23082026-JTR-01.qxd 22-08-2026 22:15 Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune TEACHERS UNION CONDEMNS ‘HARASSMENT’ OF ETT PROTESTERS RAILWAY BOARD MEMBER REVIEWS PRODUCTION AT RCF Sunil Kumar, Additional Member (Production Units), visited Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, to review production activities. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 33°C | MIN 28°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C ARJUN RAMPAL MARRIES LONGTIME GIRLFRIEND GABRIELLA DEMETRIADES The union condemned police ‘harassment’ of ETT protesters who were demanding justice outside Finance Minister’s residence. P2 FORECAST After nearly eight years of dating, actor Arjun Rampal married model Gabriella Demetriades at a simple ceremony in Goa.P4 » » SUNSET SUNDAY 7.02 PM SUNRISE MONDAY 5.58 AM » SUNDAY | 23 AUGUST 2026 | JALANDHAR The Tribune has started a Q and A column to address your health-related queries. Please mail your questions (not exceeding 40 words) at healthandwellness@tribunemail.com. The Tribune’s panel of doctors will answer all your healthrelated concerns. Helper among six arrested in ~72-lakh robbery case Police recover full amount and return cash to iron merchant INBRIEF THREE BOOKED FOR MURDER BID Shahkot: The Mehatpur police have booked three persons on the charge of attempt to murder. Karmjit Singh, a resident of Umrewal Billa village, complained to the police that the accused waylaid him on August 19, attacked him with sharpedged weapons, seriously injured him and threatened him. Investigating Officer Davindar Singh said a case was registered against unidentified accused. OC WOMAN HELD FOR PICKPOCKETING Nakodar: The Nakodar city police have arrested a woman on charges of pickpocketing at the Dera Baba Murad Shah Festival. Investigating Officer (IO) Rajindar Pal Singh said the accused was identified as Ranno, a resident of Professor Colony, Nurmahal. The IO said the accused was allegedly indulging in pickpocketing at the festival. Stolen items were recovered from her possession. A case was registered against the accused, the IO said. OC VILLAGER DIES BY SUICIDE Shahkot: A Shahkot village resident died by suicide on Friday. Investigating Officer (IO) Bagicha Singh said the deceased was identified as Harwindar Singh, a resident of Khanpur Rajputan village. Paramjit Singh, a resident of the same village, told the police that the deceased had strangulated himself. The IO said the police, acting under Section 174 of the BNSS, handed over the body to the family after a post-mortem examination. OC TWO BOOKED FOR ASSAULT Phagwara: The Nakodar Sadar police have booked a fatherson duo on the charge of assaulting a shopkeeper. Investigating Officer (IO) Buta Ram said the accused were identified as Jagjit Singh, alias Jaggi, a resident of Chuharr village, and his son, Gaurav. Manjit Singh, a resident of Khanpur Dhadda village, complained to the police that the accused barged into his shop at Uggi village and assaulted him. OC TWO HELD WITH WEAPON, AMMO Garhshankar: The police have arrested two persons and recovered a country-made pistol and 15 live cartridges from their possession. According to the police, the accused were intercepted at a naka in the area. During their search, the police recovered a country-made pistol and cartridges from them. The accused were identified as Anmol Rathore of Kokewal village and Sujal Hans of Binewal village. The source of the weapon and ammunition and the purpose for which these were allegedly being carried are being ascertained. OC Jalandhar, August 22 The Jalandhar City police have arrested six persons and recovered the entire Rs 72 lakh allegedly looted from an iron merchant in Surya Enclave. Commissioner of Police (CP) Satinder Singh and his team handed over the recovered cash to the victim, Lalit Mittal, on Saturday evening. The robbery took place on the evening of August 17. During the investigation, police identified Sunny Khosla, a helper of Mittal, as the alleged main accused. Police said Khosla was aware that Mittal usually returned home from work carrying a substantial amount of cash. His brother-in-law allegedly colluded with him and arranged other persons to carry out the robbery. According to police, Mittal was returning home after work when the accused allegedly chased and intercepted his white car, bearing registration number PB08CZ-3589, in Surya Enclave. The accused allegedly rammed their vehicle into his car from behind, smashed the front windshield with a rod and fled with a bag containing approximately Rs 72 lakh in cash. Police also recovered two unnumbered cars, a Hon- PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Tribune News Service Businessman Lalit Mittal receives cash from Police Commissioner Satinder Singh in Jalandhar. da Amaze and a Toyota Etios, along with two mobile phones, a baseball bat and a stick allegedly used during the crime. Sub-Inspector Prem Pal of the Rama Mandi police station and his team reached the spot shortly after the incident. They inspected the scene, registered a case and launched an investigation. A special team was subsequently constituted by senior officers, which traced and arrested six accused — Sunny Khosla, alias Mona, Rajvir Gill, Ranjit Singh, brothers Sahil and Vikas, and Hardeep Singh, alias Deepu. The accused are residents of different areas of Gurdaspur, Batala, Kapurthala and Jalandhar. CP Satinder Singh said the accused were produced before a local court, which granted five days of police remand. FIR No. 205 was registered at the Rama Mandi police station under Section 309(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said. DCP (City) Aditya Warrier, DCP (Investigation) Man- preet Singh Dhillon, ADCP1 Mukhtiar Rai, ACP (Central Jalandhar) Rajesh Thakur and CIA Staff incharge Inspector Surinder Kumar were part of the investigation team. The CP said all the accused except Sunny Khosla and Ranjit Singh had previous criminal cases registered against them at various police stations in Batala, Pathankot, Kapurthala and Jalandhar. Mittal, the victim, also owns a school in Jalandhar near the AmritsarJalandhar bypass. 2 youths killed as bike collides with stray animal Nakodar, August 22 Two youths from Ferozepur died after their motorcycle collided with a stray animal on the Jalandhar-Nakodar road near Nakodar city on Friday. Nakodar city Station House Officer (SHO) Harmindar Singh said the deceased were identified as Paras, alias Manni (19), a resident of Jhuge Kishor Singh village under the Mamdot police station in Ferozepur, and Gurwindar Singh, alias Babbu (18), a resident of Sahan Ke village, also under the Mamdot police station. Shinda Singh of Jhuge Kishor Singh village told the police that the two youths were returning home from Jalandhar when their motorcycle collided with a stray animal near Nakodar city. Both died on the spot. The SHO said the police, acting under Section 194 of the BNSS, handed over the bodies to the families of the deceased. — OC Three minors held for snatching bid Jalandhar, August 22 The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police have arrested three minors for snatching bid and assault on a woman in the jurisdiction of Basti Bawa Khel police station. Madhvi Sharma, ADCP City-2, said three bike-borne juveniles allegedly attempted to snatch from a woman and assaulted her while brandishing a sharp-edged weapon. The weapon used in the crime and the bike on which they were riding was recovered, she said. — TNS LAST WEEK OF THE SALE! SACHDEVA’S FASHIONAIRE Grand August SALE 60% UPTO HEALTH & WELLNESS OFF Designer Suits & Dresses, Ethnic Sarees & Bridal Wear Sale Ends On 30th Aug’26 SAFFRON MALL, NEAR GPO, JALANDHAR CITY +91-9888001470 Two duped of ~3.82L in cyber fraud cases Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, August 22 Cyber fraudsters duped two persons of Rs 3.82 lakh in separate incidents in the district. The cyber police have registered cases and initiated investigations. In the first case, Surinder Pal, a resident of Nandachor, told the police that he received a call from an unidentified person who claimed that his son had met with a road accident in Dubai. The caller told him that money was urgently required for his son’s treatment and allegedly managed to convince him to transfer Rs 1.30 lakh. Later, Surinder Pal contact- ed his son and found that he had not met with any accident. He subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint. In the second case, Daljit Singh, a resident of Jhingar village, said he had seen an advertisement on social media offering dry fruits at unusually low prices. He placed an order for five kg of almonds and transferred Rs 2,000 as payment. When almonds were not delivered, he contacted the number mentioned in the advertisement. The person allegedly sought his bank details on the pretext of refunding money and subsequently withdrew Rs 2.52 lakh from his SBI account. Man killed, two injured in firing Purported post claims responsibility for killing at Hoshiarpur vegetable market Our Correspondent Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, August 22 A man was killed and two of his associates injured after unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire at Rahimpur Sabzi Mandi on Saturday afternoon, triggering panic among traders and visitors at the busy market. The incident took place around 3 pm when the assailants allegedly opened fire at the group. Preliminary information suggests that around 20 to 25 rounds were fired during the attack. The deceased was identified as Manpreet Singh, a resident of Saido Patti village. He had reportedly been released on bail from Hoshiarpur jail some time ago. The two injured men accompanying him were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Police reached the spot soon after receiving information about the firing and cordoned off the area. A forensic team was also expected to examine the crime scene and collect evidence. DSP (City) Kulbhushan said police were examining CCTV footage from the market and the adjoining areas to identify the assailants and establish their route of escape. “Teams have been deployed to trace the accused,” he said. The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear. Police were also probing the background of the deceased and his associates to determine whether the incident was linked to any previous enmity or criminal rivalry. A case is being registered, and further investigation is underway. Hoshiarpur, August 22 Hours after the broad-daylight killing of Manpreet Singh in a firing incident at Rahimpur Sabzi Mandi, a purported social media post from an account named “Billa_Tanda” surfaced, claiming responsibility for the attack and making several allegations linked to an alleged rivalry. The post, which was accompanied by a photograph of deceased Manpreet with a red cross drawn over his image, begins with “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh” and names “Tinder Dhadialia, Veeru Bhathe, Pala, Sonu Rormzaria and Taggar” in connection with the incident, according to the Roman Punjabi text posted on the account. The writer alleges that Manpreet had earlier been involved in the killing of their associate “Billa” and claims that the killing was orchestrated while another person, referred to as “Deepa”, was lodged in Ludhiana jail. The post also alleges that Manpreet had caused harm to Billa in the presence of his children and refers to alleged disputes involving several other individuals. The purported post contains threats of retaliation against persons allegedly associated with the rival side. It also makes claims about the presence of several weapons during the incident and calls on the police to verify the allegations. Towards the end, the writer warns certain individuals, concluding with the words, “Wait and watch.” The post also includes several hashtags. The post could provide an important lead for investi- gators, as it refers to an alleged longstanding rivalry, a possible motive for the killing, and names of individuals purportedly connected to the incident. However, the authenticity of the social media account, the identity of the person who uploaded the post and the claims made in it could not be independently verified. Police have so far not officially confirmed the allegations contained in the post or attributed the killing to any particular person or group. The purported social media post is also likely to be examined as part of the investigation. Consumer panel awards ~2.16 lakh to couple in dispute 1,070 candidates to appear over preserving newborn’s umbilical cord blood sample for NEET PG examination Our Correspondent Tribune News Service Jalandhar, August 22 A city-based couple’s attempt to preserve their newborn’s umbilical cord blood stem cells ended in a consumer court battle after the sample was rejected over a payment delay, just as they were arranging a cheque to clear the outstanding amount. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has now awarded the couple Rs 2.16 lakh in compensation and expenses, holding stem cell preservation company Cordlife Sciences India Pvt Ltd guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. The case was filed by Harsimran Singh Sachdeva and his wife, Mehakpreet Kaur, who had opted for the company’s cord blood and stem cell preservation service during pregnancy. They paid Rs 6,490 upfront, after which the company collected their newborn’s umbilical cord blood sample from the hospital on September 15, 2023. On September 18, the company emailed the couple confirming that the specimen had safely reached its storage centre. However, a week later, the couple was contacted by a company executive seeking the remaining payment. The couple told the commission that they agreed to provide a cheque and even shared their location so it could be collected. But before the cheque could reach the company, the newborn’s THE CASE A couple’s attempt to preserve their newborn’s umbilical cord blood stem cells ended in a consumer court victory after the sample was rejected over an alleged payment delay, even as they were arranging a cheque to clear the outstanding amount. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held Cordlife Sciences India Pvt Ltd guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, noting that the company rejected the sample just one minute after the couple agreed to hand over the payment. sample was rejected. The commission noted that the couple had agreed to hand over the cheque at 1 pm, while the rejection message was sent at 1.01 pm, citing delayed payment. The couple maintained that c m y b they had never refused to pay and had received no prior notice warning that failure to make the payment within a specified period would result in rejection of the sample. Cordlife defended its action by citing the terms of its agreement, under which it claimed the company could refuse to process or discard a perishable specimen if the required fee and documents were not submitted within the prescribed period. The commission, however, found that the contractual provisions did not clearly establish when the balance payment was due. It also noted that the agreement provided a 60-business-day period for nonpayment of dues, while the company had rejected the sample much earlier. The panel observed that even if the payment was outstanding, the couple should have been given an opportunity to rectify the default before the sample was rejected. The commission also underscored the significance of the lost opportunity, noting that cord blood can be collected only at the time of childbirth and that the opportunity could not be restored once the sample was discarded. In its verdict, the commission ordered Cordlife to refund Rs 6,490 with six per cent annual interest, along with Rs 2 lakh in compensation for mental agony, loss and harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. The company has been given 45 days to comply with the order. Kapurthala, August 22 Deputy Commissioner Akash Bansal on Saturday reviewed preparations for the upcoming National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET PG) examination, scheduled for August 30. He directed officials to make comprehensive arrangements to ensure the smooth and hassle-free conduct of the examination. Additional Deputy Commissioner Randeep Singh Heer, SDM Navjot Sharma and other senior officials were also present during the review. Bansal visited examination centres set up at a private university and took stock of the arrangements for candidates and examination staff. He interacted with officials and issued necessary directions to ensure that all preparations were completed well in advance. As many as 1,070 candidates are expected to appear for the examination on August 30. The test will be conducted from 9 am to 12 noon, with candidates required to report at their respective examination centres by 7 am. Bansal directed officials to pay special attention to entry and exit arrangements, security, traffic management, seating, drinking water, sanitation, power supply and other basic facilities at the examination centres. He also emphasised on the need for close coordination among all departments deployed for examination duty to ensure that candidates face no inconvenience. He further directed officials to strictly adhere to the examination guidelines and protocols.