07012024-LT-01.qxd 1/7/2024 1:09 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune JASSOWAL ACADEMY PLAYERS EXCEL IN NATIONAL TOURNEY ARADHANA TO BE SEEN IN SERIES VIDEO CAM SCAM Aradhana, who is a part of the upcoming web series, says title gives you a hint that it involves video, camera & a scam.P3 MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 13°C | MIN 6°C YESTERDAY MAX 12°C | MIN 7°C MICHAEL BOLTON TAKES BREAK FROM TOURING Players of Harvest Tennis Academy, Jassowal Kular, excelled in National Ranking Tennis Tourney recently. P2 FORECAST Michael Bolton revealed that he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent emergency surgery. P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 5.39 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 7:25 AM » SUNDAY | 7 JANUARY 2024 | LUDHIANA 4 make vain bid to commit theft at bank Ludhiana, January 6 Thieves made a vain attempt to commit theft at a branch of Punjab and Sindh Bank on Tajpur road on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. They had to flee when the people residing nearby woke up and raised the alarm. Bank officials also reached the scene after receiving information about the incident. CCTV cameras had captured the suspects and the police launched a probe to identify them. Priya Puri, a bank official, said the incident occured around 2.30 am on Saturday when the suspects first broke open the main entrance door and barged into the bank. They ransacked the entire bank and also tried to break open the main safe but failed to failed in their attempt. The residents after noticing the presence of some miscreants inside the bank woke up and raised the alarm. Following which, they escaped from the spot. She said she and other bank officials reached the bank and it was found that cash and other valuables were intact as it was a failed bid by the thieves. CCTV footage revealed that two thieves had entered the bank while two kept maintaining vigil outside. The Ludhiana police after registering a case against the unidentified suspects, launched a probe in the matter. — TNS FIR registered against seven MC employees, bogus staff CRIMINALS OPERATING GANGS FROM JAIL 150 mobiles seized from inmates sent for forensic analysis by cops Civic body chief orders recovery of funds transferred into accounts of latter Move to expose networks of imprisoned miscreants: CP Nikhil Bhardwaj GHOST STAFF SCAM Harshraj Singh Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 In connection with the transfer of step-up payments (arrears) to the bank accounts of 44 bogus employees, seven employees of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation have been booked for ‘embezzlement’ by tampering with government records. Besides, the bogus employees have also been booked and further investigation is underway, according to the police. The MC employees have been identified as Rajesh Kumar (a former clerk and now a sanitary inspector with the MC, Jalandhar), Hemraj (a clerk and now a sanitary inspector), Harsh Grover (clerk), Manish Malhotra (clerk), Kamal Kumar (safai sewak), Mintu Kumar, alias Bunty (safai sewak), and Ramesh Kumar, alias Bobby (safai sewak). A case under Sections 420 and 409 of the IPC has been registered against the suspects at the Division Number 5 police station. The SHO, Division Number 5 police station, Jagjeet Singh, said an FIR had been ACTIVIST LODGED COMPLAINT WITH VB IN 2018 A city-based activist in 2018 had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance Bureau regarding the alleged ghost employees in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. The activist had requested an inquiry into the salaries that were allegedly being disbursed in the names of the ghost employees. But an employees union of the Municipal Corporation had opposed the investigation. registered against the seven MC employees and all bogus employees mentioned in the complaint filed by the MC’s health officials concerned. Investigating officer from the police station Harbhajan Singh said the investigation was ongoing and further action would be taken accordingly. Earlier, MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi had recommended registration of FIRs against 51 persons, including these seven employees, who had also been suspended, and 44 bogus employees. Colourful start In a complaint letter to the police for the registration of the FIRs, the relevant health officers of the MC had mentioned the names of the seven employees and 44 fake employees. The employees had been accused of passing fraudulent bills (related to step-up arrears) of the 44 bogus employees and significant tampering of government records to embezzle the funds. An MC official said questions were also being raised on how accounts of the bogus employees were opened in Policeman ends his life Schoolchildren perform during the opening cermony of the 67th National School Games at the PAU in Ludhiana on Saturday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN P2 Ludhiana, January 6 A policeman died by suicide by hanging himself under suspicious circumstances at his residence in the Focal Point area. He has been identified as Harmanjeet Singh (23). After getting information, officials from the Jeevan Nagar police post reached the spot and took the body to Civil Hospital. ASI Dalbir Singh said Harmanjeet’s father was an employee of the Punjab Police. After his father’s death, he got the job on compassionate grounds. He was posted at 3rd IRB and was undergoing training. Today, he went to his room and ended his life. His mother saw his hanging body and raised the alarm. Reason of taking the extreme step was yet to be known.— TNS different banks and the matter needs to be thoroughly investigated. Following the inquiry into the matter, the MC chief has also ordered the initiation of the process of recovering the money transferred into the accounts of the unauthorised beneficiaries. He said it had been found that approximately Rs 2.18 crore were transferred to the bank accounts of the bogus employees. It is worth noting that a citybased activist in 2018 had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance Bureau regarding the alleged ghost employees in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. The activist had requested an inquiry into the salaries that were allegedly being disbursed in the names of the ghost employees. But an employees union of the civic body had opposed the inquiry. A similar situation arose during a General House meeting of the MC in 2022 when some councillors raised concerns about the presence of fictitious names on the lists of contractual sewer men and safai karamcharis earmarked for regularisation. Thereafter, a committee was formed to look into the matter. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 Taking a tough stance against criminals running their gangs from the Ludhiana Central Jail with the help of mobile phones, Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal has got prepared a list of criminals from whom cell phones were recovered in recent months. The cell phones recovered from them will now be examined at the forensic lab to expose the deep roots of the network. The recent viral video in which criminals lodged in the Ludhiana jail were seen celebrating the birthday of an inmate, registration of a case against kingpin of international drug syndicate Akshay Chhabra for running a major heroin network from the jail and many more instances had raised questions over the functioning of the Central Jail. In an exclusive talk with The Tribune here on Saturday, top cop Chahal said the matter of usage of mobile phones inside the jail by criminals was a serious issue and the Ludhiana police were going to break the backbone of this network now. “After scanning the list of recovery of mobiles from jail inmates, 150 mobile phones JAIL DEPT FAILED TO CURB MENACE Despite having the CRPF, dog squad and own staff of the Ludhiana prisons, the Jail Department has failed to control smuggling of drugs, mobiles into the jail. Even several networks of gangs being run from the jail were also busted by the Punjab Police. In the past seven months, 550 mobiles have been seized from inmates but detailed probe was never taken to the next level. which were recovered from peddlers, criminals or inmates facing heinous crimes, have been sent for forensic examination to a forensic lab of the Punjab Police. The phones will be deeply analysed, call details will be scanned and suspicious numbers will be shortlisted for further probe,” the CP said. He said a detailed log of call details will be prepared and persons with whom the jailed criminals were in touch through phones will be identified. “The Ludhiana police special team will verify the identity of persons who were holding interactions with the jail inmates and their purpose of the interactions. If the probe finds that such persons were running the network of drugweapon smuggling or other criminal activities at the behest of the prisoners, they have to face legal action on the charges of running gangs operations,” Chahal said. The CP also hinted that if forensic examination finds role of any jail official behind Speed up process to start C&D waste mgmt plant project, contractor told Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 The contractor concerned has started the process to remove waste from the site identified for the construction and demolition (C&D) waste management plant project at Dhandari in Ludhiana, an official of the MC said. After levelling the site, the main civil work will be carried out there. Earlier, a huge amount of waste was found beneath the site identified for the project. MC Executive Engineer Balwinder Singh said the contractor had started Construction waste dumped along a road near the Buddha Nullah. removing waste from the project site. He said the contractor had been strictly instructed to speed up the process so that the civil work must be done In major blow, 15 of 30 drug lords already convicted, rest under trial Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 6 In what appears to be a major blow to drug lords, as many as 15 of the total 30 most notorious smugglers booked by the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police have already been convicted while the rest 15 were under trial before different competent courts here. In a record of sorts, the Commissonerate Police have already forfeited the illegally acquired properties by these 30 drug lords worth Rs 22.44 crore while process to forfeit assets amounting to Rs 1.57 crore in four more cases was pending approval before the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). However, one case with a proposal to forfeit property worth Rs 85.5 lakh has been rejected by the MHA for technical reasons. The forfeiture of the illegally acquired properties by the drug lords was done Properties worth ~22 cr forfeited, 4 cases pending approval, 1 rejected THE CASES TELLING NUMBERS ■ Total cases sent to MHA: 35 NDPS RECOVERIES DRUG/ INTOXICANT QUANTITY Heroin 20.871 Opium 63.301 Poppy husk 652.21 Narcotic powder 2.343 Tablets/ capsules 62,119 Vehicles 189 Drug money ~31,24,240 ■ Value: ~24,86,79,617 ■ Approved: 30 ■ Value of approved cases: ~22,44,04,617 ■ Pending: 4 ■ Value of pending cases: ~1,57,25,000 ■ Rejected: 1 ■ Value of rejected case: Anti-drug drive has led to seizure of huge quantities of narcotics. under the provisions of the Chapter V-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Acting tough against the drug mafia, Ludhiana has topped the state in forfeiting the properties of drug lords. The development assumes significance as Ludhiana, which was earlier famous for all good reasons and popular- ly known as Manchester of India, had recently attained the dubious distinction of being the hotspot for illegal drug trade. The recent disclosure by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had further put the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, under focus for being the hub of an interna- ~85,50,000 tional drugs syndicate linked to Punjab, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The NCB’s drug bust holds credence as cases registered under various provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, accused arrested and the recoveries of contraband and intoxicant substances have also increased c m y b supplying phones to the inmates, action might also be taken against them. Notably, the excercise of sending mobiles for forensic examination was not being followed in letter and in spirit earlier but now, the CP who is known for break, ing the backbone of gangsters either by eliminating them or by putting them behind the bars, has decided to make this practice a regular affair. Every recovered mobile from an inmate will be counted and purpose of keeping the phone inside the jail will be exposed. Despite having the CRPF, dog squad and own staff of the Ludhiana prisons, the Jail Department has failed to control smuggling of drugs, mobiles into the jail. Even many networks of gangs being run from jail were also busted by the Punjab Police. Sources said in the past seven months, 550 mobiles have been seized from inmates but detailed probe was never taken to the next level. (SOURCE: COMMISSIONERATE POLICE, FIGURES IN KG, DATA BETWEEN JAN 1DEC 31, 2023) manifold in the state’s industrial capital. Commissioner of Police (CP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal told The Tribune here on Saturday that the foolproof prosecution cases had led to the conviction of 15 drug lords, whose properties had been forfeited while the cases of the rest 15 smugglers, whose assets have also been seized, were under trial and in the advanced stage of decision. He said the Commissionerate Police had been waging a war on drugs and all-out efforts were being made to catch the smugglers and peddlers involved in the illegal trade, recover the contraband and, in turn, prevent narcotics-related offences. He revealed that a sustained campaign was also underway against gangsters, history sheeters, notorious elements, liquor smugglers and proclaimed offenders, who were evading law for a long time. Chahal, who had joined as the Ludhiana police chief in November last, disclosed that tightening the noose around the drug smugglers, the Commissionerate Police have already forfeited the illegally acquired properties worth Rs 22.44 crore by 30 drug lords under the provisions of Chapter V-A of the NDPS Act. “A total of 35 cases for forfeiture of properties worth Rs 24.87 crore illegally acquired by the drug lords had been sent to the MHA in 2023, of which 30 cases had been approved with assets amounting to Rs 22.44 crore forfeited while four cases to forfeit properties worth Rs 1.57 crore were still pending approval,” the CP revealed while stating one case with a proposal to forfeit property worth Rs 85.5 lakh had been rejected, which was being examined afresh. In Punjab, 384 immovable and movable assets worth Rs 153.17 crore, illegally acquired by the drug lords, have been forfeited. While the process to forfeit 294 properties worth Rs 127.08 crore, including 110.64 crore immovable assets and 16.44 crore movable assets, has already been completed, the remaining 90 cases to forfeit continued on page 2 timely for the project. The construction and demolition (C&D) waste management plant project of the MC has been delayed for an extended period. Following the completion of the civil work, the machinery will be installed at the site. Construction waste is currently being indiscriminately dumped at various locations, including along the Buddha Nullah and LIT’s land near Model Town Extension, in the city due to the absence of a proper waste management system. 23-yr-old woman dies by suicide Ludhiana, January 6 A woman died by suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence in Ekta Market on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Khushi (23). The Incident came to the fore when her husband returned from work and found her hanging from the ceiling. Afterwards, he called residents of his neighbourhood and brought down the body. The police also reached the spot and started investigation. ASI Dharmender Singh said the probe was on to inquire about the cause of taking the extreme step by the victim. Sources said the woman and her husband had a dispute over some issue and it was suspected to be the cause of her death. However, no suicide note was recovered from the spot. — TNS