Chandigarh, May 22
Setting a deterrent for others, a local court today sentenced three persons to 15 years imprisonment in a case of drug peddling. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh each on the three convicts.

The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Arun Kumar Singal sentenced three persons, Kulwinder Singh, Nirmal Singh and Tirath Singh Cheema, all residents of Jalandhar, under various sections of the NDPS Act as they were found in possession of narcotics.

Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) officials have confiscated 3,500 kg of poppy husk from a truck, which was coming from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) in 2011.

As per the prosecution case, on March 2, 2011, the NCB received the information that a truck bearing Haryana’s registration number is coming from Indore carrying vegetables and hidden contraband.

When the truck, which was driven by Kulwinder Singh, reached near the naka, a search was conducted by the NCB team.

On searching the truck, the Narcotic Control Bureau officials found that the truck was loaded with cabbage. However, following an extensive search, the officials found some bags lying at the bottom of the truck. They found 88 bags with 39 kg of poppy husk in each bag.

According to the prosecution 3,432 kg of poppy husk was recovered from the truck. Following which both Kulwinder Singh and Nirmal Singh were arrested on the spot and a case was registered against them.

Later following a disclosure statement made by one of the accused, the third accused - Tirath Singh Cheema - was arrested who had allegedly asked the other two accused to bring the poppy husk from Indore.

Chandigarh, May 22
Harassed by constant raids carried out by UT Estate Office’s Enforcement Department, two local hawkers today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the renewal of licence.

Taking up their plea, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli issued a notice of motion to the Chandigarh Administration, the Estate Office and the Municipal Corporation. They have been asked to respond to the averments by July 2.

In their petition, Harish Kumar Bansal and Mohan Lal Aggarwal alleged that the UT Administration was not renewing their licence despite repeated representations. Dubbing the Municipal Corporation’s act of turning down their request for the renewal of licence as arbitrary and illegal, they have also sought the quashing of orders passed on March 31, last year.

The petitioners claimed that in 1997, the matter was considered by the UT finance secretary and UT estate officer. After finding them eligible, it was decided to grant them licence for authorised rehri parking stand in Sector 8. The petitioners were asked to apply for the licence. After the completion of all formalities, they applied for the grant of licence, which was issued to them by the licencing officer.

Thereafter, they requested the UT authorities to shift the site from Sector 8 to any other sector. But the plea was rejected by respondents on the ground that there were no such sites in Sector 22, 15 and 27. On March 23 last year, they filed a fresh application before the UT estate officer requesting for the renewal of licence granted to them, but the same was rejected.

Chandigarh, May 22
Setting a precedent, a local court today convicted two persons, who were part of a five-member gang, in a case of dacoity in just two court hearings.

The case was registered in December last year. The entire evidence was recorded in two hearings making it one of the speedy trials in the district court history.

The court convicted Rahul and Suresh, who were part of a five-member gang. The rest of the accused in the case are juveniles and their separate case is going on in the juvenile court.

The five had robbed two carpenters - Pawan and Rajkumar - of Rs 1,500 and other valuables on December 12, 2013. The two were returning home to Sector 26 Bapu Dham Colony when they were stopped by the gang and robbed.

Chandigarh, May 22
The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Nagpal today convicted a former superintendent of the Punjab Nursing Registration Council (PNRC) in a case of corruption. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on May 24.

Inderjeet Singh was arrested on December 30, 2011, while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 in Sector 40.

He was accepting the bribe from Gurpal Singh, who was a former employee of the PNRC.

Gurpal had also been convicted in a case by the Punjab Vigilance and his 40 per cent arrears of the total were not cleared by the department after his dismissal.

As per the prosecution case, Inderjeet demanded Rs 15,000 for clearing Gurpal's arrears amounting to Rs 87,000.

The Vigilance laid a trap in Sector 40 where Gurpal had come to deliver the amount and later, Inderjeet was arrested.

Chandigarh, May 22
The Operations Cell of the UT Police busted a gang of four persons who were collecting money through betting for the IPL match held yesterday between Kings X1 Punjab and Mumbai Indians.

The accused were not refunding the money to the winners. The accused have been booked for cheating also. They used to claim to double the money put at stake during the IPL match.

Sleuths of the Operations Cell received an information that Devi Bansal, a resident of Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran; Dinesh Kathuria, a resident of Maya Green, Zirakpur (Punjab); Varinder Kumar, alias Kala, a resident of Sector 45; and Sushant Rawat, alias Ishu, a resident of Baltana (Punjab), were alluring people by sending SMSes as well as calling them to double their money through betting for the yesterday’s IPL match played between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. It also came to light that the four accused would not refund the money even to the winning customers.

Acting upon the information, a team of the Operations Cell sent a decoy customer with Indian currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations. The team apprehended the accused, Devi Bansal, Dinesh Kathuria, Varinder Kumar and Sushant Rawat from Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, Chandigarh, while they accepted the money from the decoy customer and, in turn, one of them handed over a slip to him by putting his signatures thereon.

The police registered a case under various sections of the Gambling Act and cheating under Sections 420 of the IPC. DSP Satbir Singh said during the investigation, 13 cellphones, cash Rs 1,210, including notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations, which were given by the decoy customer to them, and a note book in which they were maintaining the records of the gambling were recovered from their possessions.

The accused were produced in a court, which sent them to a one-day police custody.

SPORTS

A dream come true for Sachin’s fan
Meets cricket legend after 2 days of struggle at a hotel in Sector 17
Aneesha Sareen
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22
Ask him his name and he replies, “Nitin Sachinist”. As you ask him for the name again, he asserts “Nitin ‘Sachinist’, I am his biggest fan”.

In the chaos outside Hotel Taj in Sector 17 here yesterday when Sachin Tendulkar came to spread awareness on road safety among women riders, Nitin was seen struggling to catch a glimpse of the cricket legend. He waited with bated breath much to his sheer disappointment as he could not meet him or get his autograph.

Nitin Jain (27), a resident of Ambala, came to the city two days ago when he got the news that Sachin will be staying at Hotel Taj in Chandigarh as the mentor of Mumbai Indians for the IPL match. For the past two days, Nitin kept making rounds of the hotel pleading the police as well as the hotel authorities to allow him to meet his mentor once. However, he could not meet the cricketer as he was always surrounded with a posse of commandos guarding him.

His dream finally came true today. When Sachin came to have breakfast at the hotel today and was about to leave to catch a flight, Nitin was allowed to meet the legend cricketer. Adorning a tshirt with Sachin’s picture and carrying a book full of the cricketer’s sketches drawn by him, he spoke to Sachin for 10 minutes, took his autograph and showed him all the sketches he had made with much adoration.

“Sachin told me that his brother’s name is also Nitin. He signed on all sketches I showed him. I told him to remember me as his craziest ever fan,” he said.

Nitin also heard that Sachin would soon shoot for “Comedy Nights with Kapil”. “I am eager to go as a guest there once Sachin shoots for ‘Comedy Nights’,” he said.

Chandigarh, May 22
Members of the Kings XI Punjab team in association with the JW Marriott hosted an interactive session on ‘Zumba dance’, with children of local NGO ‘Chhoti Si Asha’, here, today.

The players spent time with the children in order to bring smiles on their faces and encourage fitness with healthy living.

The management of the team has also decided to invite these children to the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Phase IX, Mohali, to watch their favourite players in action on May 25 in their third home game against Delhi Daredevils.

The activity was held at Oregano restaurant at JW Marriott.

"We are pleased to associate ourselves with the important cause of promoting fitness and health among children. We are positive that the activity had inspired the children,” said promoters of the Kings XI.

The NGO, ‘Chhoti Si Asha’, working for the welfare of underprivileged children and women, strives to make them self-sufficient by teaching various skills like sewing and stitching.