30092026-CT-01.qxd 9/30/2026 12:54 AM Page 1 c m y b Chandigarh tribune WIFE, ‘LOVER’ AWARDED LIFE TERM FOR KILLING MAN 4 TREES ‘ILLEGALLY’ FELLED IN SECTOR 49 SOCIETY ACTOR JITIN GULATI REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY A Panchkula court awards life term to woman and her paramour for the murder of her husband in 2022. P3 Four trees felled without permission at Advocates’ Society in Sector 49. A DDR has been registered. P3 Before becoming a full-time actor, Jitin Gulati spent nearly nine years as a banker in Delhi. P4 » » AIR QUALITY INDEX CHANDIGARH 32 PANCHKULA 47 401-500 301-400 201-300 101-200 51-100 0-50 SEVERE VERY POOR POOR MODERATE SATISFACTORY GOOD APNI MANDI Chandigarh: Sectors 15, 40, 46 Panchkula: Sector 25 Please send information about events in tricity at: whatson@tribunemail.com POWER SHUTDOWN CHANDIGARH 10 am to 3 pm: Parts of Sectors 2, 11, 23, 24, 25, 33, 37, 48, Dhanas village, Kajheri, Ambedkar Colony, Bapu Dham Colony 3 pm to 5.30 pm: Sectors 23, 24, 33, 37, 48 FACEBOOK/CHANDIGARHTRIBUNE ED raids several prominent jewellers of city in IDFC First Bank scam case Searches carried out at Sham, Malik, Sunder jewellers over ‘money laundering’ Aanavi Singh Arya Chandigarh, September 29 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today searched 14 premises across the Tricity, mostly linked to jewellers and builders, as part of its investigation into the Rs 645crore IDFC First Bank scam. The ED’s Chandigarh Zonal Office-II carried out searches at Sham Jewellers in Sector 34, Malik Jewellers in Sector 8-B, Sunder Jewellers in Sector 35-C and several other premises. The search at Sham Jewellers began around 7 am and continued till the filing of this report. The showroom remained closed for business, with customers being told that an internal “audit” was under way. Sources said the ED sleuths collected data and examined entries related to the purchase and sale of goods while questioning employees for several hours. The operation was conducted amid a heavy police presence, including personnel from the reserve forces. An official said ED officials, accompanied by paramilitary personnel, carried out the operation behind a halfdrawn shutter that remained down throughout the day. TRIBUNE PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR CHANDIGARH FEST: Pottery, clay modelilng & print making through hands-on learning under Le Corbusier Festival; Chandigarh College of Architecture, Sector 12-D; 9:30 am onwards BHANGRA: Inter-college bhangra contest; Chandigarh College of Architecture; 5:30 pm HEALTH CAMP: Rani Laxmi Bai Mahila Bhawan, Sector 38-C; 11 am The shutter half down at Sham Jewellers in Sector 34, Chandigarh, as ED carries out a search on Tuesday. Passersby and customers who stopped at the showroom were told that an “audit” was under way. The ED said the investigation had revealed that proceeds of the alleged money laundering reached accused IAS officers and other government servants. Documents and other material recovered during the searches were being exam- ined, the agency said. The case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of an FIR registered in Haryana in February 2026. The departments concerned had found discrepancies in the balances of the Development and Panchayat Department’s accounts with IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. According to the ED’s investigation, employees of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank colluded with Haryana IAS officers and other officials to open bank accounts at specific branches. Public funds were transferred to shell entities floated by accused bank employees. The funds were subsequently transferred from these entities to jew- ellers and real estate businesses, with cash being received in return for the banking transactions. The ED said its investigation had found that Sunder Jewellers received approximately Rs 3.15 crore in its bank account from Capco Fintech Services, which the agency described as a shell entity. The agency said Mahender Khurana, a partner in Sunder Jewellers, told investigators that after the amount was credited by Capco Fintech Services, the corresponding cash, after deduction of an agreed commission, was handed over to the accused through his employees. Similarly, MB Gold Traders allegedly received Rs 1 crore from Capco Fintech Services. The ED said Manoj Gunwant Bhosle, proprietor of MB Gold Traders, told investigators that the cash amount, after deduction of the commission, was handed over to the accused. The ED said large amounts of cash were generated through various jewellers and distributed among the accused, including IAS officers. The agency alleged that transactions with jewellers were used to conceal the proceeds of crime and project them as legitimate funds. Accused Armaan being taken into police custody. FILE Haridwar dealer held for supplying pistol to accused Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 29 The police have arrested a Haridwar-based weapon dealer for allegedly supplying the country-made pistol used in the murder of head constable Nitin Singh in Sector 22. The accused, Mohammad Shaheen (28), was arrested on Monday night on the basis of the disclosure made by Nitin’s son, Armaan Singh. Shaheen, a carpenter by profession, allegedly ran a side business of supplying countrymade weapons. He was produced before a court today and sent to four-day police remand. Armaan’s police remand was extended by four days. According to the police, Armaan had procured the weapon from Shaheen about Chandimandir toll plaza Le Corbusier Fest stunt costs 2 riders ~45,000 A video grab of the vehicle after crashing into a pole at Dhanas. Woman driving Thar hits bike, crashes into pole while ‘trying to flee’ Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 29 The police have registered a case against a woman for hitting two motorcycle-borne youths with her Thar at Dhanas on Monday night. A video of the incident went viral on social media. It shows the accused, who was driving the SUV, ramming a motorcycle before crashing into an electricity pole while allegedly trying to flee. The FIR was registered on a statement of Sanyam (18). The accused has been identified as Anushka Sharma, a student of the Panjab University Dental College. Onlookers reportedly tried to stop the vehicle from leaving the spot. According to eyewitnesses, the SUV went out of control following the collision. “The woman allegedly tried to leave, but locals followed the vehicle. During the chase, the car rammed into a divider and then an electricity pole,” said an eyewitness. The woman remained inside the vehicle after the crash. Local residents MAX 32°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 32.8°C | MIN 19°C SUNRISE THURSDAY 6:15 AM /THETRIBUNECHD Tribune News Service WHAT’S ON GENERALLY CLOUDY SUNSET WEDNESDAY 6.11 PM » WEDNESDAY | 30 SEPTEMBER 2026 | CHANDIGARH FORECAST informed the police, following which a team reached the spot and took the vehicle into custody. The injured were rushed to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16. While both are said to be out of danger, the police said one of the riders, Ansh, a student of DAV College, suffered serious injuries, including fractures in both legs. He was later referred to the PGI in an unconscious state. The accused claimed that she panicked and accidentally pressed the accelerator. The FIR has been registered under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 125(b) (act endangering life or personal safety of others, causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Some eyewitnesses alleged that the woman was under the influence of alcohol. The police, however, said the claim had not been established. A forensic team has collected samples to ascertain whether she was under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. Panchkula, September 29 The police issued challans totalling Rs 45,000 and impounded a motorcycle and a scooter after their riders were found performing dangerous stunts near the Chandimandir Toll Plaza in a video that went viral. Commissioner of Police Pankaj Nain took note of the video and directed the police to take action against the riders. According to DCP (Crime and Traffic) Amrinder Singh, Surajpur Traffic SHO Abhishek examined the video and identified both riders. A challan of Rs 20,000 was issued Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 29 Recurring cracks and collapses in the ageing brick-based sewer network have emerged as a major challenge for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, which has proposed a Rs 800-crore project to replace the system. According to a technical concept plan prepared by the MC, 41 incidents of cracks in the sewer network were reported at various locations between 2023 and 2025. The civic body spent over Rs 1.97 crore on repairing cracks and collapses during the period. The MC has prepared the concept note under the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) programme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The UCF is a new Centrally sponsored scheme aimed at financially supporting transformative and bankable urban projects through a competitive 41 sewer-line cracks reported in two years; ~1.97-cr spent on repairs challenge-mode process. The proposal will be placed before the MC General House. The ministry is proposed to provide 25 per cent of the project cost under the scheme. According to the concept plan, the project will cover about 80 km of ageing trunk sewer lines at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore. The work is expected to take five years to complete. Of the estimated project cost, Rs 202 crore, or 25 per cent, would be provided as Central assistance under the c m y b 10 days ago. The police are probing how the two came in contact and whether Shaheen had supplied firearms to others in the Tricity. During interrogation, Armaan reportedly told the police that he had planned to kill both his parents to inherit their property. A senior police officer said Nitin had recently bought a house in Zirakpur and the family owned 7-8 acres at a prime location in Khatauli village, Panchkula. “Armaan wanted to marry a Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Students perform during the Le Corbusier Festival at the Chandigarh College of Architecture. MC plans ~800-cr overhaul of Kataria seeks ~2,000-cr ageing sewer network in city aid for medical hub plan Meets President, Vice-President, Union ministers Ramkrishan Upadhyay Armaan had planned to kill both his parents to inherit their property, reveals his interrogation Day temperature jumps 7.4°C after Monday rain P’kula police impound bike, scooter; one rider found to be minor to one rider and Rs 25,000 to the other. One of the riders was found to be a minor. Both vehicles were impounded. ACP (Traffic) Surender Singh said the riders were called to the Surajpur traffic police station and counselled about the dangers of stunt riding. They admitted their mistake, apologised and appealed to other youngsters not to attempt such stunts. — TNS SECTOR 22 MURDER UCF programme. Another Rs 202 crore would be contributed by the Chandigarh Administration, while the remaining Rs 404 crore would be raised through the hybrid annuity model (HAM). The loan component is proposed to be repaid over 20 years. The MC has a total sewer network of 1,263 km, comprising 821 km of lateral sewers, 362 km of collector sewers and 80 km of trunk or brick-based sewer lines. The concept plan states that the ageing trunk sewer network was laid between 1950 and 1980. Over the years, the system has suffered from reduced carrying capacity, siltation, cracks, seepage and root intrusion. The MC has also cited frequent choking, a high maintenance burden and problems during the rainy season as major concerns. Leakage and seepage from the ageing Continued on page 2 Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 29 Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria held a series of meetings with the President, Vice-President and several Union ministers in New Delhi today. He raised issues concerning the development and welfare of Punjab and Chandigarh, including drug de-addiction, healthcare, education, flood management and cultural development. Kataria paid a courtesy call on President Droupadi Murmu and invited her to attend the Vijay Diwas function at the Afsawala War Memorial in Fazilka district in December. Earlier, Kataria met VicePresident CP Radhakrishnan and discussed the goal of making Panjab University the number one university and developing an AI centre, following the commitment made by the Vice-President during his recent visit to the university. During his meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, Kataria discussed measures to make Chandigarh drug-free. He sought support for the rehabilitation of people affected by drug abuse. With Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Kataria sought 36 additional postgraduate seats in the medical college. He also sought support of Rs 2,000 crore for the Chandigarh Regional Medical Hub project, with the aim of developing it as a fully government-funded project. During his meeting with Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, Kataria requested that Punjab Engineering College be accorded the status of a fully Centrally Funded Technical Institution (CFTI), on the lines of Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, West Bengal. Continued on page 2 Chandigarh, September 29 Chandigarh witnessed another sharp swing in weather on Tuesday, with the day temperature jumping 7.4°C in 24 hours to 32.8°C, the highest such rise recorded across Punjab and Haryana. The night temperature plunged 3.1°C to 19°C, the second-sharpest fall in the region after Bathinda’s 3.7°C. The maximum temperature, which had fallen sharply after Monday’s rain, climbed back to 0.2°C above normal, while the minimum was 3.1°C below normal. The contrasting movement left a 13.8°C gap between the day’s maximum and night’s minimum in Chandigarh. Panchkula recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the Punjab-Haryana region at 17.8°C, down 4°C from the previous night and 4.3°C below normal. Mohali’s maximum was 31.9°C. In Chandigarh, the maximum temperature rose from 25.4°C on Monday to 32.8°C on Tuesday. The city’s airport observatory recorded a slightly lower maximum of 32.6°C. Mohali’s maximum rose 6.5°C to 31.9°C, while Panchkula’s also increased 6.5°C to 30.7°C. The city received 9.4 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours ending 8.30 am, while the airport observatory recorded 15 mm during the same period. DRY SPELL AHEAD The weather is expected to remain largely dry through the week, with the seven-day outlook showing dry conditions from September 30 to October 5 in the HaryanaChandigarh region. Punjab is also forecast to remain dry from September 30 onwards. For the Tricity, the next five days are forecast to remain mainly clear to partly cloudy.