Phagwara, November 19
The police has released computer sketches of the two persons involved in the robbery of foreign currency worth about Rs 33 lakh here on the night of November 16.

The sketches have been prepared with the help of the description given by the victims, Mr Jai Parkash, branch manager, UAE Exchange and Financial Services Ltd, Mr Amandip Singh, an employee of the bank, and other eyewitnesses.

It may be mentioned here that two motorcycle-borne persons had snatched a bag full of foreign currency by bumping into the motorcycle that these two bank employees were riding near the traffic light crossing on the G.T. Road (opposite the PWD Rest House).

According to the description given by the eyewitnesses, the robbers were 24-25 years of age and were about 5’7” and 5’9” tall, respectively. While one of them had covered his head with a handkerchief, the other had worn a helmet. Both were clean-shaven.

Since the incident occurred, the police has been conducting door-to-door checking in Model Town and Hadiabad.

The police has also instructed all money changers here to be watchful of people who came to covert foreign currency, especially pound sterling, dollars and drams.

An award of Rs 2 lakh has also been announced for anybody who gives information.

IG Zonal, Mr Hardip Singh Dhillon, said the police of three districts was working in tandem for nabbing the culprits.

He said information could be given to him, SSP Kapurthala, or DSP Phagwara, whose mobile numbers were—98140-69778 and 98141-14787, 98158-00881 and 98141-87924, respectively.

He assured that the names of those giving information would be kept a secret.

The IG said the police had some clues, but added that it would be premature to say anything about the possibility of any complicity between the bank employees and the robbers.

Jalandhar, November 19
There is no nexus between the underworld and the film industry, if noted film director Yash Chopra is to be believed.

“Those days are long past when black money was pumped into the film industry. For most of the Bollywood actors of the present times, movies are not just about money, they are also about a successful career,” said Chopra, during his visit to the city in connection with the convocation held at KMV College here today.

Known for his deft handling of subjects dealing with the intricacies of human emotions, Chopra’s movies invariably offer a fresh perspective on romance.

“Emotional drama and human relations are evergreen subjects. Love is a universal emotion, and it tugs at your heartstrings. But ‘how’ you express this love is all the more important, particularly in a movie. Most of my films are simple romantic stories, but they appeal to the audience as they talk about the beauty of human relations,” he said, while referring to his much-acclaimed “Veer Zara” movie that is a poignant story of an Indian boy and a Pakistani girl whose love triumphs despite the political divide.

Refuting the notion of dichotomy between the art and the commercial cinemas, he said there were just two kinds of films — bad films and good films. “Yes, these days new genres of movies like fusion films are in. I think we should be open to all this. Our sensibilities have to keep abreast of the changing times,” he added.

In his disarmingly unflappable style, he admitted that Punjabi language movies had a limited market that hardly extended beyond Delhi. “Instead of foraying into Punjabi film industry, a wiser and better option is to have Hindi movies peppered with Punjabi flavour,” he remarked.

For Chopra, the visit to Jalandhar was a homecoming. “I had my education at Doaba College here. Every time I come to the city, my cherished memories are refreshed. I still feel indebted to my teachers like Mr D.D. Bibra, who motivated me to take a shot at story writing,” he said, with a touch of nostalgia.

Jalandhar, November 19
Despite the elaborate security checks at hundreds of traffic intersections across the district in the wake of Thursday’s robbery incident in Phagwara, where foreign currency worth Rs 33 lakh was looted, today cash worth Rs 75,000 was stolen from a vehicle parked outside Satkartar Nagar here. The incident has put the district police in a spot as the thieves managed to hoodwink the police officials on a high alert day.

Meanwhile, in Phillaur, an Opal Astra car was taken away from a taxi driver. The SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, claimed that the car was taken away by men deployed by ICICI Bank after the owner failed to pay the installments in time. He said that a case had been registered against the company personnel as they did not follow a proper procedure by taking the SHO of the area into confidence.

In the first incident, cash worth Rs 75,000 was stolen this afternoon from a Honda City car number PB-08-AL-0060 parked outside Satkartar Nagar. The car belonged to Mr Tarun Sikka, a businessman from Rose Park. Mr Sikka said he had withdrawn the cash from ICICI Bank near bus stand at 2 pm and gone to his sister’s place in Satkartar Nagar for just five minutes. “Soon I came out and found that someone had broken the side window of my car and taken away my bag that contained cash, cheque books and a few important documents,” Mr Sikka said.

Interestingly, the police personnel deployed at a naka laid just 500 metre away from the spot were caught unawares. After a complaint was lodged in this connection, the SSP, and the SP City-II, Mr Pawan Rai, and finger print experts visited the spot.

The police officials said the incident could be the handiwork of a Bhanthu gang from Uttar Pradesh that had been reportedly involved in some recent incidents of robberies.

The SSP said some children were also suspected to be involved in the crime. He added that he had alerted the cops deployed at various nakas.

Meanwhile, Mr Paramjit Singh Gill, DIG, Police Range, Jalandhar, said the nakas had been laid to crack down those involved in the Thursday’s incident in Phagwara, where foreign currency to the tune of Rs 33 lakh was looted. He said all Pulsar and Passion motorbikes were checked as it was suspected that the looters at Phagwara had run away after lifting a bike that was parked close to the crime spot. Mr Gill said that names of all bike drivers and registration numbers of the vehicles were being checked at the nakas.

Interestingly, hundreds of challans were filed at the nakas across all entry points towards the city, including Chogiti Bypass, PAP Chowk, Rama Mandi Chowk, Nakodar Road, Kapurthala Chowk, and even in the interiors of the city, including Model Town and Model House.

Jalandhar, November 19
Students of Lala Jagat Narain DAV Model School here have won the National Taekwondo Championship organised by the Taekwondo Federation of India that concluded at Kanpur on November 14.

Over 600 students from 25 states participated in the three-day event. The school team comprising Mamta Rani, Manu Bala, Supriya, Amandeep, Rajneesh, Sukhwinder, Jatin and Rishab won gold medal, while Shagun, Shubham, Navdeep and Kritika, won a silver medal each in individual events at the championship, said Ms Anita Nanda, the school Principal.