30052025-JTR-01.qxd 5/29/2025 10:53 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune FUTSAL GAINS POPULARITY AMONG JALANDHAR’S YOUTH COL SARFRAZ SINGH LEADS TEAM TO MT KANCHENJUNGA After the rise of pickle ball, Jalandhar’s youth have now found a new sporting passion — futsal.P3 The nine-member expedition reached the world’s third-highest peak on Monday. P3 RAJA KUMARI INKS HISTORY AT AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS She becomes the first Indian-origin singer to win at the award show for her song Renegade. P4 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 39°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 41°C | MIN 27°C SUNSET FRIDAY 7.25 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:24 AM » » » FORECAST FRIDAY | 30 MAY 2025 | JALANDHAR Arora’s remand in Vigilance custody extended by 4 days AAP MLA’s son also booked |MLA says kin being victimised Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 29 Having remained in the Vigilance Bureau custody for the past five days, Jalandhar Central Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raman Arora’s remand in the VB was further extended by a local court for four more days. Arora was brought by VB officials in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sushil Bodh where he turned somewhat emotional as he said not just he but even his relatives were being victimised by the investigating agency. The prosecution lawyers sought his remand for another week to which the defence lawyers resisted strongly during arguments that lasted for one hour. Arora had been arrested by the VB on May 23 on the charges of taking graft from owners of under-construction buildings in the city by issuing them fake notices through Assistant Town Planner of the Municipal Corporation Sukhdev Vashisht. Vashisht had been arrested on May 14. Arora’s lawyer Naveen Chadha said the VB lawyer sought the extension of remand on the ground that many new complainants were reporting to the agency daily about the bribe amount sought by Arora and his men. “We argued that since Arora AAP MLA Raman Arora produce in district court in Jalandhar on Thursday. PHOTO:MALKIAT SINGH TURNS EMOTIONAL IN COURT AAP MLA Raman Arora was brought by VB officials in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sushil Bodh where he turned somewhat emotional as he said not just he but even his relatives were being victimised by the investigating agency. was already in their custody, the VB could have sought response from the MLA there and then. Or else, there will be cross-examination during the course of hearing and things will become amply clear then. We also argued that these complainants could even be backed by Arora’s political opponents and hence it was not a valid ground”, he said after the hearing. Youth found dead in K’thala village, kin allege foul play The VB’s lawyer also made a point that during the course of investigation, it had been pointed out that Arora had extorted money from some building owners. He said, “We need to take Arora to all these buildings for identification of the sites”. The prosecution lawyers also said the VB officials were yet to seek details about the recovered properties, includ- ing gold and cash, to which Arora’s lawyers said these assets were already declared by Arora in his 2022 affidavit filed ahead of the elections and any further probe on this would be of no use. Chadha said the VB officials had also nominated his son Rajan Arora, his aide Mahesh Makhija and fatherin-law of his daughter Raju Madaan. The trio have also been booked by the VB under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The VB teams have been trying to nab them for the past few days since Arora’s arrest on Friday last. ~18L was sought from us, now no info about him: Victim’s kin Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 29 Jaspal, a 32-year-old man from Langroya village, Nawanshahr, is one of the three youths who allegedly were kidnapped in Iran. Singh wanted to go abroad for better future. He had approached a travel agent in Hoshiarpur who promised Singh that he would be sent to Australia. With much difficulty, the family arranged for Rs 18 lakh and gave it to the agent. Jaspal Singh has two kids, one is 3-year-old and the younger one is just threemonth old. Ashok Kumar, elder brother of Jaspal Singh, told The Tribune that Jaspal first landed in Dubai and was made tostay there in a room for a month. “After that, he was taken to Iran and the moment he landed there, he was kidnapped,” he said. Nawanshahr man’s kidnapping in Iran Jaspal Singh At 2 am, on the intervening night of May 1 and 2, a call from Jaspal Singh turned the lives of the family members upside down. “We got a call from Jaspal. He asked us all to remain awake and then he cut the call. We were terrified, at 3 am we got a call again when he told us that he along with others was kidnapped and that if we wanted his safety, then we will have to pay Rs 18 lakh more,” Ashok Kumar further added. The brother shared that for about 15 days, they kept on getting video calls where the family members could see Jaspal getting beaten up brutally and he was shouting in pain, asking for money. “We had already registered a complaint by then,” he said. The family members said for the last 14 days, they haven’t heard anything regarding Jaspal. “We don’t know whether he is fine or not,” Ashok said. Travel agents on the run, SSP forms SIT Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 29 In the case of reported kidnapping of a youth of Hoshiarpur district in Iran, the police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the instructions of the SSP . According to police sources, SIT consists of DSP (D) Sukhninder Singh, SHO, Model Town, Gursahib Singh and Purhiran Chowki Incharge Sukhdev Singh. Amritpal Singh (23) from Bhagowal village of the district had left for Australia and when he reached Iran, Amritpal Singh and Jaspal Singh from Nawanshahr and Husanpreet Singh from Dhuri were kidnapped there and Rs 1 crore ransom was demanded from the families of the youth and later when the families expressed their inability to pay this amount, the kidnappers came down to Rs 18 lakh per youth. Vacation time now The videos, reportedly of the abducted youth being tortured by the kidnappers, were also sent to the victims’ families. The abducted youths were sent abroad by agents of Hoshiarpur and on complaint of Amritpal’s family, the Model Town police station had registered a case against the accused Dheeraj Atwal, Kamal Atwal and a women travel agents. They were absconding and search for them was on. Tribune News Service Our Correspondent them to file a missing person report. They later discovered that he had been living at Hamira village. According to Kuldeep, Harpreet had called him days before the incident and expressed fear for his life. “He told me that the woman’s first husband had returned and wanted to reconcile with her. Harpreet said he felt threatened and even mentioned names of other individuals, saying that if anything were to happen to him, we should hold them responsible,” Kuldeep said. The family has yet to submit an official statement to the police and no formal charges have been filed at this stage. However, they are urging the authorities to investigate the matter, citing potential involvement of the woman and other unnamed individuals. Police officials have assured that all angles, including both suicide and homicide, will be examined. The post-mortem report and forensic analysis are expected to provide more clarity on the cause of death. As the schools closed for summer vacation, students run in excitement on their last day in Jalandhar on Thursday. Daylight robbery in SI’s house Phagwara, May 29 Thieves broke into the house of a sub-inspector in broad daylight at Tandi village in Begowal of Kapurthala district. They entered the house by breaking open door locks, escaping with cash, gold and expensive liquor. The house belongs to Dharaminder Singh, who is undergoing promotion training in Phillaur. On the morning of May 27, she left around 8 AM to attend a condolence ceremony at a relative’s house. Upon returning in the evening, she found the main door’s lock broken and the contents of the cupboards scattered across the rooms. Realising a robbery had taken place and being alone at the time, she immediately called for help from neighbours.— OC Drug accused gives cops slip, re-arrested Our Correspondent Phagwara, May 29 In a dramatic turn of events, a drug trafficking accused managed to escape from police custody while being taken to jail, only to be rearrested within hours by the Kapurthala police. The accused, identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Money, had been arrested on May 21 under the NDPS Act. A day later, he reportedly suffered a paralysis attack (stroke) and was admitted to a hospital for treatment. Following a court order, he was to be shifted to judicial custody in Modern Jail. On Monday, while being taken in a private vehicle by SI Kulwinder Singh and sen- c m y b Jalandhar, May 29 “Bahut ho gaya intzar, ab nahee sahenge nainsaafi” read the board that was being carried by Goraya-based Jagdeep Kumar, brother of Mandeep Kumar, who is believed to have stuck in Russia, in New Delhi. Jagdeep Kumar along with 10 others protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today. He was accompanied by the kin of those stuck in Russia for last several months. They all showcased their helplessness and asked the government to act on their plea. “Sarkar chup kyun hai, Bharat sarkar kripya jago” the poster read. They also sent a letter to the Foreign Minister asking him for help. “Please provide us details about our loved ones. Otherwise we will hold a dharna every month. Also, we are losing hopes, please do not stretch this further and make things clear,” they mentioned in the letter. Jagdeep Kumar had recently gone to Russia and alleged that three agents, residents of Russia, duped his brother. “Mandeep was given a 15day training as a sniper and made to sign a contract in Russian language when he did not even know the language,” he said. He had also filed a complaint against the agents at a Moscow police station. “My brother was told that he would be hired as a helper or cook, but was instead sent to the warzone,” Jagdeep had said. — TNS 58 held, 13.6 kg heroin seized in 7-day operations Body found hanging from ceiling fan Phagwara, May 29 A 20-year-old man was found dead under suspicious circumstances in village Hamira in Kapurthala district. The deceased Harpreet Singh, a resident of Talwandi Naubahar in Moga district, was reportedly in a live-in relationship at Hamira at the time of his death. While preliminary reports suggest suicide by hanging, the deceased’s family has alleged that he was murdered. According to Station House Officer (SHO) Amandeep Nahar of Subhanpur Police Station, the body was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a scarf and was taken to the Kapurthala Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The body has been placed in the hospital mortuary. The SHO, Nahar, confirmed that the police are treating the case with seriousness and that an investigation is underway. Family members of the deceased have raised serious concerns about the circumstances of Harpreet’s death. His elder brother Kuldeep Singh and mother Paramjit Kaur alleged that Harpreet had been influenced by a woman Kulwant Kaur, with whom he had been living. They stated that Harpreet had gone missing some time ago, prompting Brother of youth missing in Russia holds protest in Delhi ior constable Davinderpal, the police team stopped near Jhalla Theekriwal village to photocopy the accused’s medical reports. While Davinderpal went to get the documents copied, SI Kulwinder Singh kept watch from the car window. Taking advantage of the situation, Manpreet Singh allegedly pushed the subinspector and fled with the vehicle. A case was immediately registered against him at Kotwali Police Station based on SI Kulwinder Singh’s complaint. SHO Kirpal Singh confirmed that a police team later tracked the accused at his residence and took him into custody again. SARABJIT SINGH Nephew opens fire on uncle Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, May 29 A man opened fire on his uncle along with his brotherin-law and two others, over an old enmity. He has been booked by the Chabbewal police. The police have registered a case against four accused. The police have also recovered four cartridges from the scene. SHO of Chabbewal police station Prabhjot Kaur said Sukhwant Singh, a resident of village Bohan, told in his complaint that he was coming from his fields to his house in a car in the morning. When he reached near his house, his nephew Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, opened fire on him, but one of the bullets hit the car, while the victim was not hit by any of the bullets. Jalandhar, May 29 In a push towards a drug-free Punjab, the Commissionerate Police has intensified operations under the statewide campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”. During the week-long crackdown, the police registered 33 FIRs, arrested 58 persons and facilitated the rehabilitation of 20 drug addicts, reflecting a dual focus on enforcement and recovery. Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said the operation aligns with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s vision of eradicating drugs from the state, with both punitive action and compassionate rehabilitation playing key roles. As part of the intensified campaign, the Jalandhar police conducted multiple raids across police stations under its jurisdiction. These operations resulted in the arrest of 45 persons, 10 booked under Section 64A of the NDPS Act and the apprehension of three proclaimed offenders. A substantial quantity of illegal substances and contraband was also seized, including 13.675 kg of heroin, 1,450 intoxicating capsules, 335 tablets, two illegal pistols, four cars and two motorcycles. CP Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed that 12 drug addicts were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, while eight more were enrolled in Opioid Agonist Therapy centres. Police officers honoured Jalandhar, May 29 As many as 15 police officers were honoured by the Commissionerate Police for their exceptional contributions to the ongoing anti-drug campaign at a special felicitation event held on Thursday. Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur awarded CC-I certificates to six SubInspectors and nine Assistant Sub-Inspectors in recognition of their sustained efforts and dedication in combating the drug menace. Each officer also received an appreciation certificate as a token of recognition for their exemplary performance. Speaking at the ceremony, CP Dhanpreet Kaur commended the officers for their commitment, saying their tireless work under the ‘ Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign had set a benchmark for the entire force. “Their courage and determination not only uplift the morale of our department, but also inspire confidence among people,” she said. Senior police officials, including DCP (Investigation) Manpreet Singh Dhillon, ADCP (Investigation) Jayant Puri, and ADCP (Headquarters) Sukhwinder Singh, were also present and praised the officers for their dedication and service. TNS