PUNJAB POLICE NABS FOUR MEMBERS OF INFAMOUS GANGSTER JAGGU BHAGWANPURIA GANG AFTER HOT CHASE
— POLICE TEAMS RECOVER ONE GLOCK PISTOL AMONG FIVE WEAPONS ALONG WITH AMMUNITION AND TWO LUXURY SUVs FROM POSSESSION OF ARRESTED PERSONS
— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKING PUNJAB A SAFE AND SECURE STATE AS PER VISION OF CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN
— SEIZED WEAPONS WERE SUPPLIED BY JAGGU BHAGWANPURIA’S GERMAN-BASED KEY OPERATIVE AMAN ALIAS ANDA, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV
— GANG HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A DEADLY SHOOTOUT AT BATALA’S GANDHI CAMP ON JULY 23: SSP HPS KHAKH
Chandigarh/Jalandhar, August 16:Amidst the ongoing drive against organised crime as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Jalandhar Rural Police arrested four members of the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang after a hot chase on the Jalandhar-Batala Highway, and recovered significant cache of arms and vehicles, exposing an international network supplying illegal weapons to Punjab, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.
Those arrested have been identified as Asrat Kanth alias Sabi, Kamalpreet Singh alias Komal Bajwa, Pardeep Kumar alias Gora, and Gurmeet Raj alias Juneja. Police teams have recovered four weapons including one China-made 7.65 mm Glock, two .30 bore pistols and one revolver along with four live cartridges and three magazines, besides impounding, two vehicles— Mahindra XUV (PB-09-3039) and Brezza (PB-09-EP-7100) used in commission of crime.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that during questioning that the gang leader, Asrat Kanth alias Sabi, confessed that the seized weapons were supplied by Aman alias Anda, a key figure in the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang currently based in Germany. The arms were funnelled through Sanju alias Sahil Kumar, a Batala resident who is currently incarcerated, he added.
The DGP said that the arrested individuals are linked to multiple criminal cases, including attempted murder, illegal arms possession, and gang-related violence across various districts in Punjab.
Sharing operation details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jalandhar Rural Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh, while addressing a press conference, said that police teams have received a reliable input that suspects were travelling in two vehicles, a Mahindra XUV and a Maruti Brezza.
Acting swiftly, the police team led by Incharge CIA staff Jalandhar Rural and SHO Bhogpur Sikander Singh laid a naka near Lahdra village, he said, while adding that Police teams managed to stop Brezza, resulting in the immediate arrest of Sabi and Komal Bajwa.
However, the persons’ in XUV managed to break through the blockade, leading to a chase that ended near Jinda Road in Maqsuda, where Gora and Juneja were apprehended, he added. A fifth suspect, Sajandeep alias Loda, managed to escape and remain at large.
He said that the gang had previously been involved in a deadly shootout at Batala’s Gandhi Camp on July 23, where a rival gang member, Yudveer alias Yodha, was killed and another, Rahul Datar, critically injured.
SSP Khakh, lauded the efforts of the police teams led by SP Special Branch Jalandhar (D) Manpreet Singh Dhillon and DSP Adampur Sub-Division Sumit Sood. “This operation is a significant success in our ongoing efforts to curb gang activity in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, the accused will be produced before a local court, where the police will seek further remand to deepen the investigation into the gang’s operations and international connections.
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VB registers corruption case against two excise dept officials for taking Rs 10000 bribe
Accused Inspector Excise arrested, demanding Rs 20000 more
Chandigarh August 16, 2024 - The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a corruption case against two officials of Excise and Texation Department, Punjab posted at Kapurthala namely Jatinderpal Singh, Inspector and Sanjeev Malhotra, Clerk for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 and were demanding Rs 20,000 more. In this case Inspector Jatinderpal Singh has been arrested and would be produced in the court tomorrow.
Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said this case has been registered against the above mentioned accused based on a complaint lodged by Neeraj Sharma, a resident of Mohalla Kiampura, Kapurthala city on the Chief Minister's Anti Corruption Action Line.
He further informed that the complainant had informed in his complaint that he is running an electronic shop at Kiampura in Kapurthala city and had sold a cooler in March this to which both the above mentioned accused had intervened to settle the dispute with the customer. He further alleged that both the accused had asked him on his mobile phone to come with his accountant in the office where they demanded a bribe of Rs 45,000 from him to settle irregularities of said bill.
The complainant mentioned that after this, Clerk Sanjiv Malhotra had demanded a bribe of Rs one lakh on WhatsApp call but deal was struck at Rs 30000. He had taken Rs 10000 as first instalment on next day and now they were demanding Rs 20000, a balance of bribe money. The complainant recorded conversation on phone with the accused and submitted it to the VB as an evidence.
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Vigilance Bureau arrests Assistant Sub Inspector for taking Rs 20,000 bribe
Previously received Rs 20,000 bribe from complainant
Chandigarh August 16, 2024 - The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Partap Singh, posted at Merado police post, under police station Ludhiana Sadar for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. During search of his vehicle after the trap, the VB team has also recovered Rs 32,000.
Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the above mentioned police personnel have been arrested based on a complaint lodged by Gurjit Rai, a resident of Shimlapuri, in Ludhiana city.
He further added that the complainant has approached the VB and informed that a police case was registered against him in the said police station and the aforementioned ASI Partap Singh was investigating officer (IO) in this case. He further alleged that the ASI had taken in possession his Mobile phone, Laptop and some documents during investigation without any documentation.
The complainant further alleged that after getting bail he had met ASI Partap Singh to get his belongings back but the accused ASI demanded a bribe of Rs 40000 and had taken Rs 20000 bribe as a first instalment in lieu of returning some of the articles to him. He further informed that the ASI was now demanding the remaining balance of bribe Rs 20000 to return all the remaining articles.
The spokesperson added that after preliminary verification of the allegations levelled in the complaint, the VB team laid a trap in which the said ASI Partap Singh was arrested while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.
He informed that in this regard a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against the said ASI at VB police station Ludhiana range. He would be produced in the competent court tomorrow. Further investigation into this case was under progress, he said.
===================================*Advocate Dr. Bhupinder Singh Batth, Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal and Varinderjit Singh Billing assumes charge as State Information Commissioners
* State information commissioners took charge in the presence of Chief Information Commissioner advocate Inderpal Singh Dhanna and MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer
Chandigarh, August 16-The newly appointed State Information Commissioners Advocate Dr. Bhupinder Singh Batth, Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal and Varinderjit Singh Billing took charge of their office in the presence of Chief Information Commissioner Advocate Inderpal Singh Dhanna and MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer today here at State Information Commission office.
State Information Commissioners Advocate Dr. Bhupinder Singh Batth, Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal and Varinderjit Singh Billing thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Maan after assuming the charge of office. They assured that they will perform their duties with great diligence and sincerity.
On this occasion, Lok Sabha Member Gurmeet Singh Meet Heyer said that the State Information Commissioner appointed by the Punjab Government are very intelligent and I hope that the will perform their duties with full diligence and honesty.
On this occasion, staff from the Punjab State Information Commission office, along with the family and friends of the newly appointed State Information Commissioners, were also present.
The spokesperson further informed that during verification of allegations leveled in this complainant have been found correct and true as the same have been supported by oral evidence as well as recording of conversation. Based on this verification report a FIR No 17 dated 14.8.24 has been registered against both the accused under section 7 of prevention of corruption act and 384, 120-B of IPC at VB police station Jalandhar range. In this case accused Inspector Jatinderpal Singh has been arrested today from his office at Kapurthala and efforts to arrest accused Sanjeev Malhotra are going on, he said.
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PUNJAB POLICE BUSTS INTERSTATE ARMS SMUGGLING RACKET; ONE HELD WITH 4 PISTOLS
— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKING PUNJAB A SAFE AND SECURE STATE AS PER DIRECTIONS OF CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN
— ARRESTED PERSON WAS SMUGGLING WEAPONS FROM MADHYA PRADESH TO SUPPLY THEM IN PUNJAB, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV
— FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ARE ON TO TRACE BACKWARD AND FORWARD LINKAGES, IDENTIFY MP-BASED ARM SMUGGLERS: DIG J ELANCHEZIAN
CHANDIGARH, August 16:In a major blow to illegal arms smuggling amidst the ongoing drive to make a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar has apprehended one person for running an inter-state organised arms smuggling racket and recovered four .32 bore pistols from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Vinod Kumar alias Rahul, a resident of Giyaspura in Ludhiana. The latter has a criminal background with cases pertaining to theft and snatching registered against him.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the SSOC Amritsar had received a secret information that accused Vinod, who is involved in supplying of illegal arms and ammunition from Madhya Pradesh to Punjab, is going to Kharar from Ludhiana to deliver the weapon consignment to criminal elements.
Acting swiftly, police team from SSOC laid a trap and successfully apprehended accused Vinod Kumar from near Toll Plaza in Gharuan Kharar and recovered two .32 bore pistols from his possession, he said, while adding that further investigation has resulted in recovery of two more .32 bore pistols from pinpointed location revealed by the accused.
The DGP said that apart from supplying illegal arms in Punjab, the accused was also providing logistical assistance to various gangs. Further investigations are on to establish backward and forward linkages to uncover the entire network, he added.
Sharing more details, DIG Counter Intelligence J Elanchezian said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused, while being in Ludhiana Jail came in contact with gangsters sitting inside and outside jail, and now he was working for them to retrieve the weapon consignment from Madhya Pradesh and deliver them to various gangs operational in the state.
During interrogation, the arrested accused also disclosed that in last one month he has smuggled two heavy illegal arms consignments which he retrieved from village Jasondi, Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh and delivered both in Mohali area, he added.
In this regards a case FIR no. 15 dated 13.08.2024 has been registered under section 25 of the Arms act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station SSOC, SAS Nagar.
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Punjab Govt Honours Tech-Driven Women-led Startups on Independence Day
Chandigarh, August 16:In a major push for women entrepreneurship, the Punjab Government has felicitated 10 women-led startups in the state on the 78th Independence Day for their valuable contributions to enhancing and influencing Punjab's innovation ecosystem. These female founders, who are making remarkable progress, were recognised during the district-level I-Day celebrations.
These startups are being supported through the Startup’s Handholding & Empowerment (SHE) Initiative of the Punjab State Innovation Council, led by the Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST).
The initiative is a part of Mission Innovate Punjab led by Department of Science, Technology & Environment, GoP to technologically empower female startups for creating ventures, generating employment and boosting economic growth of the State. These Startups, while working on priority areas, are promoting novel technologies and interventions for creating positive impact on societal development.
Government of Punjab is providing conducive environment for these women entrepreneurs to thrive. In line with State Government’s vision for diversification and promoting millets as sustainable and nutritious crop, three young startups, Dr. Vipasha Sharma, MKelly Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Dr. Aman & Dr. Daman Walia of Millet Sisters, and Dr. Rosy Singla of Rosy Foods are playing vital role in enhancing nutritional profile of millets, developing customized ready-to-eat products and beverages for pregnant women, lactating mothers, undernourished children and diabetics. One of the startup, Dr. Ritu Mahajan, RiBioP AgroTech Pvt. Ltd., has created an innovative biodegradable & non-toxic composition for preparing nano-bio-pesticides.
Among healthcare based startups, Dr. Gowri Jayamurgan, Gowriz Skin Care Pvt. Ltd. is working to produce biomass-based natural sunscreen formulation with anti-ageing and anti-cancer properties; Ms. Shakuntala, JV-Scan Pvt. Ltd. for AI based voice analysis tool for detecting illness at early stage through mobiles; Dr. Pallavi Bansal, TeamMed Care is providing AI based real-time health tracking for pregnant women, enabling healthcare professionals to monitor maternal health effectively. Other two startups, KreatKnit by Ms. Pooja Kaushik and Sakhiyan by Nancy Bhola are creating sustainable products from textile waste engaging underprivileged women, weavers, and artisans from rural areas of Punjab under Social Entrepreneurship Model. Another Startup, Ms. Hardeep Kaur, Indona Innovative Solutions has designed water flow restrictor for reducing water wastage.
Congratulating the Startups, Er. Pritpal Singh, Executive Director PSCST, informed that SHE is the initiative of PSCST under which potential women startups from colleges, universities and research institutions are being provided resources, mentorship and funding for supporting their ventures.
The initiative is being taken under leadership and guidance of Secretary, Science, Technology and Environment, Punjab. Further, PSCST would be launching call for SHE Cohort 3.0 shortly, urging girl students to register for the Program.
Dr. Dapinder Kaur Bakshi, Joint Director-cum-Program Leader, informed that PSCST has undertaken massive awareness campaigns in the State in the last two years, sensitising more than 3500 female students. While many startups have performed very well, 20 more are being mentored with the support of leading incubators and enablers, especially TBI-IISER Mohali, AWaDH IIT-Ropar, GJCEI-GNDU, Amritsar, PABI–PAU Ludhiana, STEP – Thapar Institute, Patiala and Chandigarh Angels Network. She thanked Punjab Govt. for recognizing the efforts and dedication of the women.
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SEWA KENDRAS TO OPEN AT 11AM ON RAKSHA BANDHAN
Chandigarh, August 16:Punjab Government has changed the operational timing of Sewa Kendras of the state on the account of upcoming Raksha Bandhan festival on August 19, 2024 i.e. Monday.
Disclosing this here today in a press communique, Punjab Governance Reforms Minister Mr. Aman Arora said that all the Sewa Kendras will be operational and provide all the services from 11am to 5pm on August 19 for the convenience of the public on the Raksha Bandhan festival.
He also urged the people to visit the Sewa Kendras after 11am on August 19 to avail services being provided by the state government. He maintained that except August 19, the Sewa Kendras will continue to remain operational as per their existing timings i.e. from 9am to 5pm.