19022025-JTR-01.qxd 2/18/2025 10:38 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune THREE MESSIAHS WHO SAVED LITTLE BOY'S HEART MAKING A MARK IN THE WORLD OF FASHION AMEESHA PATEL-HRITHIK’S REUNION CHEERS UP FANS Suman Bala, the mother of the child, devoted months at PGI, Chandigarh, for Navraj's open heart surgery. P3 From Alia Bhatt to Richa Chadha to Soha Ali Khan, actresses are making waves with their own fashion labels. P4 The duo, which shared screen space in the iconic Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, has left fans eagerly hoping for a sequel.P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 25°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.17 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 7:04 AM WEDNESDAY | 19 FEBRUARY 2025 | JALANDHAR Phagwara MLA files plea in HCagainst mayoral elections Ashok Kaura PHAGWARA, FEBRUARY 18 Only after 17 days of the mayoral elections in Phagwara held on February 1, Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal and Congress Councillor Sanjeev Bugga today knocked the doors of Punjab and Haryana High Court and filed a writ petition to challenge and set aside the elections for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The petition was filed against the Chief Secretary, DGP the Secretary, Local , Bodies Department, Divisional Commissioner, Jalandhar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Phagwara, Councillor Ravi Sidhu (Presiding Officer), Ram Pal Uppal, Tej Pal Basra and Vikki Sood (elected Mayor, senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor). The petitioners have sought directions of the court for quashing the election process to the posts. They alleged that Uppal, Basra and Sood were illegally elected to their respective posts in an election process held in complete violation of the orders of the High Court on January 29. They alleged that 26 council- Voters in a queue to cast their vote during the Municipal Corporation election in Jalandhar. FILE lors raised hands in support of Congress candidate for Mayor post while Uppal got merely 24 votes but was declared elected by presiding officer. They further alleged that no election for other posts could be held but later were announced winners by the presiding officer. Petitioners’ advocate Karanjot Singh Jhikka said the High Court had fixed the date of hearing on March 10 and directed the state government to file reply, counter affidavit and report of the observer. Despite having majority, the Congress faced the defeat in the mayoral elections held in an auditorium in Phagwara on February 1. Though Justic Harbans Lal (Retd) attended the election meeting as observer, appointed by the High Court, AAP Councillor Ravi Kumar, who was appointed the presiding officer, announced the victory of AAP Councillor Uppal as Mayor in 26-24 ratio of votes. After announcing the Mayor, all officials imme- diately left the venue. On the other hand, all Congress councillors, led by Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, were seen provoked and in resentment while coming out from the auditorium. While talking to journalists, Dhaliwal in the presence of all Congress councillors, including Mayor candidate Sanjeev Bugga, alleged that after oath ceremony of two remaining councillors Davinder Sapra and his wife Rupali Sapra, the proceedings were started and Fake IT officer dupes Urban Estate-1 resident of ~3 lakh, probe ordered Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 18 A man posing as an Income Tax officer allegedly duped a resident of Urban Estate, Phase-1, Iqbaljit Singh Bhatia of Rs 3 lakh by promising to arrange gold for him at a cheaper rate. The victim has submitted a complaint with the Commissioner’s office on Monday, which has been marked for further inquiry at the cyber cell and police station. According to the complaint, he was introduced to the accused, identified as Subhash Chandra, a resident of Bhopal (as per documents he submitted to the complainant), on February 7 through a property dealer based on Garha Road. HOW TENANT DEFRAUDED OWNER Chandra told Bhatia that he could arrange gold at a cheaper rate through his position in the Income Tax Department. Trusting him , Bhatia withdrew ~3 lakh from SBI, Choti Baradari branch and handed it over to Chandra. The accused assured him that he would deliver the gold within a few days. Chandra claimed to have been recently transferred to Jalandhar and was looking for rental accommodation. Trusting his claim of being an Income Tax officer, Bhatia agreed to rent out the first floor of his house for a period of two or three years. Bhatia further stated that Chandra did not pay the security deposit, saying his wallet had been stolen while travelling to Jalandhar. Believing his story, Bhatia allowed him to move in, with the promise that he would pay the deposit within a week. A few days later, Chandra, during a conversation with Bhatia, claimed that he could arrange gold at a cheaper rate through his position in the Income Tax Department. Trusting him again, Bhatia withdrew Rs 3 lakh from SBI, Choti Baradari branch, on February 13 and handed it over to Chandra, who accompanied him to the bank. The accused assured him that he would deliver the gold within a few days. However, after two days, when Chandra neither deliv- Phagwara bank manager, agent booked for fraud Our Correspondent PHAGWARA,FEBRUARY 18 The police have registered a case against the manager of Bank of India’s Phagwara branch and a commission agent for allegedly defrauding a businessman of lakhs of rupees under the pretext of opening a bank account and investing money. SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said the complainant Jasbir Singh, a businessman residing here, had known manager Nirmal Singh for some time. The manager assured him that he would open a bank account in his name and invest his money in profitable government schemes. Trusting the manager, the complainant handed over lakhs of rupees in cash on different occasions. However, the manager neither opened the account, nor invested the money as promised. When Jasbir Singh later enquired about the status of his account and requested documents, the manager started avoiding him. Under pressure, the manager handed over some documents, assuring him that the money had been invested by a commission agent as they worked together and had significant transactions in the bank. On demanding his money back, the complainant was given checks issued by the commission agent Davinder Singh, owner of Guru Nanak Traders at Dana Mandi and a resident of Salarpur. However, the checks bounced and for nearly two years, Jasbir Singh had been trying to recover his money. Moreover, the commission agent had filed a countercase against the complainant and his family in a court. After Jasbir Singh escalated the matter with the DIG of Jalandhar Range, an investigation led by SP Rupinder Kaur Bhatti confirmed that both accused had conspired the fraud. Following legal consultation with the District Attorney, SSP Gaurav Toora ordered the registration of a case against Nirmal and Davinder. ered the gold, nor returned his calls, Bhatia became suspicious. His phone remained switched off and further inquiries at the Income Tax Department revealed that no officer by the name of Subhash Chandra had been transferred or employed there. Realising that he had been defrauded, Bhatia approached the police and lodged a complaint, seeking action against the accused and the recovery of his money. Meanwhile, police officials stated that they were verifying the claims, after which an FIR would be registered. They also urged residents to conduct proper police verification before renting out their properties and to be cautious of fraudsters offering easy-money schemes. Divisional Commissioner appointed AAP MC Ravi Kumar for further proceedings. One Congress Councillor Gurpreet Kaur Jandu did not attend the meeting. Dhaliwal said firstly the Congress MCs were asked to raise their hands in support of Bugga and the counted number was 26. Dhaliwal said due to absent of one councillor the number of present MCs were 49, besides one vote of Dhaliwal himself as MLA. Dhaliwal explained that later the presiding officer asked the councillors to raise the hand in support of AAP Mayor candidate Uppal. Dhaliwal alleged that of 50 voters, 26 had voted in support of Bugga so the remaining number was automatically 24 but the presiding officer declared that Uppal got 26 votes. Though Dhaliwal claimed that no elections were held for Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, AAP leaders announced that BSP MC Tej Pal Basra was elected the Senior Deputy Mayor and AAP MC Vikki Sood Deputy Mayor. Dhaliwal alleged that despite High Court’s order nothing could be done transparently even the observer did not comment anything. The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has arrested a ‘serial bicycle thief’ and recovered seven high-end stolen bicycles from him. Man arrested for theft, 7 stolen bicycles recovered Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 18 In a crackdown on theft-related crimes, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has arrested a person for the serial bicycle thefts and recovered seven stolen bicycles from his possession. The accused, identified as Safi, a resident of Ranjit Enclave Deep Nagar, was apprehended near Dasehra Ground following a targeted operation. Acting on a tip-off, a police team tracked Safi’s movements and detained him. On questioning, he admitted to stealing multiple bicycles from different locations across the city. The police recovered seven stolen cycles from his possession, including high-end brands such as Hero Sprint, Motoraces, Suncross, Globate Grande, Newtron and Hercules. ACP Babandeep Singh confirmed that Safi was arrested. Further inquiries revealed that he was a habitual offender with a history of theft. Not his day Police seize ~34 lakh assets of drug smugglers Tribune News Service During the ongoing National Tent Pegging Championship at PAP, Jalandhar, a Punjab Police jawan and his mare Naina lose balance and slip. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Former JCT officers move HC over fund misuse by firm directors Our Correspondent Phagwara, February 18 Two former officers of JCT Mills, Phagwara, have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking intervention against the alleged financial misconduct by the company’s management. The petition, filed against the State of Punjab, the DGP the , SSP Kapurthala, the District , Magistrate, Kapurthala, and JCT directors, urges the court to constitute a committee under a retired judicial officer to conduct a compliance audit of JCT Mills and ensure the recovery and disbursement of pending employee funds. The petitioners, Ashwani c m y b He said they were now investigating whether Safi was involved in other similar thefts and if he had any accomplices. Meanwhile, CP Swapan Sharma has urged residents to take precautionary measures, such as using secure locks and parking bicycles in monitored areas to prevent thefts. Reaffirming the police department’s commitment to tackling crime, CP Sharma encouraged citizens to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities. Thapar and Vaneet Sahni, representing the JCT ExEmployees Union, have also sought strict action under Section 129 of the BNS against JCT directors for alleged financial fraud, misappropriation of employee funds and evasion of statutory dues. In their petition, Thapar and Sahni express disappointment over the lack of action by the authorities despite multiple complaints. They allege that JCT Mills’ units in Chohal and Phagwara were closed illegally without due process. Despite complaints filed with the police regarding these closures, no action has been taken. The petitioners claim that JCT Limited has defaulted on provident fund (PF) contributions since December 2022. However, key officials allegedly withdrew their PF shares despite the account being nonoperational. No action has been initiated against the officials or PF trustees responsible for these irregularities. According to the complaint, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) department was aware of the default but permitted online transactions for two months, during which misappropriation of funds reportedly occurred. The financial records for 2022-23 indicate a discrepancy of approximately ?26 crore in the PF accounts, with a reported balance of ?128 crore, while only ?102 crore is accounted for. Thapar and Sahni further allege that JCT Director Mukulika Sinha was briefly detained during a recent meeting but was later released, despite multiple pending cases against her, including non-bailable offences. They have demanded transparency regarding the circumstances of her release and the status of legal proceedings against her. Additionally, the petitioners accused JCT of unlawfully withholding employees’ dues. They claim that due to ESI-related issues, seven employees lost their lives — five in Chohal and two in Phagwara. Jalandhar, February 18 In a crackdown on drug smuggling, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma, has confiscated assets worth Rs 34.36 lakh belonging to two drug smugglers. The seized properties include both movable and immovable assets acquired through illicit drug trade. According to the Commissioner of Police, the action follows an FIR registered on October 2, 2012, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Police Station Division Number 5, Jalandhar. The case involved the recovery of 510 gram of dextropropoxyphene and 6.75 liters of liquor from Vijay Kumar and Anant Ram, both residents of New Sant Nagar, Basti Sheikh. During investigation, the police established that the accused had amassed wealth and purchased vehicles using proceeds from drug trafficking. Following legal proceedings, orders for the confiscation of these properties were issued by the authority and the administrator under the SAFEM (FOP) Act and the NDPS Act. The seized assets include a house measuring four marlas and 39 square feet, valued at Rs 33,83,100 (including land and construction costs) and a Honda Activa 5G (2018 model) bearing registration number PB-08-EB6118 worth Rs 53,511. The total estimated value of the confiscated property stands at Rs 34,36,611.