05112024-JTR-01.qxd 11/4/2024 10:35 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune RESIDENTS DEMAND ACTION TO PRESERVE TREES, GARDENS EKTA TIWARI IS SEEN IN THE SHOW GUDIYA RANI Amritsar, once celebrated for its lush greenery, has seen a significant decline in its tree cover over the past few years. P2 Ekta, who is seen in show Gudiya Rani, says playing a character quite in contrast to her in real life is interesting. P4 » MEGHRANJANI MEDHI FOUND HER GURUS IN HER PARENTS Dance chose me … says prominent Kathak exponent Meghranjani Medhi, who found her gurus in her parents. P4 » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR MAX 32°C | MIN 14°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET TUESDAY 5.35 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6:47 AM TUESDAY | 5 NOVEMBER 2024 | JALANDHAR INBRIEF GOVT OFFICER RUN OVER BY TRAIN Phagwara: Jalandhar resident Sewa Ram (59), working as Assistant Commissioner in the Customs Department, was reportedly run over by a train on the Phagwara-Jalandhar rail section on Sunday. He was measuring land around railway lines. As he was busy on his mobile, he could not notice a coming train and was hit by it. The Government Railway Police has registered a case and handed over the body to family members after postmortem examination. OC VILLAGERS BOOKED FOR FARM FIRES Phagwara: The police have booked three villagers for burning paddy stubble. Phagwara SP Gurpreet Singh Gill said the suspects had been identified as Gurdip Singh of village Gandhwan (Phagwara), Palwinder Singh of village Ranipur and one unknown person of Pandori. Gill said the police received a satellite report on WhatsApp on paddy burning fields in these villages. They reached the spot and saw paddy stubble burning fields. They enquired about the owner from prominent persons who verified the suspect. OC 2 TRAVEL AGENTS BOOKED FOR DUPING Phagwara: The police have booked two travel agents for allegedly duping a Nakodar villager of Rs 58.15 lakh on the pretext of sending him and his family abroad. The accused have been identified as Harwindar Singh of Chak Kalan village and Balwindar Singh Bhatiaof Pasham Vihar, Delhi. Hardev Singh of Ramuwal village in Mehatpur complained to the police that he paid Rs 58.15 lakh to the accused for facilitating his and his family's migration abroad but neither he, nor his family was sent abroad. A case has been registered against them. OC WOMAN FINED FOR FARM FIRE Phagwara: The police have booked a woman for burning paddy stubble fields. The suspect has been identified as Amarjit Kaur of Mehmuwal village. Nakodar SDM Lal Vishwas directed the police that suspect burnt paddy stubble in her village, violating an order by the Jalandhar DC. She was fined Rs 2,500. OC COUPLE HELD IN DOWRY CASE Phagwara: The police have arrested Resham Lal of Tahli village in Nakodar and his wife Manjit Kaur on the charges of dowry harassment and assault. Joti of Seechewal village had complained to the police that she was being tortured for dowry ever since her marriage in 2023 and beaten up by in-laws. A case was registered against their son too. oc CHILD MARRIAGE STOPPED Hoshiarpur: Child Development Project Officercum-Child Marriage Prevention Officer Ravinder Kaur said on October 30, a case of child marriage came to her notice. An attempt was made to marry a 15-year-old girl forcibly. She was informed about this by the head teacher of the girl's school. On receiving information, she rescued the girl with the help of police. oc MURDER OVER GAMBLING MONEY ON DIWALI NIGHT Family accuses cops of giving VIP treatment to suspect, blocks road Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 4 A day after the police arrested the main accused in the Khingra Gate shooting case, where a youth Rishabh, alias Badshah, was shot, the victim’s family took to the streets again today, protesting against the alleged VIP treatment being provided to the suspect. The family and their supporters blocked the busy Jyoti Chowk Road this afternoon, demanding justice and questioning police handling of the case. The family claimed that Division Number 3 police officials manhandled with some of their acquaintances, who visited the police station, seeking updates on the investigation. According to the family, they faced undue aggression from police officials. However, the police authorities have refuted the accusations, stating that no special treatment is being extended to the accused, who remains under 24/7 CCTV surveillance. “There is no question of VIP treatment,” senior police officials confirmed. About manhandling, ADCP1 Tejbir Singh confirmed that they had received family’s complaint in this regard. The persons who visited the police station were allegedly under the influence of alcohol and had created nuisance. He said the allegations were being The family of Rishabh, who lost his life in a shooting incident on Sunday, blocks the road near Jyoti Chowk, Jalandhar. PHOTO SARABJIT SINGH verified and, if warranted, the SHO concerned would be immediately transferred to the Police Lines. Meanwhile, the family’s unexpected protest caused significant disruption, blocking one of the city’s busiest roads and forcing the police to divert traffic. Senior police officials arrived at the scene to mediate, eventually convincing the family to disperse after an hour, with promises of action against any officer found to be negligent. The shooting incident occurred on Sunday night, resulting in Rishabh’s death and serious injuries to his friend, Ishu Kumar, who remains under treatment. The assailant, Manu Kapoor Dhillon, allegedly opened fire following a dispute over gambling money on Diwali night. The two groups met on Sunday to settle the issue, but negotia- tions quickly turned violent, with approximately five rounds of gunfire exchanged. On the night of the incident, Rishabh’s family and relatives had staged a protest outside Johal Hospital, blocking Rama Mandi Road and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. Following the FIR lodged under the Arms Act, the police booked Sahil Kapoor, alias Mannu Kapoor Dhillon, along with associates Saajan Sahota, Manav, Nannu Kapoor, Doctor Kohli, Chakshit Randhawa, Gaggi, Kaka and other unidentified persons. The police have since arrested Sahil Kapoor, seizing a country-made pistol and two empty shells. ADCP1 Tejbir Singh confirmed that further investigations were underway, with police actively conducting raids to apprehend the remaining suspects. Ex-banker nabbed for ATM fraud Our Correspondent NAKODAR, NOVEMBER 4 In a major breakthrough, the Jalandhar rural police have arrested a former employee of Capital Small Finance Bank for allegedly siphoning off Rs 82.53 lakh by manipulating ATM cash deposits. The accused, who worked as a cashier, had been orchestrating the fraud by exploiting his position at the bank’s Ugi branch. The accused has been identified as Abhishek Khanna of Ajit Avenue, Kapurthala. Speaking to mediapersons, SSP (Rural) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the accused devised a systematic method to embezzle funds. “The accused was responsible for ATM replenishment at various locations. Taking advantage of his position, he would deposit only a portion of the designated cash in ATMs while pocketing the remainder. To avoid detection, he manipulated the bank’s digital records,” SSP Khakh revealed. A special police team comprising SP (Investigation) Jasroop Kaur Bath, DSP Sukhpal Singh, SHO Baljinder Singh of Sadar Nakodar police station, and Assistant SubInspector Kabal Singh of Police Post Ugi conducted the operation that led to the arrest. The fraudulent activities came to light when Harinder Singh, Deputy Head of Department at Capital Small Finance Bank’s GT Road branch, lodged a complaint. During a routine audit on February 17, bank officials Withdraws ~82.53L by manipulating cash deposits detected discrepancies in ATM cash reconciliation statements. An internal investigation revealed systematic manipulation of records and cash deposits spanning several months. Based on the bank’s complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 406, 409, and 420 of the IPC. During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed to diverting funds to his personal accounts through a series of manipulated transactions. He admitted to deliberately misreporting ATM cash deposits and maintaining parallel records to conceal the embezzlement. The police will produce the accused before the local magistrate’s court, seeking remand for detailed interrogation. “We need to investigate the possibility of collusion and recover the misappropriated amount,” SSP Khakh said. Khakh warned that the police would deal strictly with white-collar crimes and financial frauds. Anyone involved in bank frauds or financial crimes would face severe consequences. Shahkot man found Stop registering cases against Youth hangs himself dead in Greece farmers over farm fires: BKU after humiliation by girlfriend’s family Our Correspondent Our Correspondent PHAGWARA, NOVEMBER 4 A pall of gloom descended on village Baghwala (Shahkot) when villagers received the news of the mysterious death of a village youth in Greece. In a tragic incident, a young man from Shahkot, who had gone to Greece for work, was found dead under suspicious circumstances. His body was discovered from a beach in Greece. Sarvjeet Singh, elder brother of the deceased, said his brother, Dharampreet Singh Lucky (42), had moved to Greece about five years ago. Recently, a photograph of Dharampreet, along with an audio message, was sent to Sarvjeet on WhatsApp by an acquaintance from Kotla Surajmal village. The audio message reportedly contained information about Dharampreet’s death. Sarvjeet said he immediately contacted the person who Dharampreet Singh had sent the message. He was informed that a relative had sent the photo and recording, revealing Dharampreet’s death. Sarvjeet further stated that after extensive efforts, he managed to confirm the tragic news through his contacts in Greece. The Greek authorities are currently investigating the case. Due to legal restrictions, only family members are permitted to view the body and no additional details regarding the cause of death have been released so far. Scrap worth ~40L destroyed in fire Our Correspondent Phagwara, November 4 Goods, including scrap, worth around Rs 40 lakh were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire which broke out in a godown near a petrol pump in Phillaur in the wee hours on Monday. SDM, Phillaur, Amanpal Singh and DSP Sarwan Singh Bal, who rushed to spot, said fire tenders from Phillaur, Phagwara and Ludhiana were requisitioned and put in operation to douse the flames. Godown owner Rinku of Phillaur said the cause of fire couldn't be ascertained yet. No loss of human lives was reported. PHAGWARA, NOVEMBER 4 The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba), headed by its president Manjit Singh Rai, has warned the government to stop registering cases against farmers for stubble burning and take action to stop cuts being imposed on farmers in grain markets, otherwise a call for protest will be given. A decision was taken at a meeting of the BKU(Doaba) held here today. General secretary Satnam Singh Sahni after the meeting said the farmers discussed that cases were being registered against farmers for burning of stubble. The leaders discussed that as per the recommendations of the NGT, Rs 2,500 per acre is to be provided to the farmers under the Crop Residue Management Incentive Payment (CRMIP) and machinery but Tribune News Service BKU(Doaba) leaders after meeting in Phagwara on Monday. nothing was being given to the farmers on ground. Hence farmers are under compulsion to burn stubble. During the meeting, the farmers condemned the action of the administration against farmers. During the meeting, the leaders gave strict warning to the state government to stop registering cases against farmers and it should lay emphasis on providing Rs 2,500 per acre aid and machinery to the farmers for proper disposal of stubble. The leaders further discussed that instances of cuts of 4/5 Kg per quintal of paddy on the name of sheller owners have not stopped and farmers are being exploited and no action is being taken. Jalandhar, November 4 An 18-year-old youth, Sahil, died by suicide after allegedly facing harassment and humiliation from his girlfriend’s family. The youth hanged himself from a ceiling fan following a series of incidents where he was beaten up by the family and later compelled to get a ‘rakhi’ tied on his wrist from his girlfriend, symbolising a sibling bond. The police, meanwhile, have registered a case of abetment to suicide against the girl’s family members. The police have confirmed that no arrests have been made. Sahil, a resident of Garha, reportedly shared the details of his ordeal with his father, Happy, who works as a taxi driver. According to the FIR, Sahil was first invited to his girlfriend’s locality in Phagwari Mohalla, where he was assaulted by her family. When his father intervened and managed to secure Sahil’s release, the family allegedly forced Sahil’s girlfriend to tie a rakhi on his wrist in a public display meant to humiliate him further. After returning home, Sahil, reportedly distressed and overwhelmed by the events, ended his life. His body was found hanging in his residence. A post-mortem has been conducted to ascertain further details. Police officials of Division Number-7 claimed that they were working to apprehend all those involved in the incident. “All accused will be arrested soon,” they added. SDMs, tehsildars reach out to farmers over stubble burning Tribune News Service Jalandhar, November 4 Officials from Jalandhar’s civil and police administration have been deputed to check fields, motivate farmers for the crop residue management and discourage stubble burning. DC Dr Himanshu Aggarwal said SDMs, tehsildars and police teams were visiting the farms. SDM, Adampur, Vivek Modi and SDM, Phillaur, c m y b Amanpal Singh personally extinguished stubble fires in Daroli Khurd and Boparai villages while educating farmers on the importance of adopting eco-friendly residue management practices. Through hands-on intervention, officials aimed to drive home the need to preserve environment. In addition to the on-ground efforts, the administration has also organised a series of awareness activities, high- lighting the benefits of refraining from paddy stubble burning. Progressive farmers, who opted for sustainable farming methods, were praised by officials for their role in protecting the environment. SDMs Subhi Aangra, Lal Vishwash and Balbir Raj Singh visited the farmers to appeal them not to set crop residue on fire. Jalandhar SDM Amanpal Singh check stubble management.