20082026-LT-01.qxd 8/20/2026 12:47 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune ISSUE NOTICES TO 3 STAFFERS, REVOCER EXCESS PAY, LIT TOLD KHANNA AUTHOR IN FINAL RACE FOR DHAHAN PRIZE Rajpreet Kaur is among three writers from India and Pakistan who are in contention for the award. P2 PARTLY CLOUDY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 33°C | MIN 26°C HILARIOUS HARYANVI TWIST TO 2011 HIT SENORITA State govt order says employees must be allowed to present their case before recovery is effected. P2 FORECAST Self-taught musician Bodh’s clip went on to explode across social media, amassing over 17 million views . P4 » » SUNSET THURSDAY 6:59 PM SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:53 AM » THURSDAY | 20 AUGUST 2026 | LUDHIANA Three ISI handlers wanted by city police Photographer murder case cracked in 24 hours, 3 held nabbed after deportation from Malaysia 2 illegal pistols, drug money, 1.5 kg heroin seized Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 19 In a major breakthrough achieved by the Ludhiana police in a case of recovery of Chinese-made hand grenade and arrest of 10 suspects in November 2025, three remaining suspects connected with the Pakistan-based ISI were arrested by the city police from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. They were arrested after their deportation from Malaysia was ensured by the police. ADCP-1, Ludhiana police, Sameer Verma, who led the team to the Delhi airport on Tuesday, told The Tribune on Wednesday that it was a major breakthrough against transnational organised crime as OFTEC (Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell) of the Counter Intelligence Wing, with assistance from Central Agencies, secured the deportation of the three wanted operatives linked to the Davinder Bambiha gang from Malaysia. The three deportees were wanted in multiple cases involving murder, extortion, explosives and a planned handgrenade blast in Ludhiana with links to the Pakistan’s ISI. The ADCP said the deported suspects include Jaspreet Singh, alias Jas Behbal, Ajay Breakthrough in hand grenade recovery case The suspects in custody of the Ludhiana police at the airport in Delhi. Singh and Pawandeep Singh. “Though all three suspects were wanted by the Ludhiana police in connection with the recovery of hand grenade and terror network linked to the ISI, the city police have secured the custody of Ajay and Pawandeep while Behbal was taken into custody by the Faridkot police, where he was wanted in a murder case. Two suspects were produced in a court, which remanded them in five days’ police custody while the third suspect, Behbal, will be brought on production warrant later,” Verma said. DCP (Crime) Harpal Singh, who had been closely monitoring the investigation, said the interrogation of the suspects would give vital leads about the network of the ISI Pakistan in Punjab and their handlers working at the behest of the ISI to create unrest in the state. It was a major terror case and more revelations would be made soon. About the case After recovery of the hand grenade in October 2025, the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate had foiled a terror plot with the arrest of 10 persons in November 2025. The attack aimed at triggering unrest in the state by carrying out a grenade attack in a crowded area of the city. Acting on credible intelligence inputs, the police registered an FIR on October 27 under the Explosives Act and Section 113 of the BNS at the Jodhewal police station. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) had also been invoked and Red Corner Notices (RCNs) had been issued against foreignbased suspects. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the suspects were acting under directions from ISI through their overseas handlers. They were allegedly instructed to execute a grenade attack in a densely populated area to create panic among the public. The foreign-based masterminds were identified as Ajay, Jass Behbal and Pawandeep, all residents of Malaysia and originally from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Vijay, brother of Ajay (Malaysia) and currently lodged in Sri Ganganagar jail in connection with an NDPS Act case, was also arrested for allegedly coordinating logistics for the group. The probe further uncovered a local network responsible for the delivery of the hand grenade in the state. Those arrested for their roles as couriers and facilitators include Sukhjit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, both from Faridkot; Karanveer Singh from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan; and Sajan Kumar from Sri Muktsar Sahib. The police had recovered one Chinese-made hand grenade, a black kit and a pair of gloves from the suspects. Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 19 The Ludhiana police claimed to have solved a murder case within 24 hours by arresting three key suspects and recovering two illegal pistols, six cartridges, drug money and 1.5 kg of heroin. Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma, said senior officials, including Additional CP Rupinder Singh, DCP (Investigation) Harpal Singh, ADCP-1 Sameer Verma and ADCP (Investigation) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti closely monitored the investigation after the incident. Under the supervision of ACP (Detective-1) Harshpreet Singh and ACP (Central) Anil Bhanot, CIA Inspector Avtar Singh, inspector Crime Branch Inspector Navdeep Singh had launched a manhunt to nab the suspects. According to the police, on August 17, photographer Raminder Singh, alias Sonu, had gone with friends to attend a birthday party near the Clock Tower. An altercation broke out between his group and another group that included Chetan, Nihal, Neeraj, Sagar, Harman, Rishi, Manoj Sahni, Deep, Mani and around three unidentified persons. During the clash, Chetan allegedly fired from an illegal pistol. The bullet hit Sonu’s leg and he succumbed to the injury at the scene. The suspects fled in three vehicles Police officials address mediapersons in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN HISTORY-SHEETER AMONG SUSPECTS ■ Manoj Kumar, a native of Bihar, currently staying on Tajpur Road. He is already facing a criminal case registered at Police Division 7 and is out on bail ■ Rishi Kumar, alias Rishu, is a resident of Adarsh Nagar ■ Harmanjot Singh, alias Harman, is a resident of Tajpur Road. — a white Mahindra Bolero, a red Toyota Innova and a red Hyundai Creta (without registration number). Following the murder, an FIR was registered at the Police Division 1 and a hunt was launched for the suspects. Additional CP Rupinder said on August 18, the police arrested three main suspects — Harmanjot Singh alias Harman, Manoj Kumar and Rishi Kumar, alias Rishu. During interrogation, Manoj disclosed that he, along with his associates, had rented a room in the Tajpur Road area to hide illegal weapons and other material. Acting on the disclosure, the police raided the location and recovered two illegal pistols, six cartridges, drug money and 1.5 kg of heroin. As the recovered heroin was of commercial quantity, a separate case under the NDPS Act was registered against Manoj and his associates at Police Division 7. ADCP Sameer Verma said after the arrest of these suspects, a major drug smuggling network was busted by the police which led to the recovery of a huge quantity of heroin.” Investigation of the suspects would definitely give vital leads about the drug network and involvement of other big fish involved in it,” he said. Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma said any individual involved in such crimes would be dealt with strictly and swift action would be taken against the suspects to ensure justice. Firing at pizza outlet in city, Gopi Health Dept fails to share swine flu data as viral cases spike Lahoria group takes responsibility Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 19 Three armed youth entered a shop, ‘Pizza From Mexico’, in BRS Nagar here late on Monday night and opened fire. The suspects fired six to seven shots and fled on their motorcycle. Sources said the suspects were already detained by the police in a neighbouring state and the Ludhiana police would bring them on production warrant in the case. The shooting caused chaos in the restaurant. Fortunately, no employees or cus- tomers were injured in the incident. After the incident, the Gopi Lahoria group shared a post on Instagram and took responsibility for the firing. According to reports, around 12:41 am on Monday night, three miscreants came outside the restaurant on a motorcycle. Two of them entered the restaurant with pistols, fired six to seven shots within seconds, and fled the scene. According to police sources, preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting was held for extortion. However, restau- rant owner Gurpreet Singh claimed that he had not received any extortion calls so far. The police suspect that the miscreants opened fire to create panic and intimidate the owner. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the restaurant. After receiving information, officials from the Sarabha Nagar police station reached the scene and started an investigation. Footage from other CCTV cameras installed nearby is also being examined to trace the escape route of the suspects. Ludhiana, August 19 Though a huge number of swine flu cases are being reported from Delhi and the number is much higher than cases reported last year, the Health Department in Ludhiana district failed to provide any data regarding the number of cases of swine flu reported this season. Doctors at the Dayanand Medical College Hospital (DMCH) here said every other patient received by the medicine OPD of the hospital was of seasonal influenza and on an average, two patients get admitted to the hospital Most patients reporting at the DMCH OPD suffering from seasonal influenza, say doctors. FILE on a daily basis nowadays. Civil Surgeon Ramandeep Kaur said she had gone out of the country and had no data available with her as dealing hand staff were on strike. “I may provide it on Thursday, if staff report to duty,” she said. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officer Dr Ramanpreet Kaur and the District Epidemiologist were also on leave. And staff are on strike, due to which the data could not be obtained from the Health Department. Even efforts made by the district administration failed to bring fruitful results and no data regarding exact number of patients suffering from swine flu could be collected. The DMCH doctors maintained that from August to October, the number of patients of seasonal influenza sees a spike. The head, department of medicine, DMCH, Dr Despite ban, drinking in open continues unabated near liquor vends Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 19 Giving two hoots to the order banning consumption of alcohol in public places issued by Additional Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Rupinder Singh, the practice continues unchecked across the Industrial Town. It seems that booze lovers are least bothered about the orders of the police and show fearless attitude while drinking in public places. However, liquor vendors have gone a step further in open defiance of the rules by placing water coolers outside their vends as it facilitate the booze lovers to drink right there by the roadside. Interestingly, at a few of the liquor vends, some people were seen placing bottle right on the counter of the vend and enjoying every sip. In a nutshell, the practice has become common sight at In violation of the norms, booze lovers consume alcohol outside liquor vends in Ludhiana. PHOTOS: ASHWANI DHIMAN most of the liquor vends. Further, empty bottles, plastic glasses and discarded wrappers of snacks create an ugly and often intimidating atmosphere for families and pedestrians. Shopkeepers near such vends raised concerns over the issue. They alleged that the water coolers were kept intentionally by the liquor vends and vendors, though they know that it was illegal. They never stop them as it might affect their clientele,” said a shopkeeper in one of the busy markets. Sources said residents had also apprised the police station concerned about the nuisance but nothing happened on ground. Though the Ludhiana police time to time con- duct drives against public drinking, impact remains for a few days only. Besides liquor vends, similar violations can be seen at various markets in the city where booze lovers park their vehicles on roads near chicken shops, fast food shops/vends and resort to consuming liquor inside these. “I cannot afford to sit in tav- c m y b ern as it costs a lot of money. I buy liquor at vend. As free water is available, I consume liquor and leave. What is wrong in it, we are not violating any rules,” said an autorickshaw driver who daily consume alcohol in such a way. Water cooler, free snacks with alcohol Interestingly, besides keep- ing water cooler at counter to provide facility for consuming liquor outside the vends, some also give small namkeen packet as a value added service. Plastic glasses are also being sold for the convenience of the booze lovers. Order issued on July 30 It has been brought to my attention that the people consume alcohol openly in public places outside dhabas, general shops and liquor vends, which is illegal. Due to which, sometimes excessive consumption of alcohol leads to mutual fights and it also cause huge inconvenience to the public. There is a possibility of disruption of law and order. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate steps to maintain the law and order situation, keeping in mind the public interest and the inconvenience of the people. I, Rupinder Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, in exercise of the powers pass an order prohibiting the consumption of liquor in open public places outside all liquor vends, dhabas and shops in the Police Commissionerate. The order shall remain in force for two months from the date of its passage and will be circulated through official vehicles by the District Public Relations Department, Ludhiana, to inform the public. Rajesh Mahajan, said postmonsoons, there was a spike in viral infections. He said in the country, respiratory infections were at the peak during these months. While a young person responds well after medication, infants and elderly people suffering from other diseases, including diabetes, liver infections, heart-related issues, take time to recover. “At times, the condition of patients can turn serious if proper treatment is not given. We are getting several patients with viral infections in our OPD these days,” Dr Mahajan said. Man dies as fighting stray bulls hit bike Ludhiana, August 19 A motorcyclist died on the spot in a road accident involving stray animals on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Highway on Wednesday morning near ITBP Baddowal. , The deceased has been identified as Satwant Singh, a resident of Mullanpur Dakha. He was travelling from Mullanpur to Ludhiana when he met with the tragedy. According to reports, Satwant was going on his Honda Shine bike. When he reached near the ITBP Baddowal, two , bulls were fighting on the road. Satwant’s bike was hit by the cattle. Following which, the victim lost control over the vehicle and fell on the road. He suffered serious head injuries and died at the scene. — TNS