25092026-LT-01.qxd 9/25/2026 1:03 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune 36 TEAMS VIE FOR HONOURS IN STATE-LEVEL FOOTBALL MEET BOLLYWOOD ALONE IS NOT CINEMA: DEVKANYA THAKUR VIR DAS EARNS THIRD EMMY NOMINATION FOR FOOL VOLUME The competition, organised as part of State Inter-District School Games, is being held in Jalandhar. P3 The brain behind the Shimla film festival wants to promote regional filmmakers & local languages. P4 He picked up his 3rd career nomination for his special Fool Volume, competing against Division Palermo: Season 2. P4 » » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 35°C | MIN 23°C YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6:15 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6:13 AM FRIDAY | 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 | LUDHIANA Posing as cops, five abduct man, demand ~50K ransom Threaten implication in drug case, settle deal at ~30,000 Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 Miscreants posing as police personnel abducted a 27year-old man from Bihari Colony here in a Mahindra Bolero vehicle and later demanded Rs 50,000 as ransom for his release, threatening the family that ‘chitta’ (heroin) had been recovered from him. The family negotiated with the suspects and the deal was settled at Rs 30,000. Acting on information, the police swung into action and detained the miscreants. On the complaint of Lalita, victim’s mother and a resident of Bihari Colony near Domestic disputes drive two men to suicide Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 Two cases of suicide reported in the city on Thursday. The victims ended their lives due to domestic issues. In the first incident, a man in the Shimlapuri area ended his life by hanging. He was allegedly upset over some domestic issue. The deceased has been identified as Gagandeep Singh of Shimlapuri. On the statement of his father Amrik Singh, the Shimlapuri police have registered a case against Gagandeep’s wife Rajneet Kaur, Amritpal Singh and Sahil Sarao. In the other case, Vijay Kumar Pathania, a resident of Kehar Singh Nagar in Haibowal, allegedly consumed some poisonous substance. He was disturbed due to some family issues. Before consuming the poison, Vijay made a video and also wrote a suicide note. In the video, he spoke about the issues he was facing. Deceased’s brother Ajay said a complaint was lodged with the police to seek registration of a case against the deceased’s wife and others. Bidding adieu DETAINED, SENT TO 3-DAY POLICE CUSTODY The suspects were produced in a court, which remanded them in three-day police custody for interrogation. Preliminary probe has revealed that the suspects had prior enmity with the complainant. Further investigation is under way. Tajpur Road, the Police Division 7 registered a case against Ranvir, a resident of Mundian Kalan; Parmjeet Singh, Karam Ali of Parmjeet Nagar, Mundian Khurd; Kulwinder of Rishi Nagar and Raminderjeet Singh. In her complaint, Lalita stated that the suspects came in a Mahindra Bolero and a Maruti Swift on September 23, introduced themselves as police officials and forcibly bundled her son Dhiraj Sahni into the Bolero. They also thrashed her son. After taking him into illegal custody, the suspects called his family and claimed that ‘chitta’ was recovered from him. They demanded Rs 50,000 for the victim’s release. Later, the deal was allegedly settled at Rs 30,000. Investigating officer ASI Randhir Singh said the police had already received information about the incident. They swung into action, detained the suspects and took the Bolero and Swift vehicles into their custody. The suspects were produced in a court, which remanded them in three-day police custody for interrogation. Preliminary probe has revealed that the suspects had prior enmity with the complainant. Further investigation is under way. The police have registered a case under various sections relating to kidnapping, ransom demand and other serious offences. Devotees perform rituals during the Ganpati Visarjan at the Sutlej in Ludhiana on Thursday. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN MORE PICS ON P2 Jail inmate quizzed after gangster Goldy Dhillon’s NRI’s video recorded extortion, abduction threats to 4 bizmen brothers before suicide goes probe, anyone found involved will not be spared. Other five suspects will also be questioned in the case,” added the police official. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 A month after notorious and an overseas gangster Goldy Dhillon allegedly made extortion calls to the four prominent businessmen brothers of the industrial town, the Ludhiana police have brought a man for interrogation from the Central Jail. Dhillon is not new to extortion, named in several cases Suspect is a former employee of complainant, five others also identified The suspect is said to be the former employee of the bizmen. The suspect, identified as Damanpreet Singh, a resident of Chimni road, Shimlapuri, was lodged in jail in a fraud case. He is suspected to have links with gangster Dhillon and persuaded the latter for making extortion calls to the bizmen brothers to extort a huge sum. After obtaining the police remand of the suspect, his interrogation was being conducted at CIA staff police station. A special team was deputed to interrogate the Among the six named, Damanpreet is suspected to be the prime conspirator and his role is being probed. suspect, His direct involvement is suspected in facilitating extortion calls through the gangster and the police expect to bust the conspiracy of extortion being hatched from the jail. In his complaint to the police, Pardeep Singla, a resident of Dhandra Road, stated that he and his three brothers had received repeated calls and voice messages from four foreign numbers. The caller claiming to be gangster Goldy Dhillon issued death threats and demanded a huge sum of extortion. He also threatened to kidnap his family members if the extortion demand is not met. The police have been provided with four foreign mobile numbers of Britain, Portugal and other countries. The police have already been examining the calls, voice messages and the source of contact. A senior police official confirmed to The Tribune that during a probe, the role of Damanpreet, an ex-employ- ee of the complainant, was suspected. After obtaining his production warrant, he was brought for questioning from the jail. He, along five other suspects, were nominated in the already registered FIR at the Sadar police station, Ludhiana. Among the six nominated, Damanpreet is suspected to be the prime conspirator and his role is being probed. “The suspect’s questioning so far has given vital clues to the police in the extortion case. Let the police complete the Gangster Goldy Dhillon is not new to the extortion racket. He was booked in several cases of extortion and his associates were also held by Ludhiana, Jagraon and Khanna police. On September 23, CIA staff of the Ludhiana rural police claimed to have achieved a major success by nabbing Dhillon’s henchman and recovering a Zigana pistol and cartridges from his possession. He was given responsibility for an attack in Patiala and another task of firing at the house of a property dealer in New Chandigarh. The national president of the International Anti-Khalistani Terrorist Front, Gursimran Singh Mand, had also recently alleged that he received a threatening call from a caller posing as gangster Dhillon. viral, kin refuse last rites Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 A video of property dealer Satnam Singh (70), who died by suicide in a hotel here after coming from England, has surfaced on social media. He filmed the video before the suicide, accusing his uncle’s daughters and a Central Government officer of harassing him. Satnam had said a false case was filed against him which forced him to take the extreme step. Meanwhile, the family has turned to social media to demand justice. A page in the name of ‘Justice for Satnam Singh” has been created on Instagram. In a latest post shared on it, his family said they would not cremate the body till all suspects were arrested. Three suspects were already arrested by the Ludhiana police in the case earlier. In the video, Satnam Singh had said: “My uncle had five daughters and he adopted me as his son. After my uncle’s death in 1990, my aunt stayed with me for 31 years. My family took great care of her. In the final stages of cancer, she bequeathed house 43B to me.” “Aunt’s daughters, by using their links, get registered a false FIR of property fraud against me. In exchange for cancelling the case, the suspects demanded 5 acres of land and houses number 43-B and 44-B at Sarabha Nagar be transferred to their name. They also threatened to include the names of my two sons, Samardeep Singh and Sartaj, in the FIR, if I did not comply,” it said. The post further read: “The last rites will not be held till the arrests are made. The family is demanding justice. Please spread this message as widely as possible.” The NRI, who is a businessman, had rented a hotel room on Pakhowal Road on Sunday and on Monday, he was found dead by hotel staff. Bank closure likely to impact trade, industry Bullet hits factory worker on Banks issue advisory; rooftop; kin suspect neighbour branches to function Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 Trade and industry are staring at major disruption as banks are set to remain shut for five consecutive days, with employee unions calling a three-day nationwide strike immediately after the weekend. Banks will remain closed on September 26 and 27 on account of the fourth Saturday and Sunday. It will be followed by a three-day strike from September 28 to 30 called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). Opposing the proposed strike, World MSME Forum president Badish Jindal described it as an attempt to pressure the government into implementing a fiveday banking week despite the country’s continued dependence on physical branch banking. “Such strikes are not merely a dispute between employees and management. They directly affect millions of businesses, traders, manufacturers, exporters, workers and consumers across the country. Bank strikes are fundamentally anti-trade and anti-industry, and it is the duty of the Central Government to ensure that essential financial services are not affected due to such disruptions,” he said. Local businessmen said routine banking operations would remain severely affected during the five-day period. Chartered accountant Kailash Sehgal said the timing of the strike could not have been worse as several taxpayers are yet to file their income tax returns before the September 30 deadline. “Many taxpayers are in the final stages of filing their returns. The strike is bound to create difficulties and delays,” he said. on Sunday The Ministry of Finance has issued an advisory to ensure that banking services remain available to the public despite the proposed three-day nationwide strike by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30, 2026. As the strike follows the weekend holidays of September 26 and 27, the government has directed all public sector banks and regional rural banks to function nor- mally on Sunday, September 27, so that the public does not face prolonged disruption. The Reserve Bank of India has approved the opening of all bank branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and Currency Chests on September 27. The ministry said the welfare and convenience of customers remained its foremost priority. It added that both government and bank managements had urged unions to defer the strike while contingency measures had been put in place to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential banking services. SBI issues advisory The State Bank of India (SBI) has advised customers to complete important banking transactions well in advance of the proposed UFBU strike from September 28 to 30. While assuring customers c m y b that efforts were being made to maintain essential services during the strike period, the SBI urged them to use ATMs and cash deposit machines for cash requirements and make greater use of Customer Service Points (CSPs), internet banking, YONO, mobile banking, UPI and other digital channels. Meanwhile, the World MSME Forum has called upon the Centre to take urgent steps to protect economic activity, particularly during the festive season when trade and industrial transactions peak. It has sought an extension of statutory deadlines, waiver of interest and penal charges, and the declaration of banking services as an essential service during September 28-30, along with emergency arrangements to minimise disruption. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 24 A factory worker sustained a bullet injury while preparing to sleep on the rooftop of his house in Gyan Chand Nagar on Wednesday night. The victim said he heard a loud sound resembling a firecracker before a bullet struck him near the neck. Initially, he believed a stone had hit him but his family noticed blood and realised he had suffered a gunshot injury. The injured has been identified as Kanhaiya Maurya. He said around 10.30 pm, he went to the rooftop to sleep after arranging a cot and a cooler. As he was about to lie down, a loud firecrackerlike sound was heard and he felt something hit him near the neck. Believing at first that a stone had fallen from the roof, Kanhaiya came downstairs, where his family noticed blood. They informed him that he had apparently been struck by a bullet and rushed him to a hospital. The family later recovered a bullet from the rooftop. Kanhaiya and his family alleged that the shot was fired by a youth staying in a house behind their residence. They claimed the youngster possesses a pistol and that there had been previous disputes between them involving his friends. They suspect he was responsible for the firing. Dr Shivam Kumar, who examined the injured, confirmed it was a gunshot injury. The family also handed over the recovered bullet. An X-ray revealed that no bullet remained lodged inside his body. His condition is stated to be out of danger. A complaint has been lodged with the Daba police. The police said investigations were underway to determine whether the firing was accidental or whether the shot was intentionally aimed at Kanhaiya.