27062024-ATR-01.qxd 6/27/2024 12:24 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY FEARING LOW ENROLMENTS, COLLEGES SET UP HELP DESKS SHAH RUKH IS A CONNOISSEUR OF ART, SAYS KAMAL HAASAN IS BHUVAN ARORA GETTING TRAPPED IN ‘FRIEND’S ZONE’? Fearing a repeat of last year’s low enrolments in undergraduate courses, private colleges have set up special admission cells.P3 Kamal Haasan, who shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in Hey Ram, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the superstar.P4 Delhi boy Bhuvan Arora, who is making a splash in the entertainment industry, does not think so. P4 » » MAX 44°C | MIN 31°C YESTERDAY MAX 43°C | MIN 30°C SUNSET THURSDAY 7.39 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:27 AM » THURSDAY | 27 JUNE 2024 | AMRITSAR Brothers among three arrested for bootlegging Amritsar, June 26 Two brothers among three were arrested today by the Gate Hakima police. Those arrested were identified as Vikram Singh, alias Vicky, and his brother Nanak Singh, both residents of the Anngarh area, which earned an infamy due to rampant drug abuse and bootlegging. The police also arrested Raju of the Himmatpura locality, a notorious bootlegger, and seized 75 bottles of illicit liquor from his possession. Dr Darpan Ahluwalia, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), City I, said Nanak and Vikram had attacked a police party in December 10 last year when officials raided their house in Anngarh following registration of an NDPS Act case against them a day earlier. The suspects had attacked the police with bricks leading to head injury to a cop following which an attempt to murder case was registered against them. The police had already nabbed their mother Poonam and sister Geeta who were also booked in the case. The ADCP said Nanak and Vikram had four cases each while Raju had 15 cases registered against him under the Excise Act. — TNS The police paste orders on the smuggler’s property. TRIBUNE PHOTO Smuggler’s property worth~29.40Lfreezed Orders pasted on gate of the residence Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, June 26 On the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Union Government, the police on Wednesday froze property worth Rs 29.40 lakh, along with Rs 8 lakh drug money, of a smuggler here today. The smuggler, was identified as Lovpreet Singh, a resident of Panjwar village in Tarn Taran district. The police had recovered 2.2 kg of heroin and drug money from smuggler. The orders for freezing the property were pasted on the gate of the smuggler’s residence on by DSP Tarsem Masih and Inspector Satpal Singh, SHO, Chabal. Masih warned smugglers to shun their illegal activities and join the main stream of society. Robbers take commission agent, wife hostage; loot cash, jewellery worth ~3 cr PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 26 Four armed persons looted a commission agent and his wife after taking them hostage in the Tokriyan Wali Gali located in posh Court Road area in the wee hours here on Wednesday. The masked miscreants allegedly decamped with Rs 1 crore in cash, besides around 3 kg of gold from the house of the victims, besides taking away a licensed revolver and scooter. The suspects remained in the house for an hour as the couple was alone. The remaining members of the family had gone to Chandigarh to spend vacations. As the commission agent tried to oppose the suspects, they attacked him with the pistol butt leaving him injured. The police reached the spot and started investigation after recording statements of the victim identified as Jiya Lal, a commission agent. Abhimanyu Rana, Additional Deputy Commission- Victim Jiya Lal, a commission agent; and (right) cops investigate at the crime spot in the Court Road area of Amritsar. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR er of Police (ADCP), said the police was scanning footage of the CCTV cameras to find clues about the perpetrators of the crime. Forensic teams were also been pressed into to service to collect samples from the house. Jiya Lal said armed looters entered his house by jumping over the wall. As Jiya Lal had opened doors in the morning, the suspects gained easy entry into the house and made him and his wife hostage. The suspects threatened to shoot victims in case they raised an alarm. When Jiya Lal tried to oppose the suspects, they assaulted him. The suspects searched every wardrobe and drawers in the house and took away cash and jewellery worth Rs 3 crore, said Jiya Lal. He said after committing the crime, the suspects fled in a car and took his scooter also. When the victims raised an alarm, people in the vicinity rang up the control room. The police teams reached the spot with minutes. Bimala Devi, victim’s wife, said the miscreants left nothing valuable in the house. She said the looters took them hostage on gunpoint. She said her son and family returned from Chandigarh after hearing about the incident. Investigating officer Amo- lak Singh said the police were scanning footage of the CCTV cameras in the area and had already got some clues about suspects. He said the suspects would be arrested soon. The relatives of the victims were critical about the current situation in the city. They said people were not safe in their houses. They said the law and order situation in the city was deteriorating with each passing day. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR 128kgheroin,narcoticsdestroyed via incineration at paper mill Nothing remains of the two electricity transformers that caught fire; and (right) residents use hand fans to keep the heat away in the Bharat Nagar area of Amritsar. BharatNagarresidentshavetoughtimeastransformerscatchfire Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 26 Residents of Bharat Nagar locality here had a tough time after two electricity transformers supplying power to the area caught fire yesterday night. The power supply to the residential area was disrupted around 1.15 am last night. It was not restored till the time of filing of this report. Short-circuit was cited as the reason behind fire. Residents first heard a loud explosion following which fire engulfed two transformers. Electricity cables near transformers melted due to heat generated by the fire. Payal, an area resident, said, “People did not have water to drink. We got water after the municipal corporation sent a tanker.” She said the heat had become unbearable as there was no electricity. Residents were seen sitting in streets throughout the day and used hand fans to keep the heat at bay, she added. Surinder Kumar, another area resident said, “We have been requesting the power corporation to restore electricity at the earliest as children and elderly cannot bear the heat. Due to heavy damage to transmission lines, it seems that restoring the pow- er supply has become an uphill task.” He said earlier they had requested Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to install big transformers in order to cater to high demand for the electricity in their area. Residents complained that though the fire was reported at 1:15 am, it took nearly one-anda-half-hour for fire tenders to reach the spot. The flames touched walls of nearby hous- es, but no loss was reported. Officials of the PSPCL said transformers caught fire due to overload. They said transformers were installed as per the registered load of the area. “People usually do not get their load enhanced. They use appliances which require more electricity,” a power corporation official said, while adding that they were trying to restore electricity in the area. Amritsar, June 26 In order to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the city as well as Amritsar (Rural) police today destroyed over 128 kg of heroin, besides other narcotics substances at the Khanna Paper Mill through incineration here today. The police teams headed by Police Commissioner (CP) Ranjit Singh Dhillon and the Amritsar (Rural) police led by SSP Satinder Singh destroyed drugs. The Amritsar (Rural) police destroyed 97.869 kg of heroin, 62,630 narcotic pills and capsules, besides 51kg of poppy husk seized in 46 cases. The city police destroyed 31kg of heroin, 6.5 kg of narcotic powder, 1.98 kg of Ice (crystal methamphetamine), 1.49 kg of charas, 40 grams of smack and 14.82 lakh capsules and tablets. The drugs were seized in 96 cases registered under the NDPS Act. CP Ranjit Singh Dhillon said drive against drugs abuse would be The police incinerate narcotics at Khanna Paper Mills in Amritsar. intensified by curbing its supply in the city and villages. “The police have been instructed to take investigation to a logical conclusion by unearthing all backward and forward links of the drug supply chain and arrest suspects involved in such illegal activities,” the CP said. He said the Punjab Government had adopted zero tolerance approach against the drug menace. He said nobody involved in the illegal trade either directly or indirectly would be spared. SSP Satinder Singh said people must join the narco-terror war unleashed by Pakistanbased entities by sharing information about those indulging in the deadly menace. “When people join the fight, only then we can succeed in eradicating the drug menace and save society from the scourge,” he said. Dhillon said in the past 15 days the police nabbed 67 drug traffickers in 46 cases leading to the recovery of 4.899 kg of heroin, 1.5 kg of opium and Rs 29.85 lakh of drug money. — TNS Two Nihangs booked Farmers fear loss of crops, fodder as canal breach inundates 500 acres for ransacking shop Gurbaxpuri Tribune News Service Amritsar, June 26 The police have booked two Nihangs for allegedly ransacking kiosks of cigarettes and tobacco products in the walled city area. The incident happened on Monday evening. This is second case registered against Nihang in this connection. Besides criminal trespass, the police also added sections of robbery after the complainant alleged that Nihangs took away Rs 20,500 from his shop. Those booked were identified as Harpal Singh, a resident of Mudhal village, Verka, and Fateh Singh, a resident of New Partap Nagar locality. Jagdish Parsad Chaurasia, a resident of the Mahan Singh Gate area, said the suspects, along with their unknown accomplices, ransacked his shop, threw all items on the road and set them on fire. Earlier, a case was registered with the Division B police station in this connection. Nihangs had destroyed several shops in the walled city at that time. Harsandeep Singh, SHO, Kotwali police station, said the suspects were currently in judicial custody. He said they would be brought on production warrant and arrested in the case. Tarn Taran, June 26 More than 150 families of farmers in Lauhuka village located on Tarn Taran-Patti road have lost contact with other parts of the area after 500 acres of their land was inundated due to yesterday’s breach that had occurred in Kasur Branch Lower (KBL) canal. The alleged apathy of the administration was being flayed as a number of farmers have lost their crops twice in a month as the drain developed a breach just three weeks ago near the present spot. Charanjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Sawran Singh, Gurmej Singh, Satnam Singh, Dalbir Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Vast tracts of land inundated by Kasur Branch Lower canal at Lauhuka village. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI other flood affected farmers said with their land getting inundated, under 3-5 feet deep water, their paddy seeds (Paneeri), stored dry fodder, c m y b and vegetables crops had been totally destroyed. They said the heatwave and humidity was already having an adverse affect on the health of the elderly and infants. With their surrounding areas getting flooded, they had been confined to their houses and the market place was now beyond their reach. Green and dry fodder was lost. They were unable to go to the market to purchase fresh fodder because of which their cattle were facing a shortage of fodder. The affected farmers said no official had approached them for help and it was matter of great concern that government representatives, ministers or MLAs had not visited the affected area. On the second day today of the breach, farmers staged a dharna in front of the 66 kVA powercom sub-station and apprised a naib tehsildar who they met at the dharna site about their problems. Today, farmers avoided blocking the road as was done yesterday and the flow of traffic remained normal. Nachhatar Singh, district president, Kirti Kisan Union, criticised the administration for not sending medical teams to provide aid of affected population. Kulwinder Singh, Superintendent Engineer, Irrigation, said the flow of canal water to fields had been stopped and the breach was being plugged. Navkirat Singh, District Revenue Officer (DRO), who was officiating as the SDM, Patti, who was on leave, said he was instructing teams of the health and animal husbandry departments to visit the affected area to provide aid. However, the official had no idea about the exact number of farmers’ families affected by the flooding of canal water.
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