Phagwara, September 21
In a major success, the Phagwara police succeeded to bust two different inter-state gangs of robbers and arrested seven accused members of these two gangs, while three accused managed to escape.

Giving details of the success, Phagwara SP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon told The Tribune here this afternoon, that the police has recovered seven stolen or snatched motorcycles, one Maruti car, some weapons and other goods from the arrested accused.

Dhillon, while talking about the arrests, said on a tip off, a police party, headed by SHO Sadar Ravinder Singh raided roadside bushes on the bypass near Gaunspur, and succeeded to nab four robbers, identified as Sandeep Singh of Barna village, PS Phagwara; Ajwinder Singh, alias Tidda of Palahai PS Phagwara; Sandeep Kumar of Jhingrra village PS Mukandpur and Kuldip Singh of Barrapind PS Maksuda Jalandhar, while their fifth accomplice, identified as Ganesh Dass, a Himachal resident and presently a resident of Kala Kherra village, PS Kartarpur, managed to escape.

SP Dhillon said the police recovered five stolen or snatched motorcycles, one 7.62 bore country-made pistol, two live cartridges, two kamanidar knives, one iron hammer, and one Maruti car (number PB-10D-0705) from the arrested accused. SP Dhillon said the police has registered four different cases under sections 399and 402 of the IPC and 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

The SP said more disclosures are expected from the arrested accused.

Talking further about the arrest of three gang members of another gang, SP Dhillon said city police SHO Amrik Singh Chahal, on a tip off, raided a barren place in the old civil hospital building and succeeded to nab three accused, said to be the members of a gang of snatchers.

The arrested accused were identified as Harpreet Singh, Buta Ram, Manohar Lal (of Nangal Majha village) and recovered two baseballs, a sharp-edged weapon and two stolen motorcycles from the accused who used to loot people by first sprinkling chilly powder in the eyes. SP Dhillon said their two more accomplices, identified as Ranjit Singh, alias Jeeta and Ranjit Kumar alias Tunda Wala, managed to escape.

The police has registered a case under section 399 and 402 of the IPC against the gang members. SP Dhillon disclosed that during preliminary interrogation, the arrested accused have confessed their involvements in various cases of robberies committed at different places.

Phagwara, September 21
A motorcyclist Ajaib Singh of Amanatpur, Maksudan, Jalandhar sustained injuries, while pillion rider, his co-brother Satnam Singh of Gurbachan Nagar, Maksudan was killed, when their bike was hit by a Delhi-bound Punjab Police bus (number PB-10AB-0069) near Punjab Bone Mills, Chaherru, on the national high way this evening.

The police said about 45 jawans of 3 IRB battalion were going from Kapurthala to Delhi to perform their duties for the Comm onwealth Games in the bus, when the bike skidded and collided with the bus, which also partially overturned.

Some IRB jawans also sustained bruises, the police said. The injured Ajaib Singh was first admitted to the local civil hospital but was discharged after being given first aid.

The police bus driver Resham Singh said the motorcyclists suddenly collided with the bus after banging with the roadside crasher, meant for the six laning work of the national highways.

Pathankot, September 21
The police arrested a proclaimed offender terrorist of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Balbir Singh, alias Pinka, son of Labh Singh of Guru Nanak Nagar, Jammu.

SP Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said on a tip-off by military intelligence, police raided his residence yesterday at Jammu and succeeded in nabbing the terrorist.

He said the accused was involved in a 1997 bomb blast incident. The bus in question had been bombed on the way from Pathankot to Jammu in 1997. Ten persons were killed and more than 30 were injured in the blast.

He said a case in this connection had been registered against Pinka under sections 302, 307 and 427 of the IPC and 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act, at the Pathankot police division-1.

He had been evading arrest since 1997 and was declared a proclaimed offender, SP added. He was produced at the local court today and remanded to police custody for eight days. — OC

Hoshiarpur, September 21
Providing relief to Surinder Kaur of Kalyanpur village (Dasuya), the District Consumer Court has ordered Oriental Insurance Corporation Limited to pay Rs 6.75 lakh to her along with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the complaint till payment.

The court also directed the company to pay Rs 1,000 to the complainant as litigation expenses.

Surinder Kaur’s truck (PB-07-M-9595), insured under comprehensive policy of the company, was stolen on March 30, 2008, near petrol pump at Dasuya. In her complaint, she claimed the insurance company did not inform her about the terms and conditions of the policy.

The company repudiated the claim saying the case was investigated through Private Eye Investigation, Delhi.

It was revealed that the ignition key was left in the cabin of the truck and the vehicle was left unattended resulting into theft of the vehicle, which is a gross violation of the condition No 5 of the policy.

The court held that the insurance company neither produced the affidavit of the investigator, who conducted the investigation nor the affidavit of Krishan Kumar, cleaner of the truck, therefore, the investigation report was not sufficient to conclude that the truck in question was left unlocked and unattended resulting into the theft of the vehicle.

The court further held that the repudiation of the claim was illegal, which amounts to deficiency in service on the part of the company. 

Hoshiarpur, September 21
The Punjab Government is spending Rs 102 crore under the National River Conservation Project to broaden water supply and sewerage coverage.

Punjab Minister for Medical Education and Research, Forest and Wildlife, Labour and Parliamentary Affairs Tikshan Sud said this after laying the foundation stone of the water supply pipeline, to be set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, at local Mohalla Pur Hiran today.

He said the pipeline to supply water to Mohalla Bhim Nagar was laid at a cost of Rs 8 lakh.

With the completion of the above said project, he said, the entire city would be covered under sewerage. More development works, worth Rs 28 lakh, would soon be started in Mohalla Pur Hiran, he said.

Referring to the supply of potable water to the inhabitation of the town, he said 18 new tubewells had recently been installed and with their installation there was no shortage of drinking water. To cover Punjab under greenery and to make it pollution free, the Forest Department had planted 1.3 crore saplings of various trees during recent vanmahotsav in the state. Chetna Park had already been set up at Bassi Jana, located on the periphery of the city. Another park at Purani Bassi was being set up, further disclosed Tikshan Sud. — OC

Pathankot, September 21
Sujanpur town, situated on the Pathankot-Jammu national highway, 6 km from here, has been nobody’s baby since Independence. Its development never made it to the priority list of the political leaders, who represented the constituency since the past 63 years.

B class municipal council of Sujanpur having 13 wards and 6 villages --- Nawa Gagra, Kailash Pur, Solli Polli, Jammukalyari, Kalachak and Falakpur --- claimed to have spent Rs 2 crore on various development schemes but nothing seemed to suggest so.

“Representatives of Sujanpur constituency just did vote politics,” said Krishan Kumar, a local resident. Baldev Singh, a shopkeeper, alleged that major problems facing the town are absence of sewerage and a bus stand.

Raj Kumar Gupta, president of the Sujanpur Municipal Council, said he had been eagerly waiting for development grant for various projects, which are hanging in the balance due to paucity of funds.

He said the council wanted to set up a 50-bed hospital, children park and colony for the down-trodden besides a new bus stand.

A first step in this direction, he said, would be to remove encroachments on the roadsides and at a public places.

Gupta said the MC had chalked out a comprehensive plan for laying the sewerage in the town. He said an estimate for the project (about Rs 30 crore) had been sent to the government. Nothing had been sanctioned so far, he added.