22012026-ATR-01.qxd 1/21/2026 11:26 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 17°C | MIN 5°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 3°C REPUBLIC DAY PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING DOCS FLAG SEDENTARY ROUTINES & JUNK FOOD AS DISEASE DRIVERS SOLDIER AJIT SINGH REPORTING! A rehearsal was held at the Police Stadium for the district-level Republic Day function in Tarn Taran. P2 Health experts have raised serious concern over growing lifestyle-related diseases, attributing trend to sedentary habits. P3 Pranav Vashisht calls the experience of working in Border 2 like attending a ‘film school on a battlefield’. P4 » » » SUNSET THURSDAY 5.55 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 7.28 AM THURSDAY | 22 JANUARY 2026 | AMRITSAR Narrow escape for lawyer as miscreants open fire in Ajnala Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 21 In a brazen incident, unknown assailants allegedly opened fire at a lawyer, identified as Sunil Pal, near a Reliance Petrol Pump in Ajnala last night. The attackers, who were travelling in two cars and on two motorcycles, fired several rounds at the lawyer while chasing his vehicle. In order to escape from attackers Sunil Pal managed to speed away and drove straight into the Ajnala police station, thereby saving himself and his family. Upon noticing the incident, the police personnel immediately chased the attackers. During the pursuit, two youth riding a motorcycle were arrested, while occupants of the two cars and another motorcycle managed to flee. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gurvinder Singh said, “Investigations are on to identify assailants. Appropriate action will be taken in this regard. The footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area is being examined.” Sunil Pal, a resident of Ajnala, told the police that his mother was a Congress councillor. Pal alleged that he and his brother had been receiving threats from unknown persons for the last few days. He said on Tuesday night, he was returning to Ajnala from Amritsar along with his nephew and children. His nephew had recently won a gold medal at a sports event in Mumbai and they had gone to receive him at the Amritsar railway station, Pal said. He said near the petrol pump, two cars and two motorcycles started chasing his vehicle and attempted to intercept it. Sensing danger, he accelerated, but the assailants fired multiple rounds in an attempt to stop him. Pal managed to reach the Ajnala police station safely. The lawyer alleged that the attack was result of political rivalry. He further claimed that his brother was assaulted a few months ago. Despite lodging complaints earlier, no FIR was registered at that time, Pal alleged. Cross-border arms smuggling module busted; 2 arrested Amritsar, January 21 The police have busted an illegal arms smuggling module linked to Pakistan-based operatives. Two persons have been arrested and six sophisticated firearms, including Glock pistols, recovered from them. Those arrested were identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi (22) of Rattoke village in Tarn Taran and Surjit Singh (35) of Chela Colony in Tarn Taran. The police said Surjit had a criminal background with several cases registered against him. The recovered cache includes two 9mm Glock pistols, four .30 bore pistols and two live cartridges. Sharing details of the operation, Amritsar Police Commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said acting on specific intelligence, the CIA staff initially arrested Gopi. During search, three .30 bore pistols, one Glock pistol and two live cartridges were recovered from him. “During interrogation, Gurpreet revealed that he was in direct contact with Pakistanbased smugglers through various social media platforms and was receiving consignments of illegal arms via drones, which were further supplied to local gangsters,” the CP said. Based on his disclosure, the police arrested his associate Surjit Singh and recovered one Glock pistol and one .30 bore pistol from him. A case under the Arms Act was registered at Islamabad police station in this connection. — TNS Gangster’s associates fire at paint store in Tarn Taran Tarn Taran, January 21 Two masked associates of gangster Karan Bath opened fire at gate of Pannu Paint Store located on the Jandiala road here on Tuesday night and fled from the spot. Karan Bath has been demanding Rs 50 lakh from the store owner for the last four months. The store owner said he was unable to give this amount to gangster. The owner said though he informed the police about the firing incident, he was not provided any security. The owner after downing shutters of his shop went to residence built atop when he heard the sound of gunshots. At that time, most shopkeepers were in their shops. The entire incident was captured in the footage of the CCTV cameras of nearby shops. The footage showed two accused arriving at the spot on a motorcycle. One of the gang- The paint store in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI ster’s associates sitting pillion on the bike was holding pistols in both his hands. He opened fire at the paint store gate. As soon as information about the incident was received at the police station, DSP (City) Sukhbir Singh reached the spot and initiated probe. The DSP said the police had launched a search operation to identify and arrest the accused. The incident has created panic among businessmen who were already reeling under the shadow of terror. — OC 4 held with heroin in separate incidents Tarn Taran, January 21 A city police team arrested three persons with 200 gm heroin and Rs 3,150 in cash which they had earned from the sale of drug. The police said the accused were identified as Sartaj Singh, Safalpreet Singh and Sukhchain Singh, all of Nanaksar locality. According to officials, a police team was patrolling near the railway underpass when it noticed movement of three persons under suspicious circumstances. The team stopped them and on search, recovered heroin and drug money from them. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against the accused. In second incident, a Sabhra police post team arrested one person after recovering 45 gm heroin, an electronic weighing scale and Rs 13,700 in cash from him. The accused was booked under the NDPS Act by the Patti Sadar police. He was produced in a court which sent him to two-day police remand. —OC File charges against protesters: Aujla to officials AIRPORT ROAD PROTESTS Tribune News Service The accused in custody of the Amritsar (Rural) police on Wednesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO 367 held under ‘Operation Prahar’ Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 21 In a massive crackdown on gangsters and their associates in Punjab, as many as 368 criminals, their accomplices and harbourers were arrested by the Amritsar city police commissionerate as well as the Amritsar (Rural) police in the last two days under “Operation Prahar”. The city police arrested 226 criminals, while 141 lawbreakers were detained in the rural belt during a large-scale, intelligencebased crackdown. “We have identified and prepared a list of gangsters and their foot soldiers and those providing logistic support and shelter to them on the basis of the intelligence-based inputs,” said Police Commissioner (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. Talking to The Tribune, Bhullar said those policemen found in cahoots with criminals would also not be spared. He said 25 police teams from police stations, CIA staff and other units had been carrying out raids at hideouts of the suspects. Sohail Mir Qasim, SSP, Amritsar (Rural), said, “In the Amritsar (Rural) police district, a well-coordinated operation involved more than 60 police teams, which conducted simultaneous raids at hideouts of 206 identified gangsters, their associates and individuals allegedly providing them shelter or logistical support.” “The action is aimed at dismantling organised criminal networks operating in the district and the adjoining areas,” he said, while adding that raids were meticulously planned on the basis of specific intelligence inputs to break the operational backbone of gang-related activities. While 141 suspects were taken into custody, the remaining individuals were subjected to detailed questioning and verification of their roles, Qasim said. During the operation, the rural police recovered 107 grams of heroin and five mobile phones, suspected to have been used for communication and coordination by criminal elements, he said. Aditya Warrior, Superintendent of Police (SP), said such intelligence-driven operations would continue to ensure that gangsters and their associates find no refuge, and to maintain peace and law and order in the district. Amritsar, January 21 MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla chaired the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting at Bachat Bhawan here today. The meeting saw heated discussions between officials on issues related to the district’s development work, law and order, and public amenities. Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh and police officials present at the meeting were asked to file charges against those staging protests on Airport Road, as frequent demonstrations resulted in massive traffic congestions, while the people missed their flights. He also suggested strengthening the police force for efficient enforcement of law and order across the district. “Amritsar is a border district, requiring additional police force to maintain law and order. Increased reports of ransom calls, robbers openly targeting cars, drug abuse, and gunfire are now serious concerns. So, I have MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Deputy Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh at the DISHA meeting in Amritsar on Wednesday. HIGHLIGHTS OF DISHA MEETING ■ A proposal was made to convert the closed canal near Meera Kot into a road to ease traffic congestion. Panchayats were asked to issue notices for the removal of encroachments from public spaces. ■ MP Aujla directed removal of unnecessary barriers and construction of dividers on Loharka Road to alleviate the traffic snarls problem. ■ The MP raised serious questions over operation of the Fard Centres (which maintain land records). He said same company was repeatedly awarded contracts for operation of centres since 2007. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter to determine how a single firm maintains a monopoly and why employees at centres go on strike every month. ■ The government’s approach towards problems of power stations and delay in acquisition was discussed at the meeting. ■ Aujla asked the administration to prepare a project to clean the Tung Dhab drain, for which he would secure funds. written to the state government requesting additional forces in Amritsar district,” Aujla said. Raising questions over laying of the foundation stone for a new degree college at Bikraur in Ajnala by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Aujla said the state government must upgrade already existing infrastructure. “Open new colleges, but maintain the old infrastructure too. Simply cutting a ribbon will not suffice. Already existing government college and the ITI in Ajnala are in a dilapidated state. Instead of constructing new buildings, the existing ones should be strengthened and new courses be introduced. Building a new college will take several years. What about students, who are studying in old educational institutions?” Aujla also instructed District Education Officers to ensure that government teachers still deployed on the election duty, were immediately released and sent to their respective schools. Opposing the “no detention” rule till Class VIII, he said, “It is necessary to have tests in every class so that the standard of government schools is equal to that of private schools and the desire to study remains among children.” NRI woman’s murder: Husband arrested from Rajasthan Gurdaspur police seize five sophisticated pistols Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 21 The Civil Lines Police here have arrested an Australiabased man for allegedly murdering his wife at a hotel room in the city a few days ago. The accused, identified as Mandeep Singh, a resident of village in Amritsar (Rural), currently residing in Australia, had escaped from the hotel room after committing murder. “The accused was arrested on January 19, 2026, from Ganganagar district in Rajasthan. A sharp weapon (Datar) used in the crime has been recovered from his possession,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagjit Singh Walia here on Wednesday. Deceased Prabhjot Kaur’s father Makhan Singh, a resident of Waraich village under the Kahnuwan police station in Gurdaspur district, said his daughter was married to Gurdaspur, January 21 The Gurdaspur police have busted an arms-smuggling module operating from Pakistan by seizing five sophisticated pistols and arresting the person responsible for receiving the consignment. DIG (Border) Sandeep Goel rushed in from Amritsar to make this announcement at a press conference held here today. Senior officers of the district police, including SSP Aditya and SP Gurvinder Singh Chandi, who is exIndia hockey player, were present at the conference. Goel said the police had recovered Turkish-made 5 PX-5 .30 bore pistols and seven magazines. SSP Aditya said one, Arshdeep Singh, who had received the consignment from across the border was taken into custody. “He belongs to Sangrur district and had stayed in Dubai for more than one year The NRI, who ‘murdered’ his wife, in custody of the Amritsar police. TRIBUNE PHOTO Mandeep Singh, the DCP said. The couple had visited the complainant’s village and informed the family that they would be celebrating their son Danveer Singh’s Lohri at Jethuwal village, he said. The couple requested the family to attend the function and left their son with them, stating that they would return to pick him up after a short trip, the DCP said. On January 12, 2026, the complainant received information that Prabhjot Kaur was found dead in a Hotel Fairway located on Court Road here. Following this, the Civil Lines police immediately registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter, the DCP said. Walia said during the course of investigation, the police found that the accused had murdered his wife and fled from the hotel to an undisclosed location, he said. After sustained efforts and technical surveillance, the police traced and arrested Mandeep Singh from Rajasthan and recovered weapon used in the crime, he said. Further investigation in the case was underway, the DCP said. c m y b Arms were smuggled from across border The police display pistols seized by them in Gurdaspur on Wednesday. during which he developed friendship with UAE-based gangsters. We are investigating the forward and backward links of the case. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he was being handled by foreign-based gangsters. He was awaiting instructions from them pertaining to whom to hand over the consignment when the police came to know of his hideout, raided it and recovered the arms and ammunition,” the SSP said. “The PX5 .30 bore pistol is a highly sophisticated weapon. On several earlier occasions, it has been seen that Pakistan is pushing this pistol into India through drones,” the SSP said. “The incidence of drones flying in from across the border carrying payloads of drugs, arms and ammunition has decreased significantly. However, we are still keeping an eye on these flying machines,” said DIG Goel.