21032026-LT-01.qxd 3/21/2026 12:55 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune BANARAS GHARANA VOCALIST TO ENCHANT CITY TODAY » PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 22°C | MIN 12°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 14°C CELEBS SHOW US THE WAY TO NAIL THE FESTIVE EID LOOK Sunanda Sharma will perform at Sohan Lal Pahwa Auditorium in Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan. P3 FARMERS TO CONTINUE STATEWIDE PROTESTS OVER MSP, DEBT Decision reaffirmed during a state-level meeting at Shaheed Karnail Singh Isru Bhavan. P2 FORECAST Men take cues from Bollywood actors to dive deep into aesthetics of kurtas, pathanis and the perfect adaab. P4 » SUNSET SATURDAY 6:33 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:25 AM » SATURDAY | 21 MARCH 2026 | LUDHIANA Couple barges into house, snatches mobile from 4-year-old girl; nabbed Green belts along Ferozepur road turned into parking lots, NGT told Petition alleges NHAI, MC failed to ensure compliance with norms Another person’s vehicle used in crime, strict action sought against suspects MAN HAS CRIMINAL HISTORY, DRUG CASE Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 20 In an unusual case of snatching reported from Netaji Nagar mohalla in Salem Tabri here, a couple targeted a four-year-old child and snatched mobile phone from her. The suspects barged into the house and snatched the mobile from the child who was watching videos on it. Elderly grandmother of the child was sitting besides her and before she could react, the couple fled on the scene on a Honda Activa scooter. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of residents and demands are being raised that strict action should be taken against such criminals so that they should not dare to commit The man, Raju, has a criminal background as four cases, including related to drugs, were already filed against him in the past. The couple had randomly entered the house and targeted the child. Further investigation was launched. TWO-WHEELER OWNER UNDER SCANNER: COP The suspects in police custody in Ludhiana. “Though the vehicle owner said his Activa was used by a couple, his role is also under scanner as the police suspect that he was also involved in the crime,” ASI Shingara Singh said. such acts in the future. Patrolling in residential areas should also be raised. The complainant, Kris- han Lal (72), grandfather of the child, said on March 18, the main gate of their house was open and his In a different role granddaughter was watching his daughter-in-law’s mobile phone in the room while his wife was sitting near her. An unidentified couple entered the house from the main gate and snatched the mobile phone from her granddaughter’s hand and escaped from the scene. His wife raised the alarm and ran after them but they fled the place on a scooter. Later, they informed the Salem Tabri police about the incident. Investigating officer ASI Shingara Singh said during probe, a CCTV camera footage was recovered which captured the suspects. After getting information about the couple, they were nabbed. The vehicle used in the crime belongs to some other per- son. As the police reached the scooter owner, the latter while pleading innocence refused to identify the suspects. “Though the vehicle owner said his Activa was used by a couple, his role is also under scanner as the police suspect that he was also involved in the crime. The couple was identified as Ritu, alias Mannu (30), a resident of the Jassian road area in Kunj Vihar, and her husband Raj Kumar Raju (31),” he said. Raju has a criminal background as four cases, including related to drugs, were already filed against him in the past. The couple had randomly entered the house and targeted the child. Further investigation was launched, the ASI said. Neighbour held for bid to outrage woman’s modesty Girls sit on a tractor on the inaugural day of Kisan Mela at the PAU in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN Ludhiana, March 20 In a daring attempt, two miscreants barged into a house in New Kartar Nagar here and attempted to outrage the modesty of a woman. After over two-and-ahalf month of the incident, the Model Town police arrested the suspects after registering a case on Thursday. In her statement to the police, the victim stated that on January 2, she was alone at home. Two suspects, who were staying in the neighbourhood, forcibly entered the house and attempted to molest her. Hearing the noise, her father came and confronted them. Residents gathered at the scene, following which the suspects admitted their mistake, apologised and left the place. Accomplice at large, incident occurred over two months ago She said on the night of January 3 when her family was sleeping, a loud explosion was heard outside. When they went outside, their father’s car was on fire. The blaze was eventually brought under control but the vehicle was severely damaged. When the family investigated on their own, role of the two suspects came under suspicion. During the police probe, one of the suspects was arrested while the search for the other is on. They were identified as Gurmeet Singh and Mahinder Singh. — TNS An illegally converted parking lot along the Ferozepur road in Ludhiana. Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 20 The Public Action Committee (PAC) has raised serious concerns over large-scale violations along the Ferozepur road (NH-05) within municipal limits, alleging illegal conversion of designated green belt areas into parking spaces and commercial zones. Despite clear statutory mandates, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, have failed to ensure compliance. Engineers Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh stated that instead of restoring green cover, the NHAI has laid interlocking tiles in green belts and enabled illegal parking in key areas such as Bharat Nagar Chowk, PAU Gate No. 1, Circuit House and Canal Bridge to Aggar Nagar stretch. They said such areas were being misused by private entities despite availability of in-house parking. “Even after legal notices, the NHAI has permitted unauthorised billboards near Bhai Bala Chowk under the COMMERCIAL USE ‘PERMITTED’ The petition states that even after legal notices, the NHAI has permitted unauthorised billboards near Bhai Bala Chowk under the guise of beautification projects, in blatant violation of SOP norms, leading to commercialisation of public green spaces and serious traffic hazards. guise of beautification projects, in blatant violation of the SOP norms, leading to commercialisation of public green spaces and serious traffic hazards,” said Kapil Arora. They emphasised that the mandatory five-metre “No Construction Zone” meant for plantation within MC limits had been consistently ignored for over a decade, resulting in near-total loss of green belt. The situation has further deteriorated after the elevated road project (2017–2025), during which around 1,825 matured trees were felled but the NHAI had failed in restoring the environmental condition by developing green belt area as mandatory under the Green Highways Policy, 2015. Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Gurpreet Singh further stated that the NHAI, in coordination with the MC, had recently initiated construction of parking spaces within the green belt stretch from Bharat Nagar Chowk to District Courts — an action that was arbitrary, unsafe, and in clear violation of the IRC norms and environmental policies, particularly when a multi-storey parking facility already existed nearby. They also highlighted that despite longstanding public demand for a dedicated multi-storey parking facility in Feroze Gandhi Market, the MC had failed to deliver the same under the Smart City project. Rampant illegal construction within the FGM had further aggravated the situation, leading to spillover of vehicles onto public roads and intensifying congestion. The green belts of Ludhiana could not be sacrificed due to the failure on part of the MC. A large number of new buildings, including marriage palaces and banquet Continued on page 2 Bond of love! Eidi for Sikh friend 22-yr-old Kanganwal village Two bizmen get youth murdered in Dubai extortion calls from foreign numbers Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 20 Distance and religion never came in the way of the bond shared by these two friends. Khatiza, a Muslim girl from the city, makes it a point to give Eidi to her Sikh friend Khushveen Kaur every year, though the latter has moved to Canada. Mahesh Sharma Khatiza makes it a point to give Eidi to Canada-based Khushveen every year “Fortunately, her flight to Canada is scheduled for Saturday night, hence, she will be here for Eid. She never leaves without taking her Eidi and enjoying the vegetable pulao and kunafa, an Arabic sweet dish prepared with sewaiyan, which I specially make for her whenever she is in the city,” said Khatiza. For her, ‘Khushi (Khushveen) is more than a real sister. Khatiza (25) shares that Khushveen was her classmate at the Government College for Girls, who later went to Canada on a study visa. “Though I got married and became the mother of a baby girl, Khushi is unmarried. But we share a strong bond till date,” she said. Khatiza said Khushi lived Khatiza with Khushveen Kaur in Ludhiana. near her parental house in Field Ganj here and both of them used to go to the college on a Honda Activa. “We used to celebrate festivals such as Diwali and Eid together. Even today, when she is here, I made it a point to give her Eidi. And she is not going to leave before taking the same from me,” giggled Khatiza. She said throughout her student life, she had shared a special bond with her Sikh friends. “Even now, we all are in touch as Punjabis have always showered love and affection,” she added. Muslim women purchase new clothes, footwear, makeup articles to celebrate meethi Eid on Saturday. Mohammad Mustakeem, who is settled in the city for decades, said he had given Rs 70,000 to his family to make purchases. “We cannot ever deny Eidi to our loved ones on this occasion,” he said. Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 20 A family of Kanganwal village in Malerkotla district has lost their only son Mohammad Ramjan (22), who had gone to Dubai in search of greener pastures about five months ago. He was allegedly killed by unidentified assailants on March 15 there. But his body is yet to be repatriated. As the family is already facing financial constraints due to huge loans taken for sending Ramjan to Dubai through a travel agent, arranging money for bringing the body is also a challenge for his parents. Residents, led by former sarpanch Rupinder Singh Pindu, have urged the Union Government and the Punjab Government to come to the rescue of the family and facilitate transportation of the body. Tempo driver Tufail Mohammad of Kanganwal and his wife are regretting their decision of sending their only son Mohammad Ramjan to the UAE for starting his professional career with a private company there about five months ago. c m y b Mohammad Ramjan, deceased. Went there for job about five months ago, kin struggle to bring only son’s body home Asgar Ali, a close relative of the family, said he had been coordinating with friends of the deceased after coming to know that his (Ramjan’s) body was lying at a hospital in Dubai. Ali said the family was in touch with the Dubai police which were trying to probe the sequence of events leading to the death of Ramjan, who was returning to his room after performing Namaz on Sunday evening. “We have got CCTV footage of some cameras installed on the route in Dubai which suggest that the assailants had attacked Ramjan at a place that was beyond the reach of CCTVs,” said Ali, maintaining that the Dubai police had assured the family that the body would repatriated after Monday. The ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, Ramzan holidays in Dubai and legal procedure post the murder were reportedly complicated the repatriation process. The aggrieved family has demanded a probe by senior officials of the UAE Police into the murder of the youth. Meanwhile, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh Boparai claimed to have taken up the issue with the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Union Government. “Coming to know about the incident, I talked to the minister, who assured me that he would coordinate with the authorities in Dubai to get the process for repatriation of the body expedited,” said Boparai, adding that a communiqué was also forwarded to the Consulate General of India, Dubai. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 20 Two cases of extortion and death threats targeting local businessmen came to the fore in the city. A bakery owner located on Hambran Road was asked for Rs 20 lakh while a prominent jeweller was threatened to pay Rs 5 crore. The police registered FIRs in both cases and launched investigation. In the first incident, Jindarpal, who runs a bakery on Hambran Road, filed a complaint with the Police Division 8. He stated that on March 16, a call was received from a foreign number on the shop’s landline, which was answered by an employee. The caller identified himself as a member of the Gopi Lahoria gang and demanded ?20 lakh within two days. The next day, more calls were received. When he ignored the same, he received audio messages on WhatsApp threatening hislife.Following the complaint, the police registered a case against Gopi and are tracing the digital footprint of the calls. The second case was reported in the jurisdiction of the PAU police station. Tushar Bhandari, owner of Dhingra Jewelers in Sarafa Bazaar, received a WhatsApp message from a foreign number on March 12, simply stating “five crore”. Minutes later, he received two missed calls from the number, followed by an image of a person holding a pistol, with the name ‘Goldy Brar’ written on it. The jeweller informed the police that the unidentified sender demanded ?5 crore in lieu of his safety. Even after the initial police complaint, the victim received threatening audio messages. The police registered a formal case and are trying to trace the international number used in the crime. Following the rise in such cases, the police are on high alert. According to senior officials, technical surveillance and call details are being analysed to trace call locations and identify the perpetrators. The police said they would take strict action against the suspects and ensure the safety of traders. Notably, most of the extortion cases are lying unsolved as calls are being received from foreign numbers.