Ludhiana, February 21
In a major breakthrough, the police has nabbed four persons who were behind the kidnapping of six- year- old girl Nisha from Dhandari.

The girl was recovered from the Focal point area yesterday after the kidnappers were paid a ransom of Rs 3 lakh.

A special team led by ADCP- IV Sushil Kumar, ACP Jaswinder Singh, SHO, Sahenwal, Arvind Puri and CIA in charge GS Bains nabbed the accused from Dhandari- Focal Point area- late last night.

The kidnappers have been identified as Anil Kumar, Umesh Kumar, Karan Gupta and Ram Chander, all migrants and currently residing in Dhandari and the surrounding area.

Addressing a press conference, Sushil Kumar said handing over the cash was part of our investigation. "First and foremost was the safety of the child as there was fear that the kidnappers could kill Nisha. When the girl was recovered the police launched a massive combing operation and arrested the kidnapper. We have also recovered nearly Rs 2.85 lakh demanded as ransom by the kidnappers."

Jaswinder Singh said Anil Kumar, who used to work as a medical assistant at a clinic in Dhandari, hatched the conspiracy along with Umesh, Karan and Ram Kumar.

Recently Arjun, father of Nisha had purchased a truck and visited the doctor to share the news. Anil thought that Arjun was a rich man and planed to kidnap his daughter.

"All are out of job and hard up of cash these days. Anil who used to indulge in petty crimes, including thefts, had even stolen Rs 1 lakh of his father. Anil thought that by kidnapping the girl they will make good money and pay up the amount they had borrowed from people," said Sushil Kumar. The accused first snatched the mobile phone from a watchman, who was a Nepal national, in Dhandari area few days ago.

They then stole the motorcycle from the Focal Point area on February 15.After a meticulous planning they finally kidnapped Nisha on February 18, while she was playing along with her friends outside her house in Dhandari village. Umesh and Anil had kidnapped the girl and she was kept at the shanty belonging to Ram Chander.

After kidnapping the girl they then called Arjun Singh, father of the girl, and demanded Rs 5 lakh. The matter was stalled at Rs 3 lakh and the accused were paid the amount. Soon after receiving the girl the police nabbed the accused. 

Ludhiana, February 21
Stalking a girl proved costly for a youth from Rampura Phool as he landed in the police net. The girl's presence of mind led to the nabbing of the youth.

The incident took place this afternoon at Rajpura road when the girl asked the auto-rickshaw driver, in which both the youth and the girl were sitting, while he was teasing her, to stop the vehicle in front of the residence of the Police Commissioner and complained about eve-teasing.

Ludhiana, February 21
Some are guessing, some are asking about the outcome of the elections of the state. As the date of election results is nearing, din about the prophecies of the Assembly elections is rising, and living room discussions are getting more intense predicting who will come to power.

"The party that comes to power can alter the fate of the state in future. The outcome is perhaps the most unpredictable this time around, as nobody can say with confidence who will win," says Maninder, a resident of Civil Lines. This month-long gap is only increasing the anxiety of everyone, he says.

As excitement is getting high among the electorate, political leaders and candidates are on tenterhooks. Trying to get a glimpse into the uncertain future, many of them have been busy consulting astrologers to know about their future.

"I have been in regular touch with my astrologer. I even filed my nominations at the most propitious day. I am reciting the mantras prescribed by my astrologer. So I have no doubts about my victory," said a candidate from a rural constituency, requesting anonymity. Another candidate said that although he was agnostic when it came to astrology, but if it did any good, then why not make the most of it. "So I have got a new precious stone for better luck to get more favourable outcome in the elections," he says.

Some of the astrologers and numerologists are also making predictions about the outcome of the elections. "Change of governance seems to be in the offing this time around," says Pawan Kumar Sharma, a city-based astrologer. "I have studied and calculated the outcome of the elections according to the time and place of the formation of these parties and other factors", he says.

Ludhiana, February 21
Not only obese but underweight and normal first degree relatives of diabetic patients can also suffer from diabetes mellitus. This has been revealed in a recent research conducted by Dr Abhilasha under the guidance of Dr John Parmod, professor of physiology, and former director of the CMCH, Ludhiana.

Dr Abhilasha said, “I had selected 300 people aged between 20 to 87 who were first degree relatives of patients with T2 DM. The first degree relatives (parents, siblings and offspring) are those who share similar genetic characteristics as patients. Among these 163 women and 137 men were included. It was observed that subjects (people) with underweight (body mass index less than 14 kg/M2) and normal (body mass index more than 18 but more than 23 kg/M2) also had a considerable number of subjects with IFG, IGT (impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance) and diabetes mellitus(DM).”

As per the research findings, in women with WHR (waste hip ratio) less than .85, it was found that 88 per cent had impaired fasting glucose, 81 per cent had impaired glucose tolerance and and 83 per cent had diabetes as per their FBS level and 85 per cent had diabetes as per their two-hour post-loading blood sugar values.

In men with waste hip ratio more than .95, it was seen that 67 per cent had impaired fasting glucose, 62 per cent had impaired glucose tolerance and 68 per cent had diabetes as per their fasting blood sugar level and diabetes as per their two-hour post-loading blood sugar values. The overall prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was found among 95 persons out of 300, while that of impaired glucose tolerance was found in 50 persons.

Ludhiana, February 21
The department of English, Govenment College for Women, organised its Annual Literary Society event here today. The students staged the 16th century Shakespearean drama “The Merchant of Venice" in the college auditorium.

Students displayed their theatrical skills by interweaving several parts of the play in the enactment. The event was graced by principal Gurminder. Kiranjeet Brar, head of the English department, lauded the efforts put in by Durga Parmar of BA III who gave music, sound, editing and graphic visuals to the play. The play was directed by Sumeet Brar, Durga, and Manpreet of BA III year.

Principal Gurminder Kaur congratulated and appreciated the efforts put in by the faculty organisers and the participants for their brilliant performances. She also gave away the prizes to the winners.

Ludhiana, February 21
Four unauthorised colonies were razed by Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) today. A demolition drive, led by additional chief administrator (ACA) Jaswant Singh, GLADA, on Tuesday dismantled roads, sewerage manholes, electric poles, boundary walls, entry gates and other internal development works in some four colonies which were being developed in an area of more than 60 acres.

The unauthorised colonies targeted during the drive were located in Bhadarke and Kasabaad villages. The GLADA team, accompanied by the police force, did not face any resistance. According to a press release issued today, the drive against unauthorised colonies will continue.

Ludhiana, February 21
Traders from Bangladesh are busy wooing garment and yarn manufacturers from the city to invest in their country with Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Since Bangladesh is armed with duty-free treaty, with India it is expecting huge exports by the end of June.

“With duty-free exports to India, traders from Bangladesh are coming to Ludhiana not only for garments but also for yarn. The orders have started pouring in. The practice has started and we are hopeful that it will gain momentum within a couple of months,” said Vinod Thapar, president of the Knitwear Club.

The State Bank of India in Bangladesh is also supporting the projects. “I have also received a couple of clients from Bangladesh who are interested in doing business with us. We are thinking over the proposal and things will be finalised within a few weeks,” said Ravinderpaul, a garment exporter from the city.

“Indian garment manufacturers from Ludhiana are being targeted for garment SEZ. Investors from Bangladesh are attracting city-based companies to invest there. Bangladesh offers huge cheap manpower and duty-free export across the globe with the Least Developed Country status being another major attraction for these SEZs,” added another businessman from the city.

Since Ludhiana is known globally for its hosiery and garment industry, Bangladesh is targeting Ludhiana for its SEZs. “Ludhiana is the hub of garment and hosiery industry and with cheap labour available there, the investors will be only happy to go there. It will bring brighter prospects for the local industry and at the same time exports from Bangladesh will also see an upward swing,” said a market expert.

Ludhiana, February 21
The Bhartiya Jan Jagran Sangathan has asked the Deputy Commissioner to conduct a thorough probe into yesterday’s incident.

While submitting a memorandum to Rahul Tewari, Deputy Commissioner, today, the members also requested that the police officials, who gave permission to organise the function without seeing the arrangements, should also be taken to task.

Prem Pandey, president of the sangathan, said the function organised at Focal Point yesterday was held under the high-tension wires. Neither the organisers nor the police officials bothered to think of the consequences while giving permission for the same.

“It was a massive gathering. The department should have deputed policemen. There was no separate seating arrangement for men and women. Besides, in religious functions, vulgarity is displayed at times by calling artistes, this trend should be shunned. In Ludhiana particularly, funds in lakhs are generated from several quarters to call the artistes. While they are paid peanuts, the organisers mint money,” said Pandey while submitting the memorandum.

Demanding compensation for the victims, Pandey said the government must provide Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of dead and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured. Besides, the organisers should also provide similar compensation to the families, said Pandey.

Ludhiana, February 21
Beware as the Income Tax Department may be re-opening tax returns of beyond six years in specific cases of black money where “foreign assets” are involved.

If the government grants powers to the department then it will pursue the ongoing cases where funds were found to be squirrelled away abroad and these came to light after India received a classified list of overseas bank accounts of Indians.

As per rules, the department can only open past I-T returns if they need to probe hidden income and assets. A top official said the time frame that the I-T authorities want to go back is about 12 years.

“The department wants to re-open the I-T returns and carry out a thorough probe,” he said.

Officials of the probe wings of the department have carried out a number of searches and visits in the last four months. In cases where the individuals have denied holding secret foreign bank accounts, the department has already decided to re-open their past tax returns.

Ludhiana, February 21
If you have ever got lost on the website while checking the status of your speed post article or felt difficult to navigate through the cluttered website of the postal department, you will feel relieved to see the new interface of the India Post website. The website was updated this morning and many residents were pleasantly surprised to see the better-looking, cleaner and more organised website.

Officer on duty at India Post, K Subramanyam, said the new website reflected the change in sync with the overall changes in the postal department. The colour scheme has been changed to red and white, in accordance with the new branding of the postal department being done all over the country. “The website has a new user-interface and is much easier to navigate,” he said. He added that new sections and customer schemes would be added to the website.

Earlier, the dominant colour of the website was blue, and there was no proper grouping, with the central point of the website having new notifications appearing in flash.

“The new website is very nice, and the website looks much more user-friendly as the various sections went unnoticed. Even the fonts are easier,” said Gurmeet Singh, a resident. SP Pahwa, manager at the Speed Post Centre, said the good part was that all services offered by the department had been highlighted.

Medha, a resident, said government websites were the most important and most-accessed ones, which was why user-friendliness of these was a must.

“Good, well-designed websites are a must, and all government websites should be redesigned,” said Pawan, a brand consultant.

Jagraon, February 21
In a bid to tighten noose around gamblers, the Ludhiana (rural) police today conducted a raid at the Old Grain Market here and arrested four persons.

The accused have been identified as Shami Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Binder Singh, alias Bhinda, and Ram Kumar. Though there were about 15 persons present at the place, 10 of them managed to escape.

One of the arrested youths Sunil Kumar sustained injuries while trying to flee. He was admitted to a private hospital. His condition is stated to be stable.

Some shopkeepers of the Old Grain Market informed the police that some persons were gambling on the roof of a newly constructed market.

Following which the police conducted the raid at the market and nabbed four persons. A case has been registered in this connection.

Meanwhile, the family members of Sunil Kumar said the police did not even bother to admit the accused to the hospital. “The police did not admit Sunil to hospital despite the fact that he was seriously injured. We had to rush him to the hospital in a pick-up vehicle.”