goals, states Prabhjot Speaking to The Tribune after securing the top rank, Prabhjot said the journey was far from a cakewalk, as it took nearly Prabhjot Singh celebrates his success with his family members in Ludhiana. a decade of sustained effort to taste success. “I appeared for the Judicial c m y b Magistrate examinations in 2015 and again in 2018, but could not clear the Mains. Later, I became eligible for the Superior Judicial Service Examina- tion. In my first attempt in 2024, I missed qualifying by just three marks in the civil law paper,” he said. “However, instead of getting disheartened, I took it positively, worked harder and appeared again with greater passion — and the results are before you,” the topper said. Prabhjot completed his schooling from Guru Nanak International Public School in 2005 and graduated from Satish Chander Dhawan Government College, Ludhiana, in 2008. He later pursued law and completed his LLB from Panjab University, Regional Centre, Ludhiana. He began preparing for the judicial services examinations in 2014, while he has been practising law since 2011. A first-generation lawyer, Prabhjot hails from a family engaged in the cycle parts business, with both his father and brother running the trade. His wife is a doctor and currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Dental College here. Sharing a message for the younger generation, Prabhjot said nothing was impossible for those who remain steadfast towards their goals. “The journey may be taxing and, at times, discouraging, but when you commit yourself wholeheartedly to a goal, success is inevitable,” he said. He added that once he joins the service, he would work with honesty and integrity.