Nakodar, July 20
The police suspended three policemen for aiding a criminal flee from the police custody on Wednesday.

Bakhsish Singh, in charge of Malsian police station, and havildars Rajnider and Gurpal, were arrested and produced produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate 1st Class in Nakodar where they got a bail.

The cops were booked under Sections 217, 221, 222, 223 and 224 of the IPC on the complaint of Shahkot SHO Onkar Singh Brar.

Brar said it was sheer negligence on the part of cops that helped Sandeep, arrested in an attempt to murder case along with Surjeet, escape from the Malsian police station at Shahkot.

It may be recalled that the police on Monday arrested Sandeep and Surjeet, residents of Ramki Patti of Jandiala, for assaulting Jaswant Singh, who is said to be the nephew of Revenue Minister Ajit Singh Kohar.

Sandeep and Surjeet also fired in the air. Later, people caught them and handed them over to the Malsian police.

A case under Sections 307, 341, 392, 379 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 25 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act were registered against the duo.

The three cops, accused of helping Sandeep flee, in a statement to the police claimed that Sandeep befooled them saying he was not feeling well and needed a walk outside the police station to get fresh air.

When the cops allowed him to go outside the station, Sandeep fled with his car.

It was learnt that mobile phone of one of the cops was left in the accused’s car. The Shahkot police after tracing the mobile phone on Tuesday launched a search operation at Lalia Kalan, Partapura, Kalyan Pur, Nijjran, Chitti, Singha, Rasoolpur, Lambra, Lambri, Bhagwanpur and, Hassanpur villages but weren’t able to detect the accused.

SSP Ashish Chaudhary said departmental inquiry would be initiated against all accused cops.

Jalandhar, July 20
For implicating a resident of Kalyanpur village in a false case, the Jalandhar (Rural) police today suspended the incumbent SHO of the Maqsoodaan police station, Lakhbir Singh.

Ashish Chowdhary, SSP, Rural, said the police had registered a case against the SHO and four others, on whose false complaint, the SHO had registered the false case.

The case was registered at Lambra police station, where SHO Lakhbir Singh was serving during July, 2010, when he falsely implicated Gurtej Singh, resident of Kalyanpur village, in a robbery case, said Gulshan Kumar, who is currently posted as SHO, Lambra.

After the implication of his husband in the false case, Jatinder Kaur, wife of Gurtej Singh, requested the SSP, Jalandhar, Rural, to inquire the case and the inquiry was handed over to Raj Jeet Singh, SP (Headquarters). The inquiry report, which was submitted yesterday, held the SHO responsible for registering a false case, said Gulshan Kumar.

Gulshan Kumar said Lakhbir Singh had been booked under Sections 182, 217, 218 and 211 of the IPC and Sections 7 and 8 of the Corruption Act. “Lakhbir Singh has been suspended. All the five accused are still at large and the police is raiding their suspected hideouts,” Gulshan Kumar said.

Amritsar, July 20
The local unit of the State Special Operation Cell, Punjab, today nabbed one Sukhbir Singh and seized 2 kg heroin from him, while his accomplice Gurdial Singh managed to escape from the spot.

A case under Sections 21, 25, 29, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered. Acting on a tip-off, a specially constituted police party, led by Manminder Singh, AIG, Counter Intelligence, apprehended Sukhbir Singh from the Thatha area, near Chabaal.

“Both were to deliver the consignment smuggled from Pakistan. When we raided the place, Gurdial managed to slip, while Sukhbir was arrested,” said Manminder Singh.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the seized heroin was a part of the bigger consignment, which was recently smuggled from Pakistan by some notorious smugglers.

“After interrogation, we found that though Sukhbir has been caught for the first time, Gurdial Singh has a notorious past and has been wanted in similar crimes for long,” he said.

Jalandhar, July 20
With the commissioning of the 25 MLD-capacity sewerage treatment plant today, the flow of sewerage waste into the Kala Sanghian drain is likely to come down in the coming days.

In a press note issued by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), K.S. Pannu, Chairman of the board, said in addition to the already operating 100 MLD-capacity plant at Pholariwal, newly established 25 MLD plant also began functioning today.

The SE, PPCB, S.P. Garg, said the increase in the total treatment capacity of the Pholariwal sewerage treatment plant would decrease the polluted water flow into the Kala Sanghian drain.

Pannu added that out of the total 91 Jalandhar-based electroplating units, 44 units had applied for the membership of the Ludhiana Effluent Treatment Society and JBR Technologies, Ludhiana, the firm, which would transport the effluent generated by the Jalandhar electroplating industry to Ludhiana and treat it at Ludhiana-based Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP).

This would help curtail the flow of toxic heavy metals into the Kala Sangian drain, said Pannu.

Jalandhar, July 20
The three-day Inspire Award Science Exhibition, organised under a project of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, at Sain Dass AS Senior Secondary School, concluded here today.

Students of government elementary schools came up with 170 innovative models on saving energy, rainwater harvesting, magnetic crane and environment issues. Each participant had received a grant of Rs 5,000 to prepare the models.

Twelve best models were selected today for being presented at the state-level. The students whose models have been selected include Rajwinder Kaur of Government Model School, Hamiri Khera, Chander Shekhar of GMS, Lohar Nangal, Rakesh Kumar of GMS, Dushanj Khurd, Mandip of GMS, Awan Khalsa, Kirandeep Kaur of Government High School, Dhaliwal, Jaswant Singh of GHS, Talwandi Bharo, Kirandeep Kaur of Government Girls High School, Nagar, Manpreet Kaur of GMS, Kang Arayian, Rupinder Singh of GMS, Ashahoor, Sushma Rani of GMS, Sangatpur, and Harjot Singh of GMS, Bahmanian. Among private schools is Manisha from Fentonganj Girls’ Senior Secondary School.

The 12 students today received a prize money of Rs 1,000 each and a memento. Chief Parliamentary Secretary K.D. Bhandari was the chief guest. Others who attended the event were K.K. Aeri, District Education Officer, and Baljinder Singh, District Science Supervisor.

Nawanshahr: About 350 working models were exhibited by students of different schools at the district-level three-day Inspire Award Science Exhibition organised by the Science and Technology Ministry, New Delhi, in collaboration with the district Education Department at Government Senior Secondary School here. The exhibition concluded on Wednesday. The District Education Officer, Amrik Singh, gave away prizes to the students excelling at the science exhibition.

Hoshiarpur, July 20
Two students of Class X were killed in a road accident near Pul Pukhta yesterday. According to police sources, the deceased were identified as Balwinder Singh, son of Malkiat Singh, and Jaswinder Singh, son of Dharam Singh, both of Khaka village.

Balwinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh along with their friend Baljinder Singh, son of Darhshan Singh of Ghalla, were going to their school on a motorcycle, but when they reached near Pul Pukhta a bus hit their motorcycle. Balwinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh died on the spot, while Baljinder Singh remained unhurt. After the accident the bus driver fled along with his vehicle.

Phagwara, July 20
The 14-year-old girl, whose mother Dimple Sethi was booked on June 29 for forcing her into prostitution, has denied the charges levelled against her mother saying some elements exploited the matter only to malign her mother’s image.

Meanwhile, former councillor Kusum Sharma has demanded a high-level probe into the matter as she alleged that the police officials wanted to close the case due to malafied intention.

Sharma along with her supporters held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to SDM Manpreet Singh on Tuesday in this regard.

She asked the police why the minor girl was not sent to juvenile home. She alleged that the police had handed over to her maternal grandfather, who was allegedly involved in the flesh trade.

It may be recalled that the police arrested Dimple Sethi under Section 376, 372 and 506 of the IPC on the charges of forcing her daughter into prostitution.

A beauty parlour owner, Rani, who was a partner in the flesh trade, is still at large.

Even Punjab Social Security, Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla after receiving a fax message from Kusum Sharma arrived in Phagwara and met the girl in city police station where she was kept.

After the meeting, Prof Chawla said the girl had narrated the story of sexual harassment and disclosed that her own mother Dimple forced her into prostitution.

After the visit of the minister, the police handed the girl over to her grandfather Sham Sunder of Bhoghala village in Hoshiarpur.

SHO City Amrik Singh Chahal said the girl was medically examined at the Civil Hospital.

When contacted Phagwara DSP Sandip Sharma said the matter would be thoroughly investigated to bring the truth to light.

Hoshiarpur, July 20
With the arrest of two persons, the district police today claimed to have solved the blind murder case of Sukhjinder Singh, son of Bikar Singh of Chack Nathan village, body of whom was found lying in a pool of blood in the bushes near the fields of Sucha Singh in the village on July 14.

The SSP, Rakesh Aggarwal, told mediapersons that deceased Sukhjinder Singh’s brother Bikar Singh told the police that on the night of July 13 at about 9.30 pm his brother received a mobile phone call and told the family that he would soon return from the village school. When he did not return home, all the family members searched for him, but their efforts went in vain.

Later, in the morning they found his body, having several marks of injuries on the head, in the bushes near the fields of Sucha Singh in the village. On his information a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC was registered at the Chabbewal police station.

During investigation it emerged that Gurjinder Singh, alias Kala, alias Bhand, son of Dilbagh Singh, and Gurjit Singh, alias Billa, son of Joginder Singh Sarpanch, both of the same village, emerged as the main suspects. The police arrested both, who confessed to their involvement in the murder of Sukhjinder Singh.

During interrogation they revealed that they along with deceased Sukhjinder Singh had been doing labour work in the village under the MGNREGA scheme. Sukhjinder Singh took a loan of Rs 180 from Gurjinder Singh. When Gurjinder Singh demanded his money back on July 13, a quarrel took place between them.

After completing the task given to them in the evening, Gurjinder Singh along with his accomplice Gurjit Singh consumed liquor and both hatched a conspiracy to kill Sukhjinder Singh. They phoned him to come to the village school and took him to the fields where they hit him with a wooden cot’s leg on his head. Later, they strangled him with his shirt and threw his body in the nearby bushes. They also took away his mobile phone.