07062026-LT-01.qxd 6/7/2026 1:00 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune AMRITSAR: FIRST POSTING AND A LASTING MEMORY VETERAN BRITISH ACTOR ANTHONY HEAD DIES AT 72 ANIMAL STAR TRIPTI DIMRI REFLECTS ON OVERNIGHT FAME Punjabis, with their deep affection for uniforms,welcomedthisyoung‘Madrasi’ IPS officer with open arms. P3 Actor Anthony Head was best known for his roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso. P4 She says after Animal only way she could stay grounded was by continuing to focus on work itself. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 40°C | MIN 27°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 26°C SUNSET SUNDAY 7:22 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5:21 AM SUNDAY | 7 JUNE 2026 | LUDHIANA Kin of missing 17-yr-old girl block NH for one hour, allege inaction Say police failed to act promptly despite being provided with info, CCTV footage Sukhpreet Singh Ludhiana, June 6 Amid growing concern over the issue of missing girls in the city, relatives of a 17-yearold girl, along with auto-rickshaw drivers and local residents, blocked the national highway near Basti Jodhewal for nearly an hour on Saturday, alleging inaction by the police in tracing the minor who has been missing since Wednesday. The agitation was called off after senior police officials reached the spot and assured the family that all efforts were being made to trace the girl and the investigation would be expedited. The girl’s father, an autorickshaw driver, said the family had been running from pillar to post since their daughter went missing. He alleged that the police had failed to act promptly despite being provided with information and CCTV footage. According to the FIR registered by the Daresi police, the complainant stated that his 17-year-old daughter left home around 6 am on June 3 for a morning walk Kin of the victim protest on the national highway near Basti Jodhewal in Ludhiana. SEVERAL GIRLS WENT MISSING IN PAST WEEKS The incident has again brought the spotlight on the issue of missing girls in the city. In recent weeks, the matter had drawn public attention after concerns were raised over several girls reportedly going missing from different parts of Ludhiana. but did not return. The family searched for her at relatives’ houses and other places but failed to locate her. The father alleged that three persons seen in the CCTV footage had lured her away. Based on his complaint, the police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, pertaining to kidnapping of the minor. The incident has again brought the spotlight on the issue of missing girls in Ludhiana. In recent weeks, the matter had drawn public attention after concerns were raised over several girls reportedly going missing from different parts of the city. While addressing the protesters, police officials assured the family that the case was being investigated seriously and CCTV footage was being analysed. ADCP Sameer Verma said: “A case has been registered against unidentified men and their mobile locations are already sent for tracing and the suspects will be nabbed soon.” SHO Gurmit Singh of the Daresi police station said: “We are trying to find the girl. As per investigation conducted so far, she appears to have gone with a boy. Her mobile phone is switched off and our teams are tracing her movements through CCTV footage and other technical means. Efforts are on to locate her at the earliest.” Police sources said teams had been formed to trace the victim and several locations were being verified based on available leads. Officials said the probe was progressing and appealed to the public not to spread rumours about the case. The family, however, urged the authorities to ensure safe recovery of the girl at the earliest, adding that they would continue to pursue the matter till she was traced. Road caves in on busy stretch, mishap averted Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 A major accident was averted after a portion of the road caved in on the busy stretch between Mint Gumri Chowk and Gulati Chowk on Saturday evening, creating a deep crater. Fortunately, no vehicle was passing through the spot when the incident occurred. Residents said the incident could have resulted in a serious accident as heavy traffic is witnessed on the road throughout the day. After noticing the crater, local shopkeepers acted promptly and placed a red flag near the spot to alert motorists and pedestrians. A similar incident of road subsidence had occurred a short distance away on the same stretch in the past, raising concerns about the condition of the road infrastructure. City resident Arvind Sharma informed Municipal Corporation officials about the cave-in. Following the complaint, a team of the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cell reached the site and installed a barricade at the affected spot. Sharma said the Mint Gum- The caved-in portion of the stretch between Mint Gumri Chowk and Gulati Chowk in Ludhiana. Thieves decamp with 60 LPG cylinders Duped by travel agent, man from Sahnewal agency, CCTV captures act jailed in Mauritius back home Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 In a daring late-night burglary that has raised concerns amid an ongoing shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, unidentified thieves allegedly decamped with around 60 commercial gas cylinders and other items from a gas agency in Sahnewal, causing estimated loss of over Rs 4 lakh. The incident occurred at the LPG agency located in Umaidpur village. Despite attempts by the burglars to disable the surveillance system, their movements were captured on CCTV cameras, providing crucial leads to investigators. According to the complaint filed by the agency owner, Vishal Singla, a resident of Patiala, the suspects entered the premises during the night by scaling the boundary wall. After gaining entry, they allegedly tried to evade detection by turning one CCTV camera away from the scene and tampering with another camera’s wiring. Afterwards, they allegedly broke into the office and took away electronic equipment, including a laptop, printer and internet modem. From the storage area of the agency, the burglars allegedly loaded 48 commercial LPG cylinders of 19 kg each and 12 cylinders of 5 kg each into a vehicle, which they brought for transporting the stolen items. While trying to destroy evidence, the suspects reportedly took away the Internet modem, mistaking it for DVR. However, footage of the incident was available and it is now being examined by the police. The theft has drawn attention as it comes at a time when many businesses in the city are already facing difficulties due to limited availability of commercial LPG cylinders. The agency owner alleged that though the incident was reported immediately after it came to light, the FIR was registered after a considerable delay. Investigating officer ASI Karnail Singh said the police registered a case after completing a preliminary inquiry. An FIR has been lodged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to house trespass and theft. Police teams are analysing the CCTV footage and gathering technical evidence to identify the suspects. Efforts are underway to trace the vehicle used in the crime and recover the stolen cylinders and other valuables. Our Correspondent Kapurthala, June 6 Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Ludhiana who recently returned from a jail in Mauritius, has alleged that travel agents are running a largescale human trafficking racket under the guise of tourist travel. Speaking at Sultanpur Lodhi, where he arrived with his family to thank Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, Jaswinder said that innocent Punjabis are being trapped and exploited abroad by unscrupulous travel agents. He explained that he had travelled to Mauritius in January last year, where a visa is issued Jaswinder Singh upon arrival at the airport. According to him, travel agents exploit this facility to lure people overseas. Jaswinder Singh stated that travel agents specifically target tourists. He further revealed that he traveled to Mauritius on a tourist visa in January 2025. Upon arrival, the company management confiscated his passport. The travel agent repeatedly assured him that his tourist visa would be converted into a work visa. As long as the company had work available, he was employed; however, once the work ended, he was dismissed. The company then refused to return his passport, leaving him undocumented and in an overstayed status. During this period, local police detained him and he lost contact with his family for nearly 15 to 20 days. According to available information, the company retained his passport continued on page 2 Three booked for Protesting worker’s arrest, Cong ‘fails’ to unite cadres setting vehicle afire Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 Unidentified miscreants allegedly set a parked vehicle on fire outside a house in Haibowal Kalan here during night hours recently. The incident, which was captured on CCTV cameras, resulted in the vehicle being completely gutted within a short period. The case was registered on the complaint of Mohammad Shakir, a resident of Gaganpreet Vihar in Haibowal Kalan. According to the complainant, he had parked his Mahindra KUV100 in an open plot opposite his residence on the night of May 30. Police investigations revealed that three masked miscreants came in a car to the area late at night. The CCTV footage allegedly shows the suspects stopping near the parked vehicle before carrying out the crime. One of the suspects was seen approaching the vehicle with a container, believed to containing some inflammable substance. After some time, the vehicle was seen engulfed in flames. Afterwards, the suspects fled the scene in their vehicle. The parked vehicle was damaged in the fire. The incident created a panic among residents of the locality, who rushed out of their homes after noticing the blaze. However, by the time the fire was brought under control, the vehicle was completely destroyed. In his complaint, Shakir stated that he was not having any enmity with anyone. However, he suspected that the incident could be linked to a businessrelated rivalry involving his brother-in-law. ASI Makkhan Singh said a case had been registered. — TNS Ludhiana, June 6 Again, divisions within the Congress came to the fore in its district unit. On Saturday, when the state unit of the party gave a call for protests across Punjab against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government by symbolically disassembling brooms, local leaders seemed divided in their response. While Congress workers and leaders in the Ludhiana East and Central constituencies held demonstrations, no such protest was organised in other constituencies, indicating lack of unity in the district unit. Though none of the leaders was vocal about the division, it was evident from the fact that the call given by PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring for protests was not approved by all party leaders. The Congress had Congress leaders and workers hold a protest in Ludhiana on Saturday. ASHWANI DHIMAN announced the unique protest to oppose the detention of a party worker for allegedly “disrespecting” AAP election symbol “broom” in Hoshiarpur’s Tanda. The party leadership c m y b decided to replicate the act across the state as a symbolic protest against the ruling AAP for their failure in curbing law and order, providing safety to minor girls, controlling gang wars, etc. ri Chowk-Gulati Chowk stretch was among the busiest roads in the city and repeated incidents of road cave-ins indicated possible defects in the water supply or sewerage network beneath the road. He demanded an inspection of underground pipelines and immediate corrective measures. O&M cell SDO Harjot Singh said safety measures were taken after receiving information about the incident. He said excavation work would be carried out on Sunday morning to ascertain the exact cause of the cave-in and undertake repairs. District Congress Committee president Sanjay Talwar said demonstrations were held in Ludhiana in line with the party’s call. However, senior leaders, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana West and Rakesh Pandey in Ludhiana North, did not organise any protest in their respective constituencies. “Congress leaders and workers held protests in various districts of Punjab. Broom bristles were scattered to give a symbolic message that the ruling party is heading towards a similar fate in the 2027 Assembly elections,” he said. A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said the party again seemed divided on the issue. “While some leaders came forward and organised protests, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Rakesh Pandey stayed away. With the Assembly elections drawing closer, the divide within the cadre is becoming increasingly visible,” the leader said. Despite attempts, Ashu and Simarjit Singh Bains were not available for comments. Farmer assaulted after dispute over parking, probe on Ludhiana, June 6 A disagreement over a vehicle allegedly blocking a narrow residential lane turned into a violent altercation on Hambran Road, with a farmer claiming he was assaulted by a group of men. One of the suspects allegedly fired shots in the air with a licensed pistol before fleeing the scene. The PAU police have registered a case against seven persons, including four unidentified. No arrest had been made till the filing of the report. The named suspects have been identified as Surya Pratap, his father Amit Grewal of Balloke village in the Haibowal area and Inderjit Singh Brar of Pratap Singh Wala. The case was registered on the complaint of Dharminder Singh, a 30-year-old farmer and resident of Raja Garden, Hambran. According to the complainant, the incident occurred when he was trying to take his car out of house and found another vehicle parked in a manner that blocked his passage. Dharminder alleged that he requested the driver to move the vehicle. However, an argument reportedly broke out between the two parties. The complainant claimed that later, the suspect called their associates to the spot and allegedly attacked him. During the altercation, one of the suspects, identified as Inderjit Singh Brar, allegedly pulled out a licensed pistol and fired shots in the air, creating panic in the locality. Afterwards, he left the scene. Following the complaint, the police initiated a probe. SHO inspector Rajinderpal Singh said the inquiry confirmed that shots had been fired from a licensed weapon during the incident. Based on the findings, the police registered a case. — TNS