The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Police stops illegal construction

Dera Bassi, July 16
The Dera Bassi Municipal Council has stopped the construction work of a building, owned by former DMC president and Congress leader Amritpal Singh on Saturday evening. Municipal councillors had alleged that Amritpal was illegally constructing lintel on an old building situated on the forest land. They alleged that this land was of the forest department and inquiry was pending regarding this with the vigilance department.

The work was stopped by the police, following a complaint by Municipal officer Tilakraj. Tilakraj termed it an unapproved building. Later, the councillors of DMC also alleged that the illegal construction was going on in connivance with the present DMC president. Addressing mediapersons at DMC office, councillors Vipan Thamman, and Hariom Dhiman, alleged that the hotel building was already situated on the forest land. Amritpal was involved in constructing an unauthorised structure, throwing NHAI and municipal norms to the wind. He had no approved map of the building. On the other hand, denying the aforesaid allegations, Amritpal termed them baseless and false, inspired by policital reasons. He said the structure of the old building had become dilapidated, so he was constructing a new lintel, only to strengthen the old structure. — OC

Bassi Pathana Civil Hospital sans doctors
Patients seek treatment at pvt hospitals
Surinder Bhardwaj

Bassi Pathana, July 16
Transfer of five doctors out of six has left the local civil hospital with just a senior medical officer (SMO) to treat the patients and now the patients are forced to get costly treatment from private hospitals.

There is no surgeon, general medical practitioner, child specialist, eye specialist and permanent radiographer. The emergency services suffer, as there is no emergency medical officer. The patients alleged that they visited the hospital in hope of getting treatment but there were no doctors to attend them.

There is only one sweeper to clean the hospital. The radiographer and the driver of the ambulance are working on contract basis and they get salaries from hospital funds.

When contacted, SMO Dr Balwinder Singh said he had just joined here and had apprised the civil surgeon regarding the situation. The civil surgeon said that he had informed the health secretary and the health secretary would further bring the matter to the notice of the health minister. When contacted, the health minister said the transfers made recently would be cancelled.

Residents alleged that the new health minister was responsible for such state of affairs as the former minister Luxmi Kanta Chawla did not entertain any transfer and as soon as the minister changed the doctors managed to get plum postings.

Representatives of various social organisations of the town have urged the health minister to immediately intervene in the matter to provide proper health services to the residents.

COURTS

Highway Robbery
7-year jail term for two
Two others, including UT police inspector’s son, acquitted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Preeti Sahni today convicted two persons in the 2009 Sector-33 robbery case, involving highway robbers, and handed down seven years of rigorous imprisonment besides imposing a fine of Rs 8,000 on them.

The court, however, acquitted two others, including the son of a UT police inspector, in the case. Another co-accused in the case is undergoing trial.

The court sentenced Rajeev, alias Raja, and Bhupinder Singh, alias Bhuppi, to seven years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting them under Sections 365 (abduction with confinement) and 392 (robbery) of the IPC.

Jaipal, son of a Punjab Police sub-inspector, and Harinder, son of a UT police inspector, were acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove charges against them.

The complainant, Lalit Behl, had failed to identify Jaipal and Harinder in the court, which led to their acquittal, sources said.

The case dates back to May 27, 2009 when local businessman Lalit Behl, returning from Delhi in his Honda Civic car, was waylaid by five armed men, who then drove the victim to his house in Sector 33 and robbed him of cash and valuables.

Lalit was on his way from Delhi to Chandigarh when the robbers waylaid him near Kurukshetra on the National Highway No. 1.

The armed men pulled their car near the victim’s vehicle and asked him to get down. They then got into his car and pushed Behl on to its back seat, threatening to kill him if he raise the alarm.

They then drove him to his residence in Sector 33 at gunpoint and robbed him.

The Kurukshetra police later arrested Bhupinder and Rajeev Raja in another robbery case and the two disclosed their involvement in the Sector-33 robbery case.

The Chandigarh police later arrested two others — Jaipal and Harinder — in the case.

The accused were involved in 20 other crimes, including bank robberies in Panchkula and Mohali, the police had claimed.

The crime

On May 27, 2009, Sector-33 resident Lalit Behl was on his way from Delhi to Chandigarh when the robbers waylaid him near Kurukshetra on the NH-1. They drove him in his car to his house and robbed him

10-yr RI for raping minor
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge VP Sirohi today sentenced a Ram Darbar resident to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a four-year-old. The convict, Vijay Kumar, has also been imposed a fine of Rs 5000.

The incident dates back to June 2010 when the minor was raped by her neighbour. The victim had gone to bring ice from her neighbour’s place, when she was raped by Vijay Kumar. Her mother noticed her missing and began a search for her. The girl was then found crying and had injuries on her genitals. Her mother informed the police and her medical examination confirmed rape. The accused was then arrested.

CRIME

Immigration firm owner held for fraud
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
The police has arrested Anu Bhattacharya, director of immigration company ACME Career World Pvt Ltd, Sector 34, in a case of fraud. The accused had allegedly duped nine persons of Rs 81 lakh on the pretext of sending them to Canada.

The victims belonged to different states and were cheated by the accused on false promises. The complainants, including Gurjeet Singh of Pilibhit district in UP, had approached Bhattacharya through an advertisement and paid Rs 9 lakh each in November, 2010. The accused had provided a Canadian visa to Gurjeet, but it was later found to be fake, the police said.

The police sources said the director was arrested following Gurjeet’s complaint and those of eight others who were duped in a similar fashion. The accused had shut down his office in Sector 34 and was arrested through tower location of his cell phone from Zirakpur.

The police said there were three more accused in the case and all were at large

vehicle thefts
Insurance surveyors party to crime
Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 16
The notorious gang of interstate criminals busted recently by the Mohali police adopted more than one way of laying their hands on vehicles of their choice.

Apart from lifting and snatching cars, they used to connive with surveyors of insurance companies to procure damaged vehicles auctioned at throwaway prices, keeping the vehicle owners in the dark.

The interesting aspect of the modus operandi of the gang has been revealed by a Kurali-based lawyer, Chander Shekhar Bawa, whose Mahindra Bolero (PB 65 J 6726) was sold in an auction by a surveyor while keeping him in the dark. Though the vehicle was repairable, the surveyor had pressed upon its owner to dispose it of as it had been totalled.

“I was told by the surveyor that I would be given Rs 4.20 lakh, including Rs 1.70-lakh claim, by the insurance company. However, I never got the money,” he claimed.

On probing the matter, he found that the vehicle had been auctioned for Rs 2.50 lakh to a member of the gang. However, he was kept in the dark about the auction. He has now filed a complaint with the police in this regard.

This has prompted the police to probe the role of a key member of the gang, Chetan Bakshi, who is believed to have been in close contact with officials of insurance companies. Mohali SSP GPS Bhullar said all angles were being probed.

Bakshi had slipped from the hands of the police after it had recovered around 25 stolen vehicles. The police had also zeroed in on two persons who specialised in the job of embossing engine and chassis numbers on vehicles and were doing the job for the gang at a price.

Soni brought on police remand

The Mohali police today brought Parveen Soni, an accused in the case, on production warrant from Delhi. Investigations have pointed to his role in the sale of a number of cars in the region

Man loses Rs 2 lakh over Rs 10 note

Chandigarh, July 16
A Sector-22 resident lost Rs 2 lakh to a con man who fooled his victim into believing that his Rs 10 note had fallen on the ground.

The incident took place this morning when Sandeep, who works in a construction company, came out of a bank in Sector 17 after withdrawing Rs 2 lakh and kept the bag containing the cash in his Swift car.

As he was about to enter the car, parked near Punjab and Sind Bank, Sector 17, a youth approached him and told him that he had dropped a Rs 10 note.

As Sandeep bent down to look for the note, the accused escaped with the bag containing the cash. A case of theft has been registered at the police station-17. — TNS

SPORTS

Tennis Tourney
Krishna humbles Depesh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
Krishna Karsolia defeated Depesh Giri in the qualifying round of Chandigarh Open 50K Men and Women Tennis Tournament being held at the CLTA courts here. Krishna defeated Giri 8-1.

Second rounds matches will be played at the CLTA complex and Lake Sport Complex, Chandigarh, from 8 am and 9 am, respectively on July 17.

Results : Men singles: Krishna Karsolia bt Depesh Giri 8-1; Sumit Singh bt Deepak Sharma 8-2; Manjeet Singh Aboora bt Chandan Agnihotri 8-4; Sonam Phuntsok bt Krishna Urmiliya 8-4; Digvijay Singh Naruka bt Samrat Rana 8-4;Sidharth Rawal bt Mallik Arjun Nath 8-2; Pranav Suri bt Anirudh Jain 8-2; Karan Salwant bt Gurinder Singh 8-2; Bibashwan bt Harry Jindal 8-4

Vipul Sabarwal bt Ravi Tomar 8-2; Akash Goyal bt Akaar Ali 8-2; Surinder Pal Singh bt Ganesh Devkhile 8-1; Udai Singh Mann bt Ashish Kapoor 8-5

Lalrinaniwa Khawliring bt Kapil Sachdeva 8-0 and Aviraj Kamboj bt Johnny Benjamin 8-5.