21112024-JTR-01.qxd 11/20/2024 11:06 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HIGH-TENSION WIRES REMOVED, POLES REMAIN ETCHED RESIDENTS MIFFED OVER CONCRETE RELINING OF CANALS CELEBS CAST THEIR VOTE IN MAHARASHTRA ELECTIONS residents say that it seems that Power Corporation has forgotten to remove the electricity poles. P2 Water Resources Department had put on hold the relining of 10 km of Indira Gandhi Canal after a protest. P3 Voting began early at 7 am for the Maharashtra Assembly elections and concluded at 6 pm. P4 » » FORECAST FOGGY MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 9°C SUNSET THURSDAY 5.26 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:01 AM » THURSDAY | 21 NOVEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR 3 POs arrested in major crackdown INBRIEF VILLAGER INJURED IN ATTACK Phagwara: More than half a dozen assailants allegedly attacked and seriously injured a villager Raj Kumar at his house in Khalwara Colony, Phagwara on Tuesday night. The victim was admitted to the local Civil Hospital. The police have registered a case against five Dimpi, Bhottu, Happy, Amraj and Mani, residents of the same locality, and three unknown persons. Personal enmity was said to be the reason, the police said. OC Tribune News Service HUBBY BOOKED IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: The police have booked Naresh Kumar of Bhannoki village in Phagwara in a dowry harassment case. Complainant Ranni of Shidham village had filed a complaint to the police that her husband had been harassing her for dowry since her marriage and mentally torturing her. A case has been registered against the accused after an inquiry and on the order of the SSP. OC FIVE BOOKED FOR ASSAULTING MAN Phagwara: The police have arrested five persons on the charge of assaulting a covillager. The arrested accused had been identified as Jaspreet, Ajay Kumar, Ajay Kumar Jajon, Deepa and Neettu, all residents of Littran village. Aashu, a resident of the same village, complained to the police that the accused waylaid and attacked and seriously injured him and his friend on November 12 evening and threatened him. oc 2 PEDDLERS HELD WITH GANJA Phagwara: In a significant achievement, the police have arrested two drugs smugglers and recovered 10 kg of ganja from their possession on Tuesday night. Phagwara SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said a police party, headed by DSP Bharat Bhushan, nabbed the accused at a check-point when they were coming on a scooter. The accused, migrants Dinesh Mandal and Rakesh Kumar of village Virk near Phagwara, attempted to flee but the cops nabbed them. The scooter being used by the criminals had also been impounded. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. oc VILLAGERS BOOKED FOR FARM FIRE Phagwara: The police have booked three villagers for burning stubble. The suspects had been identified as Kulwindar Singh of Bulanda village and Teju of Udhowal village. The police had received a satellite report in two villages and circle patwari testified it. In Nurmahal, Lakhveer Singh of Rajowal village was booked for burning paddy stubble. OC VILLAGER HELD WITH STOLEN BIKE Phagwara: The police arrested a Kapurthala miscreant on the charge of stealing a motorcycle. The accused has been identified as Har Gopal Singh, a resident of Aahliwal village, in Kapurthala. The accused was intercepted at a naka and a motorcycle was recovered from his possession. OC Women voters stand in a queue for Chabbewal byelection at a polling booth at Chabbewal in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Fate of 6 Chabbewal Assembly bypoll nominees sealed, results on Nov 23 Deepkamal Kaur/Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi POLLING TREND IN LAST 3 ELECTIONS Tribune News Service Hoshiarpur, November 20 The fate of six candidates, who are in the fray for the Chabbewal Assembly bypoll, was sealed in the EVMs as voting process got completed this evening. The counting of votes is slated for November 23. While Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ishank Kumar and his MP father Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal was confident of the victory with claims of winning the seat by 30,000 votes, even the Congress camp was quite upbeat as the polling progressed. Hoshiarpur MP Chabbewal maintained, “When I won the Hoshiarpur Parliamentary seat in June this year, I got a winning margin of 27,000 votes from this seat. I am expecting it to grow to at least 30,000 with my son being in fray this time”. Dr Raj Kumar maintained that it was quite a different election for him. “Unlike my younger son who is settled in 2012: Sohan S Thandal (SAD) 2017: Dr Raj Kumar (Cong) 2022: Dr Raj Kumar (Cong) BJP candidate Sohan Singh along with his family members shows the ink mark after casting vote at the booth in his village Thandal on Wednesday. the US, Ishank has always come to my support in the elections. But this election was different as now he was the candidate and I was his back-end support. I did not have to give him any training on maintaining a certain kind of body language or making speeches or delivering the right content and narrative. It came to him all naturally and with experience.” The only difference between me and him has been that he has started way to early. “He is just 31 and single. I was 45, settled in career and had two kids at that time. Ishank had just returned from Chennai after completing his MD in radiology when he got into electioneering. He was yet to start taking over the management of scanning centres across the region which I have been doing. He had to take up politics even before he could start to pursue his medical profession”, he said. Like AAP even the Congress , leadership was quite upbeat. Congress leaders said winning by 30,000 votes was an illusion of Dr Chabbewal. “It can be any one’s game. There are several factors which have worked in our favour. The extension of voting date by a week was definitely my gain. It helped me reach out more people. The BSP cadres worked in our favour. The farmers have not voted for either AAP or the BJP because of paddy procurement issues. They would have voted for us. Several people within the AAP have also helped us”, said Congress candidate Ranjit Kumar. Even the BJP candidate Thandal held that it was a triangular fight with no clear edge. “With the Akalis not putting up a candidate and my strong connect with its leaders for over two decades, I consider myself at an advantageous position”, he said. Jalandhar, November 20 In a major success against fugitives involved in serious crimes, the Jalandhar Rural Police have arrested three proclaimed offenders wanted in murder and drug cases. The arrested persons, identified as Jasbir Singh, alias Makhan, Ajay and Sagar Sunyar, had been declared POs after evading arrest for extended periods. Jasbir Singh, a resident of Latibhahal, was implicated in multiple drug trafficking cases and had been absconding for six years. Ajay and Sagar Sunyar, both residents of Malla Bedia and Sodhia, respectively, were wanted in a brutal murder case and had been on the run for over a year. SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh, addressing the press, revealed that the arrests were made following a series of targeted operations by special police teams. “Our teams worked tirelessly to apprehend these offenders, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining law and order,” SSP Khakh said. The police team, led by SubInspector Balbir Singh, arrested Jasbir Singh near Gokalpur village based on specific intelligence. Jasbir was wanted in four major drug cases registered across various police stations — Lambra, Maqsudan, Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi. In another coordinated effort, the SHO Goraya and his team apprehended Ajay and Sagar Sunyar, both accused in the murder of Narinder Singh of Dhandwar village. The duo was part of a nine-member group involved in the attack on Narinder Singh and his family on April 15, 2023. While seven accomplices were arrested earlier, Ajay and Sagar evaded arrest until now. The SSP disclosed that the trio had used various tactics to evade arrest, including frequent relocation. “Jasbir Singh’s arrest is a blow to drug WANTED IN THESE CASES Jasbir Singh, alias Makhan ■ May 2015: Arrested with a commercial quantity of drugs; jumped bail ■ August 2018: Caught smuggling narcotics; escaped police custody ■ December 2021: Involved in inter-state drug trafficking; evaded arrest ■ January 2024: Found with contraband; fled during a police raid Ajay and Sagar Sunyar ■ April 15, 2023: Part of a ninemember group that fatally assaulted Narinder Singh and his family at Dhandwar village ■ Victim Narinder Singh succumbed to injuries ■ Seven co-accused arrested on April 17, 2023 ■ Declared proclaimed offenders on October 30, 2024. ■ Case registered under Sections 302, 307, 324, 458, 460 and 149 of the IPC. trafficking networks, while Ajay and Sagar’s arrest brings justice closer for the victim’s family,” Khakh added. The accused have been presented in a court and the police have requested remand for investigation. “The arrests are part of a broader campaign against fugitives as 53 proclaimed offenders have been apprehended in the last three months”, said Khakh, emphasising that efforts were ongoing to track down remaining offenders. “We are using a detailed database and forming dedicated teams to bring all proclaimed offenders to justice,” he said. Firing outside Vehicle lifters’ gang busted, 3 Murder case cracked Maqsudan gym nabbed with 7 two-wheelers within 5 hours of linked to old rivalry plaint, accused held Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 20 A firing incident that took place outside a gym at Maqsudan on Wednesday morning has again raised questions over the law and order situation in the city. However, the victim of the incident, identified as Pardhan, narrowly escaped when assailants attempted to shot him over an alleged old rivalry. The attack occurred around 9:30am when three masked persons arrived on a bike and tried to shoot Pardhan as he exited the gym. However, while they pointed the gun at him from behind, the bullet got stuck in the pistol, allowing the victim to flee towards his car. Meanwhile, the accused fled the scene, firing a shot in the air. In his statement to the police, Pardhan claimed that he had been actively working to combat drug abuse in his locality, a cause that had drawn threats from individuals involved in drug smuggling. He alleged that the attackers were connected to this illegal trade and had previously warned him to back off. On receiving information about the incident, the police rushed to the scene and initiated an investigation. Assistant Sub-Inspector Sham Lal, leading the probe, revealed that only one bullet shell had been recovered. He added that the CCTV footage from the gym’s premises was being reviewed to identify the culprits. “An FIR has been registered against Rajinder Singh and two persons under the Arms Act and relevant sections of the BNS. According to the initial findings, both parties have a history of animosity over minor disputes in the locality”, he said. ASI Sham Lal further said Pardhan retrieved his licensed weapon from his car, prompting the attackers to flee. “The investigation is ongoing and we are conducting raids to apprehend the accused and uncover the complete background of the incident,” he said. NAKODAR,NOVEMBER 20 In a major breakthrough, the Jalandhar Rural Police has busted an inter-district vehicle lifters’ gang with the arrest of three persons and recovery of seven vehicles. The gang had been actively operating in the Nakodar area, targeting two-wheelers. The accused have been identified as Sunil Kumar, alias Suraj, village Boparai Kalan, near Nakodar, Jaskaran, alias Tidda, of village Chak Kalan, Nakodar, and Gurpreet Singh, alias Keshi, of village Boparai Kalan, Nakodar. Speaking to this correspondent today, SSP Harka, mal Preet Singh Khakh said following specific intelligence inputs about the movement of vehicle lifters, a special drive was launched under his supervision. “The gang’s modus operandi was to steal vehicles and sell these at heavily discounted prices,” said Khakh. The operation was conducted under the leader- c m y b Our Correspondent Three persons accused of vehicle theft in police custody. ship of SP, Investigation, Jasroop Kaur Bath, Sukhpal Singh, DSP, Nakodar, and Inspector, Aman Saini, SHO, Nakodar City. Based on information, a police team set up a special checking point at Shankar Bridge on November 18. The team intercepted and arrested two accused along with stolen vehicles. Following their interrogation, the third accused was apprehended, leading to the recovery of five motorcycles and two scooters The arrested accused will be produced in a local court and police remand will be sought to investigate their network connections and recover more stolen vehicles. Further investigation is underway to identify the buyers of these stolen vehicles and uncover additional accomplices. PHILLAUR, NOVEMBER 20 In a major breakthrough, the Jalandhar Rural Police solved a murder case within five hours of receiving the complaint, leading to the arrest of the main accused. The case involves the murder of a woman whose body was recovered from a pond in village Atta. The accused has been identified as Liaqat Ali of village Gara near Phillaur and his accomplice Abdul Gani of the same village. Gani is yet to be arrested. Speaking to the media, SSP , Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said technical surveillance and human intelligence networks were activated immediately after receiving a complaint from Liaquat Ali of village Ashahur that his wife Shakura, who had gone to Banga but didn’t return home. Multiple teams were formed to work on different aspects of the investigation. The operation unfolded systematically as teams collected technical evidence, conducted neighbourhood investigations and analysed call detail records. The breakthrough came when investigators identified suspicious movements in the area, leading them to the accused. Upon sustained questioning, the accused confessed and led the police to village Atta pond where the body was recovered. The victim’s clothes were also recovered and identified by family members. The investigation revealed that the accused had meticulously planned to destroy evidence by breaking both his and the victim’s mobile phones. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused Liaqat Ali had developed illicit relations with the deceased Shakura. On the day of incident, he along with his brother Abdul Gani met the victim near the canal. An altercation followed during which Liaqat Ali strangled Shakura. The accused, with the help of his brother, then disposed of the body in the village pond to destroy evidence.