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Election rallies choke city roads
Ludhiana, April 20 A large number of residents visited AC Market on account of Sunday. Shoppers faced a lot of inconvenience due to the rally. The police diverted the route of public transport to avoid traffic jams. Ramandeep Singh, a commuter, said: "Whenever people organise religious and political programmes on roads and streets, commuters face a lot of inconvenience. The District Electoral Officer should not allow political rallies on the congested roads". "I run a shop at Chaura Bazar. I received a call from my home. They needed me at home for an urgent work. I rushed but can’t make it on time. I had remained stranded near Dmoriya Pul for about 45 minutes," said Sahil, another commuter. Officialspeak:
Harjit Singh, ACP-Traffic, said: “We make alternative traffic arrangements. But most of the time party activists do not cooperate with the authorities. We do our best. We want cooperation from party activists who park their vehicles on the roads."
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Three rape cases registered in city, one arrested
Ludhiana, April 20 The victim had told the police that her friends Appu and Soloni
introduced her to Sanjiv, alias Sonu. On March 17, Appu and Soloni came to the victim's office and said her mother was unwell. The duo took her along. The victim said Appu's husband and Samir and the latter's friend Sanjiv also joined them on the way. While she was going home in a car, Sanjiv offered her cold drink laced with a sedative. She fell unconscious after taking the drink, she added. Later, she came to know that Sanjiv had raped her. The victim said she got married to Sanjiv on March 22 as she was being pressurised by Appu and Soloni and her husband Samir. But soon after the wedding, she was subjected to domestic violence. She said Sanjiv used to thrash her on petty issues. A few days ago, Sanjiv locked her in a house. The victim was rescued by a neighbour, Gurmail Singh. The victim narrated the incident to her parents had got the case registered at the Dugri police station against all the four
persons. After registering the case under various section of the IPC, the police started investigation. In the second case, a youth from Satguru Nagar in the Daba area was booked for raping a girl and then assaulting her in full public view. The accused, identified as Hardeep Singh, used to threaten the victim that if she did not befriend him, then he would kill her parents. Out of fear, the victim befriended Hardeep Singh. Nearly four months ago, the accused raped her on the pretext of showing her a room. On April 16, Hardeep publicly assaulted the victim. The girl's family came to learn about the entire incident and reported the matter to the police. The Daba police has registered the case and started the investigation. In the third incident, the Daba police has arrested a youth for raping a 14-year-old girl. The accused has been identified as Deepak of Mann Nagar in the Daba area. The incident took place on March 18 when the minor girl, who lives in the same colony, was alone at home. Deepak entered the house and raped her. Deepak threatened the girl that if she narrated the incident to anybody, then he would kill her. But the girl did not lose courage and narrated the entire incident to her parents when they returned home. They complained to the Daba police. |
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Role of revenue official under the scanner
Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 20 The role of the evaluators on the bank panel has also come under a cloud as before sanctioning a loan worth crores, they allegedly did not conduct the necessary survey to check whether the accused, Jagjit Singh, was in possession of the land. Sources said the inquiry officer had stated in his probe report that Jagjit Singh, in connivance with the bank employees and revenue department officials, committed the multi-crore scam. "The modus operandi was simple. Jagjit Singh first identified the land and obtained its farad (mutation). On the basis of the mutation, he got fake registries done. He involved the bank employees and got a loan worth crores sanctioned. The scam came to light when the loan amount was increased to Rs 86 cr due to payment default," said a police officer, who was part of the probe. Jagjit Singh, who had been on the run since September when he was booked in the land scam, was arrested at the Delhi Airport while he was reportedly trying to escape to Andhra Pradesh. His accomplice Onkar Singh and the two imposters Surjit Singh and Gurnam Singh, who posed as land owners Gurmail, who died on July 8, 2008, and his NRI brother Gurdev Singh, were also arrested. While the police have arrested Jagjit Singh and his accomplices, no action has been taken against the Sub-Registrar. The fake registries of the land were executed on March 16 and 22, 2010.
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Labour pangs for garment industry
Ludhiana, April 20 Industrialists said they had tried their best to dissuade workers from taking leave but they were adamant this time. "They have started leaving for their villages and will be back only after the elections in the second month of May. They have to send consignments by air (exports) if the orders get delayed," said SC Ralhan, Regional Chairman, Federation of Indian Export Organisation. Sunil Mehra, a hosiery manufacturer, said exporters were keen on placing fresh orders but manufacturers were not in a position to accept these as they fear they may not be able to make delivery on time. "We are doing with just about 60 per cent labour and timely execution needs full staff. We do not want to bear losses at the end if orders are not executed on time," said Mehra. Mohammad Aslam (name changed), a contractor supplying labour to garment units, admitted labourers wanted to be at their native places in UP and Bihar in view of the harvesting season and the Lok Sabha elections. "The Lok Sabha elections are keenly watched in their home states. It was learnt they are being offered cash by candidates and they don't want to miss the opportunity," said the contractor. |
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Young voters feel casting vote their responsibility
Ludhiana, April 20 First-time voters are excited and at the same time nervous about choosing the right person. "I never knew voting means such a big responsibility. I am closely following the election news and want to be very sure before casting my vote. If I am not convinced about any candidate, I will not hesitate from pressing the "None of the above" button," said Amit Kakkar, an engineering student. Livtash Bajwa will cast vote for the first time. But he wants to do more than just cast his ballot. He wants to play an active role in giving his country a new direction. "Many youngsters do not believe in caste or region. They think of economic development and this is good for the country,"
he said. Bajwa has enrolled as a volunteer for the Bharatiya Janata Party because he feels its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi can address the issues that matter most to the youth: Good governance, faster growth and more job opportunities. He is among thousands of college students and young professionals signing up to campaign for parties across the country. "The youth is yearning for a change. Young voters across localities have started participating in politics. This change is definitely going to bring some change in the country," added Gurveen, a commerce student. |
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Headmistress transferred again
Ludhiana, April 20 Surinder Kaur Dyal has been campaigning for the Akali Dal for the last three weeks. Earlier, she was transferred to Bathinda for taking part in political activities in 2012. Surinder Kaur Dyal, who claims she is the president of the Istri Wing, has been conducting street meetings and taking part in road shows of the Akali Dal. According to information, the Directorate of Public Instruction (Secondary) issued the transfer orders on Friday. The orders couldn’t be enforced due to weekend holidays. Charanjit Singh, District Education Officer, said: "We will implement the orders on Monday". Meanwhile, Surinderpal Kaur Dyal continued her participation in Manpreet Ayali’s campaign. She had campaigned for former Akali minister Heera Singh Gabria in the state assembly elections-2012. Then Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Kusumjit Kaur Sidhu had transferred her to Government High School, Gumti Kalan, Bathinda, in January 2012. Was shifted in 2012 too
Earlier, Surinder Kaur Dyal had campaigned for former Akali minister Heera Singh Gabria in the state assembly elections-2012. Then Chief Electoral Officer Kusumjit Kaur Sidhu had transferred her to Gumti Kalan, Bathinda. But after the elections, she managed to get herself transferred to Ludhiana. |
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No respite to residents from traffic woes
Jagraon, April 20 The most drastic situation is on the local Lajpat Rai Road where several important government offices, including Telephone Exchange, Post Office and major banks such as State Bank of India, Punjab and Sindh Bank along with Central Bank of India are located close to each other. The people visiting these places often park their vehicles on the roadside which results in frequent traffic jams on this road. Similar is the situation on various other roads of the town where traffic remains jammed throughout the day due to haphazard parking of vehicles on the roadsides by the people visiting the town. The local residents hold haphazard parking as the reason for the problem of traffic jams while the visitors blame lack of proper parking space in the town. The illegal encroachments made by the shopkeepers outside their shops on various city roads are another reason behind the problem of traffic jams. Besides this, the presence of a large number of rehris on roadsides makes the situation more complex. The illegal encroachment by the shopkeepers and the roadside vendors further narrows down the already congested city roads thus blocking the smooth flow of traffic. Despite the tireless efforts of the traffic police to solve this problem, there seems to be no respite for the residents from this problem. The ever increasing number of transport vehicles has made the situation worst therefore the problem is bound to increase further in the future. DSP Jagraon Surinder Kumar held the lack of cooperation on part of the shopkeepers and the visitors responsible for the problem. Officialspeak We are making every possible effort to prevent traffic jams in the town. We have deployed traffic police on all the busy roads but the people here do not cooperate with us. The police in cooperation with the local Municipal Council have removed encroachments from roadsides several times but the residents make fresh encroachments again, which becomes a major problem. — Surinder Kumar, DSP, Jagraon
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Umbrellas pave way for netas to sway
It was no less than a scene of a movie shoot when Bollywood actor and Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Chandigarh Gul Panag visited the city to campaign in favour of AAP candidate HS Phoolka. Rains came pouring down during the road show and immediately umbrellas were opened for the celebrity guest recreating a scene of a movie shoot. Neither the people who had gathered around to have a glimpse of the actor got aside and nor did Gul Panag. She was seen braving the rain and talking to her supporters while a host of umbrellas were taking care of the rain. “Had she been here as an actor she would have never stood in the rain but as a politician one has to be politically correct and also has to overcome hurdles to become the representative of the people,” said an onlooker during the road show at Chaura Bazar. Of political promises Close supporters of a candidate from the ruling alliance had to face tough moments while canvassing support in a city locality. A group of residents cornered the said supporter by posing questions as to what had the candidate done for the people of his constituency while his party was in power in the state. “As an elected representative, the said candidate has done little for us while now he goes on making all sorts of poll promises,” the residents complained. Not to be outsmarted and outwitted, the supporter of the candidate said if everything was done before the elections then what would the candidates promise to the electorate while seeking their votes. Election promotion-corporate style Everybody is talking elections. As corporate houses and companies have jumped into the fray to promote voting, and take an opportunity to promote themselves by writing messages of importance of voting or encouraging people to vote, elections would always be promoted through advertisement and thus interest in elections would grow. Hence, it is going to help increase the voter awareness, voter count and participation, which would help the democracy better. Claim and counter claim by leaders During a rally of a SAD-BJP candidate, one of the supporters of BJP, who was busy discussing the election scene of the country, said, “Ab ki baar Modi Sarkar.” Listening to this, a supporter of another political party said, “Abhi nahin to kabhi nahin.” Interestingly, everybody took it in lighter vein and said, “This is called claim and counter claim.” Contributed by: Manav Mander, Kuldip Bhatia, Gurvinder Singh and Anupam Bhagria
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Modi wave caused devastation in Gujarat: Karat
Kuldip Bhatia
Ludhiana, April 20 Addressing a well-attended political rally in support of party candidate Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon at PUDA grounds on Chandigarh, he said the UPA-2 regime had witnessed inflation, corruption and mass unemployment. "During the Congress rule, more than 1.86 lakh farmers had committed suicides, the poor had become poorer and the big business houses had benefited," he said, adding that prices of petroleum products had been increased 26 times by the UPA Government. The leader maintained that growth and development had become stagnant. "The people did not have jobs, social security and food security under the UPA regime," he said Terming the BJP the other side of the same coin (Congress), Karat said the party was making tall claims by projecting a one-time RSS 'pracaharak', Narendra Modi, as its prime ministerial candidate in a bid to mislead the people. Taking a dig at Gujarat model of development being flaunted by Modi, he said innocent members of a minority community were massacred in Gujarat under Modi's rule, thousands of others had suffered loss of property and a number of senior bureaucrats were still in jails in the state. Coming down heavily on the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab, Karat said corruption was rampant in the state. Farmers and workers were in a pathetic condition due to indifference of the government and the urban population was being stifled with heavy and multiple taxes. He also charged the Punjab Government with pushing the youth towards drug addiction and patronising law-breakers and mafia groups. Unfolding the agenda of the third front comprising left parties, Karat made a case for old age pension to every person above the age of 60, right to education, employment and health services, trade unions' rights for workers, a comprehensive public distribution system and implementation of recommendations of Dr Swaminathan Committee to ensure remunerative prices of agricultural produce to the farmers.
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Modi is main accused in Gujarat riots: BSP
Ludhiana, April 20 "The government drafted anti-people policies," he said. He said people should vote for Navjot Singh Mander Jarag. Navjot Singh Mander Jarag's road show started from the Jalandhar bypass. The rally passed through Rahon Road, Tajpur Road, Division No. 3, Jodhwal Basti and Kuldeep Nagar. Party workers, including Ravinder Bitta, Ajeet Bhaini, Ramesh Kaul and state president Parkash Singh Jandali participated in the road show. They garnered support for the party candidate.
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SAD deprived poor of facilities: Bhattal
Ludhiana, April 20
Bhattal recounted the sacrifices made by former Chief Minister Beant Singh. She urged residents to vote for Bittu. A motorcycle rally was also taken out. Bittu enlisted the promises made by the Akali Dal in 2012. He told the residents to ask Parkash Singh Badal for money and laptops that he was supposed to distribute under various schemes. Leaders of the Valmiki community alleged that the Akali-BJP combine never released the salaries of sanitation workers on time. Deepak Hans, president, Ambedkar Ekta Mission, alleged the ruling government had ignored the Valmiki community. Hans alleged that Parkash Singh Badal had announced that a Valmiki temple would be constructed in Amritsar at a cost of Rs 115 but the Cabinet was yet to approve the project. He said SC students could never avail benefits under the scholarship programme of the Punjab Government.
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Will generate employment: Bittu
Ludhiana, April 20 He said the
SAD-BJP government was seeking votes for the person who unleashed cruelty on Punjabis in Gujarat. Bittu said Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal had not done enough development work in the state. He said if voted to power, the Congress would waive taxes and provide facilities to
industrialists. Bittu's cousin Harkirat Kotli campaigned for him in the Ludhiana South Vidhan Sabha constituency. He said the state government had caused destruction, adding that people in the state were deprived of basic amenities. He said the state government had done nothing for the welfare of migrants
labourers.
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Supporting SAD means more funds: Ayali
Ludhiana, April 20 Ayali's wife Supinder Kaur Ayali campaigned for Ayali at Dholewal. Former state minister Satpal Gosain also sought support for Ayali. During a rally at Atam Nagar, Ayali said while other parties were misleading voters, he was contesting the elections on development plank. He said the parties were not able to digest the fact that the party had carried out a number of development works in the city.
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Increased moisture content hampers sale of wheat
Khanna, April 20 He confirmed that the purchase of wheat in the grain market had also got affected as 14-15 per cent moisture was reported in the produce. However, the permitted moisture is 12 per cent. He said, “As many as 9,166 tonnes of wheat has been purchased till date by different procurement agencies. Out of this, 422 tonnes was purchased by Pungrain, 1,514 tonnes by Food Corporation of India, 488 tonnes by Markfed, 707 tonnes by Punsup, 761 tonnes by Punjab Agro, 1,978 tonnes by Warehouse and 3,296 tonnes by private traders. While in the previous year, 11,964 tonnes of wheat was purchased till this time.” Secretary Market Committee Bharpoor Singh said, “The target may be short this year as compared to last year.” Meanwhile, farmers have their different woes. Rajinder Singh of Laheri village, who had come to sell his crop at the grain market said they were facing difficulty due to untimely rain and had to wait till the purchase started at the Raho grain market of Khanna yesterday. He said that his heap of wheat had to be dried by labourers to bring moisture at par with the norms fixed by the government. Another farmer said cutting of the crop was also getting delayed due to untimely rain and it may affect the yield. However, Bharpoor Singh claimed that they had made proper arrangements for the purchase of wheat produce at the grain market in Khanna.
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State govt made false promises: Bains
Ludhiana, April 20 At Bet in Dakha, he said the ruling government was misusing the administrative machinery to suppress the voice of people. At another rally organised at New Subhash Nagar, he said the state government had usurped the land of people. He said the Akali Dal had made false promises.
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City lad gets into IIM
Ludhiana: City student Akshay Bhatia brought laurels to his alma mater Sacred Heart Convent School by getting selected in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore. After doing computer engineering from Thapar University he is presently working in a global consulting firm at Gurgaon. Grandparents’ day
The kindergarten students of Police DAV Public School, Police Lines, witnessed double delight as Baisakhi festivities marked the grandparents’ day celebrations in the school. The tiny tots and their grandparents were involved in different exciting activities such as tree plantation, tearing and pasting, picking and throwing the balls. The kids were attired in traditional Punjabi dresses. Grandparents brought various home-cooked Baisakhi special dishes for their grandchildren on the
occasion. Dastar-tying competition
Charankawalpreet Singh of Baba Isher Singh Senior Secondary school got the third prize in ‘Dastar
Muqabla’ held at Singh Sabha Gurudwara in Sarabha Nagar. Also, an inter-house ‘shabad
gayan’ competition was conducted at Baba Isher Singh (N) Senior Secondary Public School. Sahibzada Zorawar Singh House remained first, Sahibzada Fateh Singh House remained second and Sahibzada Ajit Singh House along with Jujar Singh House succeeded in sharing the third spot. Paper-reading contest
A paper-reading contest for students of primary wing was organised at Green Land Convent School, Civil City on the occasion of World Heritage Day. The thought provoking topics for the competition was ‘Unity in Diversity’ and ‘Revive the Past’. Principal Devendera Mahal congratulated all the participants on their oratory skills and appreciated speeches made by them.
— TNS
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Govts’ failure to fulfil promises appals voters
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 20 "It is on record that even postgraduates and doctorates have been applying for the posts of peon and clerk and in one of the categories, only one out of 600 applicants could get government job," said Jajjie, maintaining that the youth were searching for a third-front candidate. Amarjit Singh Mattu, a retired bank officer, and Sikander Singh Jartoli, former president, Government Teachers Union, maintained that government employees and labourers were unhappy with the ruling alliance and the Congress. "While the Union Government failed to control the rising prices, the state government exhibited its poor vision by reducing VAT on tobacco, major causative agent of cancer," said Mattu and Jartoli. Baldev Singh Latala, state joint secretary of the Punjab Kisan Sabha, maintained that farmers of the region were disappointed. While they were unhappy with the Congress for unprecedented hike in fertilisers and diesel prices, the SAD displeased them by taking unsavoury decisions on the transfer of rights of immovable property. Farmers were also looking for third-front candidates as the SAD and the Congress leaders had failed to get their grievances redressed.
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Good news for PAU students
Ludhiana, April 20 Due to this problem, the students, including girls even, have protested against the varsity authorities and maybe that is why, this time, the varsity authorities are all geared up to tackle the problem. Director Students’ Welfare Dr Ravinder Kaur Dhaliwal admitted to shortage of seats in
hostels. “But we are already making arrangements to check this problem. A hostel block is already under construction near the College of Home Science. Besides this, there won’t be any problem regarding boys’ hostel as the six year BSc Agriculture programme has been discontinued from the campus. This means that we would not have any inflow of students for this particular
programme, and the outgoing batch would also pass out,” she informed.
PAU Students’ Association president Karanvir Singh Sandhu said the university authorities should make sure that all students get the hostel seats this time. “No doubt the students were accommodated last time also, but in some hostels, three students are sharing a room meant for two students,” said
Sandhu.
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Jalsa-e-Paigam
Jalsa-e-Paigam was organised in Ludhiana on Saturday evening. Shahi Imam of Punjab was also present on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, Shahi Imam said Muslim religion imparts the message of brotherhood and harmony and a true Muslim was the one who fights all odds in his life but does not get astray from the path of religion. Musical show
A musical programme was organised by Ishmeet Music Academy at Dakha constituency. Students of the academy advocated the voters to cast their vote judiciously. To make the democracy of the country strong, every voter should make use of their right to vote.
Ration distributed
Akhil Bhartiya Samaj Sewa Society today distributed ration among the needy. Chairman of the society Ahmed Ali said the society had been providing free ration to the needy from the past 58 months. “The main motive of our society is that nobody should sleep with empty stomach,” he said.
Felicitated
An annual felicitation function of Punjabi Gazal Manch was held in Ludhiana on Sunday. Mohinder Saathi was given Ajiab Chitarkar Yaadgiri Puraskaar while Amrik Dogra was given Dr Randhir Singh Chand Yadgiri Puraskar for his book ‘Jhanjar Vi Zanjeer Vi’.
— TNS
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School comes forward to preserve environment
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 20 Kartar Singh, director of the Baba Amar Singh Trust under which the institute is being run, presided over the inaugural function on the school campus. Principal Bipin Sethi led NCC cadets while planting saplings in the region. Appreciating the interest shown by cadets of the NCC unit, Bipin Sethi said the volunteers were so enthusiastic about the project launched under ‘Produce Our Own Oxygen’ that they visited various nurseries to choose at least 50 different varieties of plants, saplings of which were later planted at vacant places, including the school campus. The cadets volunteered to adopt saplings for further nurturing and care. Director of the trust Kartar Singh announced that the students and cadets taking best care of their adopted plants would be felicitated at annual function of the organisation.
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New bakery opens in city
Ludhiana: Raju Departmental Store opened a new bakery near Vishal Tower at Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana on Sunday. On the opening of Sid’s Bake House, Sidarth, owner, claimed that it would provide quality bakery products, including cakes, pastries, cookies and chocolates. Website launches campaign to promote voting
Justklick.in has introduced a special motivational campaign, ‘Your Vote, Your Prize’ to promote voting among youth. As per the campaign, voters can put a picture of their inked finger on the website and can win attractive prizes for exerting their right to vote. According to a civic demographic survey, the youth (18-29) voter turnout for 2008 presidential election was only 51 per cent. Mega job fair organised
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce Undertaking in collaboration with Lovely Professional University organised a mega job fair at CICU Complex Focal Point. Around 120 students were given appointment letters on the spot. Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, Mayor, Ludhiana, inaugurated the event. Upkar Singh Ahuja, general secretary, CICU, said there are more than 39,000 SMEs in the city where around 2 lakh youth can be employed instantly. CICU will try to give them jobs locally.
— TNS
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Crime briefs Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 20 The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Essential Commodity Act. Truck driver held
The police has arrested a truck driver and recovered 525 boxes of liquor from his possession. The accused, Harpal Singh, alias Laddi, a resident of Chal Maidas village near Nawanshahr, was nabbed following a tip-off. Sources said the accused was ferrying liquor to Khanna. The price of the liquor is Rs 18 lakh in the market. Laddi told the police that a man identified as Ajay Kumar had loaded the truck. He was to meet him at Sarhind canal. The accused was presented in the court which sent him to police remand. Swindler robs woman of gold bangles
An elderly woman fell prey to a self-proclaimed godman. The victim, identified as Harbans Kaur (60), a resident of Sangrur, said she was waiting for her relatives at the Ludhiana railway station when a man, posing as a hermit, approached her asking for a cup of tea. She refused but soon a woman and a man approached her and told Harbans Kaur that the hermit was a noble soul. The duo told Harbans Kaur that the hermit was bestowed with celestial power and would rid her of her worries. Harbans Kaur approached the hermit again and took him to a dhaba (eatery) where she offered him tea. The duo also sat along with her and engaged her in a conversation. The swindler told Harbans that if she wanted him to solve her problems, she would have to remove her gold bangles and put those in a handkerchief. On reaching home, the victim was shocked to find her bangles missing. Later, Harbans along with the relatives reached the dhaba and saw the CCTV footage in which the swindlers had swiftly replaced the handkerchief containing gold ornaments. She reported the matter to the police. Theft at house
Thieves struck at a house in Gurdev Nagar and decamped with gold ornaments. The house belongs to an elderly woman identified as Jaswant Kaur. She lives along with her daughter- in-law. She was at her relatives' place last night. Her tenant informed Jaswant about the theft. Jaswant reported the matter to the police. She said that thieves decamped with 20 tolas of gold ornaments, 20 tolas of silver ornaments and Rs 30,000 in cash.
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