Ludhiana, May 27
Three armed robbers fled with Rs 30 lakh from a foreign exchange dealer’s office located on Pakhowal Road this evening after holding employees hostage. Narrating the incident, Balwinder Verma, owner of Verma Money Exchange, franchisee of Western Union Money Transfer, said three youths with muffled faces arrived on a motorcycle and barged into his office at about 5:30 pm.

One of the assailants pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the forehead of Maninder Kaur, an executive with the company. Another youth put a knife on the neck of Harwinder Singh, another employee. The third assailant took the money from the cash counter and the trio then fled the scene after breaking the CCTV cameras and locking the office’s door from outside.

The suspects carried out the operation so fast that shopkeepers in the neighbourhood did not have a clue that a robbery was being committed nearby.

The robbers fled with Rs 2 lakh as well as a huge number of US and Canadian dollar bills, in all amounting to about Rs 30 lakh. According to Verma they headed towards Punjab Mata Nagar.

The police and fingerprint experts later arrived at the scene and began investigations. A major manhunt
has been launched to nab the culprits.

Ludhiana, May 27
With CBSE Class X results being scheduled for tomorrow, confusion is writ large on faces, as under the new system introduced by the CBSE, students will not come to know their percentage. Their marksheets will only have grades.

While educationists feel the system would ease the burden on students, students say it would blur the line separating the toppers from the rest.

"Percentage is better, scoring top grade and yet being kept in dark about one's marks is the biggest trauma for a student," feels Aashna and said all her friends were confused about the grading system.

"School authorities just told us not to worry without clearing our doubts," said another student Parul.

Parents, on the other hand, are worried about the outcome of the new system. It would take time to settle and students who are forced to go through it during the transition phase may end up as losers, they fear.

The admission process for the next class to a new institute has parents worried. "How will the schools give admission when there are no marks on marksheets?" is the question plaguing many.

However, educationists feel that though the system seems confusing now, it

would be beneficial for students in the long run.

Suresh Kumar, an academician, says: "When five students in a class get a percentage above 91, with just a few percentage points separating the topper from the student who gets 5th position, it creates "first among equals" wherein student scoring the highest is considered to have scored more than others, and is ranked number one."

Paramjit Kaur, principal, BCM Arya Senior Secondary School, said: "There is no confusion. Each school will have to device its own mechanism to decide the admission process. A small entrance test may prove helpful," she added.

"The grading system will kill the sprit of competition," said Gurpreet Singh, who has been a topper throughout. "It is unfair. Students scoring 90 per cent and 94.5 per cent will be in the same grade and we won’t be able to make out who performed better," said Sheilja Anand.

On the other hand, Supriya Sharma feels, "It will save us from parental pressure to perform well."

Chandigarh, May 27
Putting an end to the confusion regarding class XI admissions, the Central Board Of Secondary Education (CBSE) has finally spelled out its admission formula. According to circular issued to the schools today the board clarified that allocation of streams in class XI will only be made on the basis of the nine-point grade evaluation system introduced in class X this time.

The circular stated that a school can deduce a student’s numeric point in any subject by multiplying respective grade point by 9.5. Similarly the cumulative average can be obtained by multiplying 9.5 with the cumulative grade point.

“9. 5 is a common multiplies worked out on different parameters. Every grade has a specific point allocated to it like A 1 has 10 A2 has 9 and so on. The numeric point will be obtained by multiplying this grade point with 9.5 and make admissions accordingly.” Said Rama Sharma, the CBSE’s official spokesperson told The Tribune over telephone.

But many school to have have doubts about the formula as Independent School Association’s President HS Mamik, says, “Earlier we were to face a situation where hundreds of students would get same grades. Now we will have the same number with same numeric points.”

Chandigarh, May 27
A former sergeant with the Indian Air Force (IAF), who was working at an LIC office in Ludhiana, jumped to his death from the fourth floor of the district courts building in Sector 17 here this afternoon.

The police said the man was suffering from depression and was taking treatment at the PGI’s psychiatry department.

The police said the victim, identified as 38-year-old Sunil Kumar Mida, was a resident of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalya in Patiala, where his wife is a teacher. A father of two minor children, Mida, had been staying with his sister in Sector 25 for a few days as he had to frequently visit the PGI for the treatment.

A father of two minor children, Mida, was working as an assistant agent at an LIC branch in Ludhiana. The incident occurred around 3.15 pm when Mida jumped from the fourth floor of the ramp of the district courts. He fell on steel cupboards lying on the ground floor and sustained severe head injuries in addition to breaking his limbs. He was rushed to the PGI, where he was declared brought dead on arrival.

A pool of blood was found on the floor where Mida fell. The cupboards, too, had broken due to the impact of his fall.

Sub-inspector Ajinder Singh Minhas, in charge of the Sector 17 bus station police post, told TNS that Mida had simply wandered to the districts courts and not because of any court case. Mida’s sister told the police that he had been upset for the past few days. He had wandered off from his sister’s house without informing leaving behind an anxious family that had been searching for him.

Minhas said the family was looking for him at the bus station when suddenly they received information about the incident. The post mortem would be conducted tomorrow. Meanwhile, the police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Ludhiana, May 27
Two persons were killed in separate mishaps in the city today.Avtar Singh (45), a resident of Preet Nagar Colony, who worked as a mason, was on his way to a gurdwara in Dugri, when he was crushed under the rear wheels of a truck.

According to eyewitnesses, Avtar Singh lost control over his bicycle near the level-crossing on Dugri road and fell on the road. An over-speeding truck came from behind and crushed Avtar.

The body was removed from the road after five hours of negotiation between the family of the victim and the truck driver.

The police said both the parties reached a compromise and no complaint was lodged. In another incident, a 70-year-old ice seller was crushed to death after an over-speeding goods carrier lost control and overturned near Cheema Chowk here this evening.

The victim, identified as Banarasi Das, a resident of Mundia, was sitting on the roadside and selling ice.

An eyewitness said the over-speeding truck turned turtle and crushed the septuagenarian.

The police and rescue teams quickly reached the spot but could not save the victim. The police is investigating the matter.

Ludhiana, May 27
The sale of eight shops-cum-offices (SCOs) and 20 shops on Old Jail Road, near the Civil Hospital, by the Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority (PUDA) through an open auction tomorrow (28 May) is expected to fetch a sizeable amount. It will also gauge the mood of both genuine buyers and investors in the city’s real estate sector in the wake of the economic slowdown.

Ever since recessionary trends hit the realty market and the prices of land as well as built up properties hit rock bottom in the city, the auction of commercial and residential sites by PUDA and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) have evoked a lukewarm response. Many a time some of the sites offered for sale have to be held back or else the entire public auction process has to be called off due to an inadequate number of bidders.

Market sources say the real estate segment is looking up. The sale of residential plots by GLADA on the reserve price through draw of lots in Sector 39 on the Chandigarh Road a couple of months ago had been a huge success. However, it is after quite some time that commercial sites are being put under the hammer by PUDA.

The sites proposed to be sold through open bidding include 8 SCOs, with an area varying between 173 to 231 square yards each at a reserve price of Rs 58,880 per square yard, and 20 shops, each with an area of 33.33 square yards at the same reserve price.

Going by conservative estimates, even if PUDA is able to dispose of all the sites just above the reserve price, the auction would yield anything upward of Rs 15 crore.

Those interested to offer bids will be required to pay an eligibility fee of Rs 1 lakh for an SCO and Rs 50,000 for single storied shops, which is refundable or adjustable (in the case of successful bidders). The highest bidder will have to make payment of 10 per cent of the bid amount at the spot, another 15 per cent within 30 days of acceptance of the bid while balance 75 per cent can be paid either in a lump sum within 60 days of auction or in four equated yearly installments along with 12 per cent interest.

Knowledgeable sources in the property segment, especially commercial sites, were quite optimistic, saying the market had turned the corner. "The auction of commercial sites is expected to have a good response, and particularly the genuine buyers appear to be more interested in shops as the investment in these properties is comparatively low. The SCOs priced between Rs 1.25 to 1.4 crore could also attract investors along with some of the genuine buyers."

Ludhiana, May 27
The "magical" journey from being a small-time magician to a world-renowned "jaadugar" has been wonderful for Samrat Shankar.Born as Shiv Kumar Modi to a rich business family in Sirsa district of Haryana in 1950, the magician grew up in Sri Ganga Nagar district of Rajasthan.

In town ahead of a series of magic shows in the city, Samrat Shankar shared the journey of his life with The Tribune.

"I got fascinated by the magical charms and tricks when I was 12 after I witnessed a magic show," he recalled.

"My parents supported my training from my guru - famous magician BN Sarkar," revealed the 60-year-old magic man.

Shiv Kumar studied till MCom before expressing his strong desire to take up magic as a profession. "All hell broke lose when I told my family as my father wanted me to grow up and become a successful businessman," said Shankar.

Venturing out on his "magical" voyage in 1974, there was no looking back for Shiv, who soon came to be known as Jaadugar Shankar. "The initial opposition and social disapproval soon turned into admiration as I grew by leaps and bounds and gained popularity," smiled the charming magician.

Then came the age to get married. "Though popular, I was still looking to make a name for myself. My family was desperate but no sane soul in sight wanted to give his daughter to a man who earned his money by tricking people," grinned Shankar.

"After a long search, we came across Lalita. After a few tricks on Lalita and her family, we tied the knot, in a dramatic "magical" ceremony, wherein the bride was made to disappear right before the pheras," chuckled the tall and handsome man.

Hard work soon brought name, fame and numerous national and international awards for Shankar who has performed at over 28,000 international and national shows, out of which 22,000 have been for charity and social purposes.

"I want young people to take this art to a different level," Shankar said, expressing his desire to revive this dying art form by opening a magic academy. Shankar has passed on his magical legacy to his younger son Ankur, popularly known as Junior Shankar, who is a software engineer.

"But what pains me the most is to see people misusing magic to deceive others, like the so-called babas do," he said.

About magic, Shankar revealed that "it was 75 per cent trick or haath ki safai and 25 per cent mass hypnotism."

"But in times of computers and play stations, we have to work very hard and incorporate dance, drama, music and lavish sets complete with flashy costumes to attract crowds. Nevertheless, I am happy doing it as long as my team supports me," the magician said with a twinkle in his eye.

Ludhiana, May 27
Youths addicted to tobacco, drugs and intoxicants, including alcohol, opium and smack were given a demonstration on ramifications of addiction through a documented screenplay “Zindagi Di Talash”.

Doctors of the National Integrated Medical Association visited slum areas in the city as part of their ongoing campaign against tobacco and drug-addiction. People were educated about the ill-effects of tobacco. “A number of people are not aware of the consequences of tobacco consumption. We urge them to get themselves examined at our camps,” said Dr Surinder Gupta, general secretary of the association.

Dr Rajesh Thapar and Dr Pradeep Nagrath called upon residents of Chander Nagar to form help groups.

Ludhiana Range DIG Dr Jatinder Jain advised drug addicts using intravenous drugs to go for counselling.

The plight of a mother, whose young son fell prey to the intravenous addiction, was evident from her forlorn eyes.

“I cannot blame anyone else, as I myself failed to help my son come out of this vicious circle of drugs,” lamented the mother.

However, a senior doctor pointing towards the “collapsed” administrative setup said areas like Tajpur Chowk and Tajpur road had the maximum number of intravenous addicts. Records of the same were available with the department of health and family welfare as well as the police, he added. “Owners of drug stores here are selling scheduled “h” drugs without prescription,” alleged the doctor. 

Ludhiana, May 27
The Union Agriculture Ministry has sanctioned and released an amount of Rs 1.02 crore to Ludhiana District Milk Producers’ Cooperative Ltd (Milkfed) for the improvement of quality of milk production.

This followed the persistent efforts by local MP and the national spokesperson of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) Manish Tewari, who took up the case personally with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

A release issued from Tewari’s office here read, “Following the local federation’s demands for improvement in the infrastructure and quality of milk, Tewari took up the matter with Pawar.

The amount was sanctioned under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).”

Expressing his gratitude to the Union Agriculture Ministry, Tewari hoped that this amount would be utilised properly.

He assured that he would continue to pursue various development projects with the 
Central government to ensure that maximum funds were allocated 
to the area.

Sarabha (Raikot), May 27
The memorial to Kartar Singh Sarabha at his native village here is incomplete even after 12 years.The 114th birth anniversary of this martyr was celebrated on May 24.His house, now converted into a mini-museum housing his belongings and photographs of other freedom fighters, is a shambles.

Though many grants have been released for its facelift, those have been inadequate and have even been wasted.

Sarabha’s nephews Piara Singh and Narsher Singh, along with other villagers, want construction of the memorial to be restarted immediately and completed in one go.

They have demanded that the state government and the Centre build memorials to martyrs and observe their birth and death anniversaries.

The martyr’s family had handed over the house to the state government to turn it into a memorial and donated land for the monument.

On his martyrdom day in 1997, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had declared the house a government heritage point and transferred it to the heritage department.

Badal, along with Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Jagdish Singh Garcha, inaugurated the monument and the library on November 16, 2008.

Though the government had planned a monument and a library here, it did not have a single book till date.

Four persons had been appointed by the public works department to maintain cleanliness, but the premises appeared quite filthy.

Work on the memorial was started in 1998 at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore. Scheduled to be completed in a year, it was still incomplete.

Last year, the electricity board was directed to install an electricity connection at the memorial, but it had failed to do so far.

“They are our glorious past,” says octogenarian Jaswinder Kaur. Sarabha’s photograph at the local Powercom office was kept a worn-out and dust-filled frame.

Cleaning it, assistant lineman Malkait Singh apologised for the disrespect and stated that this would never be repeated.

Ludhiana, May 27
Caught by the police for violating traffic laws? Relax! Call a VIP from your cellphone and make him speak to the cop on duty and you can go scot-free.This is the mantra being followed by most of the traffic-rule violators in the city as the poor cops are finding themselves helpless to handle the “VIP menace”.

The helpless cops could be seen on any of the traffic chowks, with a cellphone on their ear as the violators are seen basking in the glory of getting a cop “browbeaten”.

With the introduction of commissionerate system in the city, the emphasis on checking traffic violations has increased manifold. The cops are under pressure from their seniors to check violations.

A cop said, “If I chase and stop 100 violators in a day, at least 70 make me speak on the phone and I am left with no option, but to let them go. I get to hear big names on the other side. What can I do?”

The city has 75 councillors, four MLAs, an MP and several district and block leaders of various parties. “Everybody seems to know every violator. If we do not listen to them then we have to face the music,” he added.

Since the political interference continues, rules are flouted with impunity. Scores of scooterists drive without helmets and even use mobiles while driving. A cop, peeved at the scenario, said: “They know they can escape easily. Why would they stick to rules?”

Parminder Mehta, a Congress councillor, said he gets five to 10 calls from violators everyday. “But I only vouch for those people who do not carry driving licences and vehicle related documents and are caught. I just stand as their guarantee stating I know them well and the police could trust them. I do not put in a word for violators at all,” he claimed.

Jagraon, May 27
A man committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance, as he was allegedly unable to bribe the women’s cell of the police here for settling the dispute of his daughter with her in-laws.

Gurcharan Singh, alias Charna (54), of Deherka village, near here, who worked as a labourer in a closed sugar mill of Jagraon, committed suicide last evening when he lost the last ray of hope to get justice for his married daughter who, along with her two daughters, was living away from her in-laws, who had turned her out of their house.

After consuming poison, Charanjit Singh made a call to his friend Billu of Rasulpur village and asked him “to fight for the cause of his daughter till she got justice” and all accused, including her in-laws and police officials responsible for his death, were bought to book. He also intimated about his suicide note and that he had mentioned the name of all persons responsible for his death, along with the sequence of events. Billu immediately left for the place of Charanjit Singh, where he found him in a serious condition. He was brought to a private hospital at Jagraon, where he breathed his last.

The SSP said a case of abetment to suicide had been registered against all those named in the suicide note under Section 309 of the IPC on the statement of Dilpreet Singh, son of the deceased. Those booked included Harjeet SIngh, the husband of Jaspal Kaur, his sister Karamjit Kaur, her husband Harminder Singh, her brother-in-law Sukhminder Singh and her father-in-law Dayal Singh, all of Ramgarh Bhullar village. 

Ludhiana, May 27
If you encounter any difficulty in withdrawing cash from an ATM and someone present there offers to help you out, then beware! They can siphon off all the cash from your account.

A Division No 5 police team led by SHO Dharampal today nabbed two young men who have reportedly cheated several city residents and stolen cash from their ATM accounts. Interestingly, one of them is a second-year engineering student at a college in Moga, while his accomplice is a school dropout.

The suspects, identified as Maninder Singh and Arshdeep Singh, both residents of Gurdev Nagar, were caught red handed while they were pilfering money by breaking into someone else's account at the State Bank of India ATM in Gurdev Nagar today.

During interrogation the duo soon cracked and confessed to having committed the crime. They told the police they used to stand outside ATMs in the city and keep an eye on old women and men visiting the machines.

"As soon as they entered the ATM cubicle we also went in along with them. As most of them didn’t know how to operate the machine we used to create a panic by asking them to quickly complete the process. In many cases senior citizens requested us to operate the machine for them. After the transaction we used to hand over the money to the people but in the meantime we conducted further transactions. After the victims exited the cubicle we used to withdraw the available amount from the ATM," confessed one of the suspects.

It is learnt SBI officials received several complaints from people stating they had lost huge amounts of money, more than they had withdrawn from the bank’s ATM.

Dharampal said while they were able to arrest the two youngsters the third suspects managed to flee the scene.

Both Maninder and Arshdeep have been booked for theft and fraud.

Ludhiana, May 27
Panic spread in Tajpur area after two motorcycle-borne youths killed a man with sharp-edged weapons at the Tajpur road late last night.The victim was identified as Vijay Kumar (22), a resident of Ramdas Colony.

According to eyewitness, the incident occurred around 10 pm when Vijay Kumar was standing outside a liquor vend near a water tank at the Tajpur road.

In the meantime, two motorcycle-borne youths arrived at the spot and attacked Vijay Kumar with sharp-edged weapons, eyewitness added.

Vijay succumbed to injuries on the spot. The police rushed to the scene and started investigating. The victim was taken to a civil hospital for post-mortem. According to police, due to fear, residents, who had witnessed the gory killing of the youth, didn’t co-operate with the police.

Family members of the victim said Vijay was working in a cloth-manufacturing unit at a factory. He left for work early in the morning.

When Vijay didn’t return till late evening the family started searching for him and came to know about the incident.

The police suspected personal enmity to be the reason behind the killing, but the relatives ruled out any such possibility.

Ludhiana, May 27
The Jamalpur police nabbed a con couple and seized 2.5 kg of fake gold ornaments from them here today.The duo identified as Mohan Kumar and Meena from Delhi and Bhopal, respectively, were on the run after duping Gulshan Kumar, a grocery shop owner at Jamalpur, of Rs 2 lakh a few days ago. Gulshan said the duo came to his shop a few days ago and told him that they were from Rajasthan.

"The couple told me that they have found gold ornaments during digging in Rajasthan and they want to sell the gold. They gave me a piece of gold to check. I got it checked and struck a deal of 2 kg gold ornaments for Rs 2 lakh," Gulshan added.

After he went to a goldsmith to sell gold weighing 2 kg, he was told that the gold was fake and he was duped.

Following the incident, Gulshan informed the police. The police registered a case and initiated a search to nab the accused. Yesterday, the police received a tip-off that the couple was seen at Jamalpur. The police laid a trap and nabbed the accused. The cops seized another cache of gold weighing 2 kg.

According to Kawaljit Singh, SHO, Jamalpur police station, the couple has been booked for fraud. It is learnt that after duping people, the con couple used to disconnect their mobile phones and head towards another city to find a new prey. The police said it was not an isolated case, as the couple had duped several residents. They were investigating the matter and more such cases would come to light, the police added.

Ludhiana, May 27
Gauravdeep Singh of the Ludhiana Basketball Academy and Geeta from Kapurthala have been selected to lead Punjab youth basketball boys and girls teams, respectively, in the upcoming National Youth Basketball Championship scheduled to be held in Tamil Nadu from June 1 to 8.

The names of the players are (boys)- Gauravdeep Singh, Satnam Singh, Arjun Prasad, Loveneet Singh, Navjot Singh and Moneypal Singh from Ludhiana Basketball Academy; Ajay Kumar and Sameer Sen Pandey from Ludhiana; Jeetinder Singh from Mansa; Sehajdep Singh from Patiala, Harmandeep Singh from Faridkot and Paramjit Singh from Amritsar.

Dr S Subramanian will accompany the team as coach, while Capt Gulzar Singh will be the assistant coach-cum-manager. Girls: Geeta, Radhika, Savita, Rakhi and Rajni from Kapurthala; Harpreet Kaur, Sarbjit Kaur and Aruna from Gurdaspur; Pawandeep, Ravinder and Avneet from Ludhiana and Rajnesh from Patiala. Gul Gul Singh will be the coach.