25122025-LT-01.qxd 12/24/2025 9:50 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune AS MERCURY DIPS, EXPERTS ASK FARMERS TO EXERCISE CAUTION VAPING AMONG SCHOOLKIDS: A GROWING CONCERN Sleek devices disguised as pens or USB drives, having flavoured e-liquids, make nicotine addiction appear harmless. P3 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 20°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 22°C | MIN 7°C GEN Z X-MAS DIARIES: B’WOOD'S NEW GUARD KEEPS IT REAL, STYLISH With temperatures dipping, PAU experts have advised fruit growers and livestock owners to take urgent precautions. P2 FORECAST Celebs usually mark it with red carpets, but Gen Z isn’t really playing by those rules. And that’s what makes it refreshing. P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.31 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7:22 AM » THURSDAY | 25 DECEMBER 2025 | LUDHIANA Life imprisonment for four in Arsh Jangra murder case Rajneesh Lakhanpal Ludhiana December 24 The court of Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa has sentenced four accused to rigorous life imprisonment for the brutal killing of 18-year-old Arsh Jangra. Those convicted include Satwant Singh, and Sahibjot Singh, both residents of Partap Nagar, Ludhiana, and Maninderjit Singh and Gurpreet Singh, both residents of Bhagwan Nagar, Ludhiana. The case dates back to June 24, 2013, when a case was registered at Shimlapuri police station on the statement of Dinesh Kumar, uncle of the deceased. As per the prosecu- tion, on the evening of June 24, Inspector Lakhbir Singh, along with a police party, proceeded to Apollo Hospital, Ludhiana, after receiving information that Arsh had been admitted there in an injured condition. At the hospital, Dinesh stated that around 8 pm, he, his parents Gurdial Jangra and Kamlesh Jangra and nephew Arsh Jangra were sitting at home watching television when the doorbell rang. Arsh went outside to check, following which loud noises were heard. Dinesh and his father rushed outside and saw Sahibjot and Maninderjit holding Arsh, while Satwant stabbed him with a knife on the left side of his chest near the heart. The attack was allegedly supported by other accomplices, who shouted that Arsh should not be spared. Later, the accused fled from the spot with their weapons. The injured was immediately taken to Apollo Hospital in a private car, where doctors declared Arsh dead. The motive behind the crime, as brought on record, was a past quarrel between the parties a few days back. During the trial, the defence claimed that the accused had been falsely implicated due to political vendetta, alleging that they were targeted because of past political disputes involving their family. To substantiate this claim, the defence examined 10 witnesses and produced documents, including newspaper reports regarding political protests after the incident. However, the court observed that none of the defence evidence could weaken the prosecution’s case. The judge held that the consistent and trustworthy testimonies of eyewitnesses Dinesh and Kamlesh provided a clear account of the incident. The court concluded that the accused had formed an unlawful assembly, armed themselves with deadly weapons and murdered Arsh in furtherance of their common object. Delimitation receives mixed response from Mandi Ahmedgarh residents Mahesh Sharma Mandi Ahmedgarh, Dec 24 Proposed limits of various wards after special re-organisation and delimitation has received mixed response among residents and leaders of various political parties. While some residents aspiring to contest the forthcoming MC election were happy when they inspected the proposed maps of their respective wards, others got disappointed as localities inhabited by their supporters and sympathisers had been proposed to be included in other wards. There are still others who declared to contest election in more than one ward just to oppose nominees of Aam Aadmi Party, who according to Residents study proposed map of wards after delimitation. them had exploited their position to disturb earlier limitation. A notification purportedly issued by the Department of Local Bodies on December 18 had invited objections and suggestions to changes in certain wards within a week of issuance of the communica- tion, following which it would be published in the gazette. Contrary to the expectation of residents, the number of wards has been kept at the old number of 17, but the limits of some wards have been changed according to the description given in annex- ure and a map displayed at the MC office. Former councillor Sanjiv Thappar said despite alleged arbitrary changes made to appease certain AAP leaders, his family would contest election from two wards. “While my wife will contest from our own ward, I will fight against the president, Municipal Council, Vikas Krishan Sharma, who tried to ‘spoil’ our ward as he was a member of the re-organisation committee,” said Thappar. Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra claimed that the re-organisation and delimitation had been undertaken on the basis of surveys conducted by officials of the MC without any coercion or political interference. 2 nabbed for snatching cash, valuables from woman Our Correspondent SSP Ankur Gupta at a press conference on the arrest of three drug peddlers on Wednesday. Drug smuggling racket busted, 3 kg heroin seized, three held Our Correspondent Ludhiana, December 24 The Ludhiana (Rural) Police have busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket involved in illegal trade of drug smuggling and distribution of narcotics in the region. Around 3 kg of heroin and an SUV used in the crime was seized from three arrested members, including the kingpin of the gang, at a naka on the outskirts of Gurusar Kaunkey village on Monday. Commercial value of the seized drugs is estimated to be Rs 12 crore in the international market. The accused have been identified as kingpin Amandeep Singh Romi of Janta Nagar, Ludhiana, Pawan Kumar of Ajit Nagar, Singer threat case turns out to be futile cyber crime bid Ludhiana, and Bachitter Singh of Aasal village in Ferozepur district. Though the police are yet to ascertain antecedents of the accused and their other accomplices in India or across the border, preliminary investigations revealed that Romi was facing at least 14 cases already. SSP Ankur Gupta said that the CIA police under the supervision of SP (D) Rajan Sharma had nabbed the three during a naka organised on the outskirts of Gurusar Kaunkey village near Jagraon, when they were going to deliver a consignment of heroin on Monday evening. “Though we expect more recoveries and information about links of the accused, the seizure is believed to be highest at any of the police station in our district till now,” said Gupta. Further investigations revealed that Romi had been receiving consignments of drugs through Bachitter Singh, who is suspected to have close association with unknown links at localities falling under Ferozepur and Tarn Taran districts near the Indo-Pak border. However, it is yet to be ascertained whether Bachitter received contraband directly from across the border or through his local links. The investigating team is also trying to extract information regarding drone landing points near the border and mode of transportation of drugs from the border to local areas. Raikot, December 24 The Jodhan police have arrested two miscreants, who had allegedly snatched cash and valuables from a woman of Haibowal when she was going to a religious place situated near Jodhan village a week ago. The accused have been identified as Amandeep Singh Ammu and Gurjit Singh of Chachrari village in Ludhiana district. The police claimed to have seized two motorcycles and the weapon used in crime, besides the valuables snatched in the incident. SSP Ankur Gupta said cops under the supervision of Dakha DSP Varinder Khosa and Jodhan SHO Saheb Meet Singh had nabbed two persons, who had allegedly snatched cash and valuables, including a mobile phone from Bhawna of Haibowal by intercepting and threatening her with a sharp-edged weapon on December 18. Bhawna had informed the police that three miscreants riding a motorcycle had stopped her when she was going to pay obeisance at a religious place situated on Ludhiana Raikot road under the jurisdiction of Jodhan police station. Having identified the main accused, Ammu, on the basis of investigation, cops led by the SHO nabbed him and his accomplice from different places. Damaged road in Doraha fails to move NHAI, rue residents Lovleen Bains Mahesh Sharma Activists seek action against illegal mining in Jagraon Our Correspondent Jagraon, December 24 Activists from various outfits advocating for rights of agricultural labourers and small and marginal farmers urged the administration to initiate action against alleged illegal mining at localities falling under jurisdiction of Jagraon sub-division. They accused, who they called members of alleged “sand mafia”, of harassing small farmers by stealing sand from their fields. Led by Pendu Mazdoor Union president Tarsem Peter, the activists lodged a complaint to Ludhiana (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ankur Gupta , alleging involvement of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in shielding illegal miners who had been openly violating norms. Alleging that the illegal miners were removing sand from fields of individual farmers, the activists expressed regret and claimed Amarjit Singh of Maddepur village had to do manual labour as sand from his fields had been removed by some miscreants. Kirti Kissan Union president Sadhu Singh Acharwal and Pendu Mazdoor Union general secretary Avtar Singh accompanied the delegation that lodged the complaint. Christmas festivities light up city Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 24 Prominent markets are in festive mood with colourful lights and decorative articles everywhere on Christmas eve, with Christmas trees being the main attraction among the buyers. From the interior parts of the city like Chaura Bazaar and Field Ganj to Sarabha Nagar, BRS Nagar and Ghumar Mandi, the spirit of Christmas has gripped all as the shopkeepers deck up their fronts with stars, bells, colourful balls and other gift items. Children were seen making purchases of trees, Santa caps, decorative lights and gift items. As per the tradition, leading bakery shops witnessed rush for plum cakes, pastries and cookies. Many home-makers, who are good bakers, were also busy making cakes and muffins to celebrate the occasion tomorrow. Deepkiran, a baker in South City, said that this time had always been busy as residents start giving orders for the cakes well in advance. “Demand for plum cakes, caramel cakes and cupcakes gets double during Christmas days,” she added. Toy shops and gift stores are also doing good business, with children picking up Santa toys and fairy lights. The festival is going to be celebrated in churches in a grand manner with devotees reaching for prayers right in the morning on Christmas. Adding to the ambience, many markets have started playing Christmas carols. The devotees were seen shopping for candles, stars and prayer accessories. Celebrations at Sutlej Club The executive committee of the Sutlej Club has also arranged for celebrations from 12 noon tomorrow at the fun-filled Christmas carnival. The special attractions for children will be free popcorn, cotton candy, plum Christmas muffins, lucky draw gifts, kid rides and activities, etc. Christmas fervour grips city residents as they take selfies outside a mall. PHOTO: ASHWANI DHIMAN c m y b Khanna, December 24 The Khanna police claimed to have solved the case in which an unknown caller had threatened renowned Punjabi singer and film actress Amar Noori on WhatsApp last Saturday. After investigation it has now been concluded that it was an unsuccessful cyber crime attempt made by a miscreant by hacking WhatsApp account of a woman from Kapurthala. Though the caller had not made any demand for ransom directly, the investigating team had construed that the modus operandi used in the case resembles cyber crime. DSP Mohit Kumar Singla claimed that the prime suspect in the threatening call case was not a police personnel who made a call. “Bases on our investigation, we identified Sandeep Kaur of Kapurthala, whose WhatsApp number was hacked by cyber criminals when she had started conversing with someone regarding some fast-money making schemes,” Singla sai. Sandeep was surfing some philanthropic sites on Instagram that displayed some WhatsApp numbers for seeking financial aid. When Sandeep called the captioned number, the respondent got her WhatsApp number hacked by prompting her to disclose the OTP required for the purpose. The suspect later used the WhatsApp number to make the threatening call. Doraha, December 24 The service lanes of Doraha, especially Rajwant Road, is in bad state due to the pathetic attitude of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Potholes, ditches and depressions have made commuting hazardous, forcing residents to risk their lives. The NHAI’s lack of attention to road repairs has exacerbated the situation all the more. Rajwant Road is in a terrible state as it has developed deep potholes, making it hazardous for commuters. “The issue is not recent in any way. The NHAI has never bothered to assess, repair or make amends at any stage. The authorities allow the situation to go worse and then spring into action. But this time, even the worst too has least affected the concerned. Every time the contractor is contacted, he gives excuses for not initiating the repairs. Our question is that was he sleeping when the situation was turning from bad to worse?” rued Jandeep Kaushal, a social worker of the area. The road had caved in on Rajwant stretch during incessant rains a few months ago and the commuters faced great difficulty in commuting. Now, if the caved-in road has been temporarily repaired, residents still face the peril of accidents and injuries due to the poor condition of the road. “The NHAI has reduced our lives to hell. In the process of six laning, our single service lane has ceased to The damaged Rajwant Road of Doraha. be of any service to residents and commuters. Extracting crores in the form of toll and delivering bad roads in return has become the order of the day. We wonder as to why the NHAI is not held liable on this account. A resident has to pass through the service lane not once, but multiple times. Imagine the condition of our body and that of our vehicles. By shelling out thousands, we return home with pain and damaged vehicles,” was the reply of Joginder Kirti, a resident of Doraha. Gurman Jaggi, another resident, shared, “Those concerned should undertake fill- ing of potholes and repairing the damaged areas at the earliest to ensure safe passage. Also, effective water drainage system to prevent water accumulation and road damage is required. The NHAI should prioritise regular inspections, maintenance and repairs to prevent such situations.” NHAI site engineer Sandeep could not be contacted despite repeated calls. Another official, who did not wish to be named, said that the repairs should be initiated at the earliest. “As the things have normalised, we shall be repairing the service lane at the earliest,” the official added.