Hoshiarpur, August 4
The district police today claimed to have unearthed an inter-district gang of robbers with the arrest of three of its members, who were preparing to commit a big robbery in the Mahilpur area.

In a press note issued here today, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said the arrested members were identified as Satpal Singh, alias Sata, son of Tarsem Singh of Sham Chaurasi road, Hariana, Tarsem Singh, alias Semi, son of Bhagat Singh of Jassowal, Mahilpur, and Pawan Kumar, alias DC, son of Sardar Lal of Mohalla Rajpura, Bholath (Kapurthala).

The police recovered two country-made pistols, four cartridges, 20 gm gold ornaments and Rs 14,500 from them. Rakesh Aggarwal said the SHO of the Mahilpur police station got a tip-off that Satpal and his accomplices Tarsem Singh, Pawan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, alias Sheelu, son of Iqbal of Bholath, Paramjit Singh, alias Pamma, son of Jarnail Singh of Khakhan (Tanda), Kulwinder Singh, alias Billa, son of Paramjit of Raipur, Jamsher police station (Jalandhar), Avtar Singh, alias Tari, son of Dilbagh Singh of Mohkam Garh, Tanda police station, Avtar Singh, alias Sonu, son of Balbir Singh of Bhunga, Parminderjit Singh, alias Goldi, son of Rattan Singh of Mangarh (Garhdiwala) and Luv of Alachaur (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar) had assembled at an abandoned place near the canal bridge, Meghowal, for preparing themselves for committing a big robbery.

The police registered a case under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC and raided their hideout last night. The police succeeded in arresting Satpal Singh, Tarsem Singh and Pawan Kumar. However, their other accomplices managed to flee under the cover of darkness.

During preliminary interrogation, they confessed to their involvement in seven robbery and theft cases. Satpal Singh studied up to Class XII. He alongwith his accomplices murdered one Raman Kumar in 1995 and was sentenced life imprisonment under Sections 364, 302 and 201 of the IPC. In 2004, he murdered his mother-in-law and was again sentenced life imprisonment under Sections 302, 379 and 34 of the IPC.

At present he was on bail. After murdering his mother-in-law, Satpal had deserted his wife and now had been residing with another woman.

Tarsem Singh studied up to matric and had been running an electrician shop at Saila. He along with his accomplices also murdered one Devinder Singh in 2007, for which a case under Sections 302, 148 and 149 of the IPC was registered against him at the Mahilpur police station on March 25, 2007.

Pawan Kumar studied up to Class VIII and had gone to Dubai. After returning to India, he started working with octroi contractors. He was also on bail in a case registered under Sections 394 and 325 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act at the Bholath police station, said Rakesh Aggarwal.

Nakodar, August 4
A baba of a religious dera and a mahant of a temple were injured in an attack by some unidentified assailants. The mahant was later taken to the Civil Hospital and his condition is stated to be critical.

Baba Dhani Rama of a dera at Mullewal Khaira village in Shahkot sustained injuries when more than 10 unidentified assailants carrying sharp-edged weapons barged into the dera at around 2 pm today and started beating sewadars and later locked them inside the kitchen.

Sewadars Harjinder and Deepak revealed that the assailants manhandled baba Dhani Ram and also pulled him by hair. The baba was later slapped by the assailants.

The assailants, whose faces were covered, after breaking locks of a “golak” took away cash and a mobile phone of a sewadar. When villagers reached the dera, the assailants fled. Eyewitnesses said the assailants wore short pants and spoke Hindi and Punjabi.

The DSP, Shahkot, Jasveer Singh, along with the SHO, Gurmit Singh, took stock of the situation.

In another attack, mahant Harvinder, alias Sonu Bhagat, of a temple of Miawal Moulvian village in Shahkot sustained grievous injuries. The mahant said five assailants barged into the temple and started beating him with sticks and iron rods on Wednesday night. Two sewadars of the temple were also injured in the attack. 

Nawanshahr, August 4
Braving heavy rain, teachers held a district-level dharna as part of the state-level stir, launched under the aegis of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here on Thursday.

They were protesting against the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the master cadre serving in the government schools in granting them pay scales recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission, promotions as lecturers and headmasters and imposing uniformity in teaching methodology and faulty monitoring system started in the schools under the Parho Punjab programme.

Bhupinder Singh Warraich, state president, Democratic Teachers Front, while addressing the dharna, said the Fifth Pay Commission, Punjab, had recommended special pay scales for cops, nurses and teachers. Though the state government was going to implement the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission for the police and health departments from September, but the same benefits were being denied to the Education Department.

Besides, the Anomaly Committee, constituted to remove anomalies in the pay scales recommended by the pay commission in 1996, had not updated the pay scales of the master cadre. He demanded five special increments to the master cadre with effect from January, 1986, to remove the anomalies in their pay scales. Besides, he also demanded the Assured Career Progression (ACP) on 4-9-14-18 years for all employees and practical allowance amounting to Rs 1,000 to the teachers, minimum 5 per cent rate of increment and medical allowance amounting to Rs 1,000 per month.

Paramjit Dehal, Balbir Kumar and Ajmer Sidhu criticised the state government for forcing the teachers to adopt the teaching methodologies given in the teaching modules under the Parho Punjab Programme. 

Amritsar, August 4
The Sadar police has booked two persons for allegedly raping a woman hailing from West Bengal.

On the statement of the victim, who at present resides at Jhugian Ram Nagar, the police has registered a case under Sections 376, 506 and 34 of the IPC against Vickey of Kot village and Ghapa of Ram Nagar Colony, Majitha Road, in this connection.

In her statement to the police, she alleged that Vickey and Ghapa tied her mouth and raped her in a dairy.

Then they threatened to eliminate her if she narrated the incident to anyone. When she returned home, she revealed the whole incident to her sister, who told the family members about the incident.

The family approached the police and lodged a complaint. The police authorities said raids were being conducted to nab the accused, who were absconding.