logo
Punjab govt suspends 26 jail officials

Punjab govt suspends 26 jail officials

Hindustan Times11 hours ago

The Punjab government on Friday suspended 26 officers and employees of the jail department for dereliction of duty. Punjab jail minister Laljit Singh Bhullar informed that 26 officers and employees of the jail department have been suspended with immediate effect. (HT Photo)
Punjab jail minister Laljit Singh Bhullar informed that 26 officers and employees of the jail department have been suspended with immediate effect under the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, for dereliction of duty/negligence.
Giving a clear message to the officers and employees on duty in the jails of Punjab, the minister said that illegal activities, misbehaviour, indiscipline, absence from duty and activities like involvement with prisoners will not be tolerated at all.
The minister said that Iqbal Singh Brar, superintendent, District Jail, Mansa, Maninder Pal Cheema, deputy superintendent, Central Jail, Ludhiana, Anil Bhandari, deputy superintendent, Borstal Jail, Ludhiana, Sandeep Brar, deputy superintendent, Central Jail, Ludhiana, Yadvinder Singh, ASJ, Central jail, Ferozepur, apart from warders Harbhupinder Singh and Sikander Singh, Goindwal Sahib, Bikramjit Singh and Vijay Pal Singh, Amritsar, Jatinder Singh, Ravi, Deepak Rai, Kiranjit Singh, Prithipal Singh and Satnam Singh, Kapurthala, Satnam Singh and Mandeep Singh, Hoshiarpur, Maninder Pal Singh, Ludhiana, Anu Malik, Randhir Singh, Arvind Dev Singh, Balvir Singh and Sukhpreet Singh, Mansa, Satnam Singh Nabha, Gagandeep Singh, Bathinda, and Anmol Verma, Pathankot, have been suspended.
The minister said that the Punjab government is committed to providing good administration to the state and negligence in duty of any officer or employee will not be tolerated. He warned all the officers and employees of the department and said that they should ensure that their duties are done honestly, diligently and according to the rules.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mohali: Robbers' gang targeting truckers busted
Mohali: Robbers' gang targeting truckers busted

Hindustan Times

time9 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Mohali: Robbers' gang targeting truckers busted

Police have arrested five members of a six-member gang, who lured truck drivers and pedestrians into isolated spots before robbing and blackmailing them. The gang included a woman who acted as a decoy to trap victims under the pretext of asking for directions or seeking a lift. A case was registered against the accused on June 22 at IT City Police Station under Sections 318(2), 308(2), 304(2), and 3(5) of the BNS. (HT Photo) Acting on a tip-off, a team from the CIA staff led by inspector Harminder Singh conducted a raid near Indian Oil Petrol Pump on Aerocity Road and arrested the five of six accused. During the operation, the police recovered four high-end mobile phones and a press-report-style microphone that the accused used to pose as journalists during their crimes. According to police, the woman, identified as Sandeep Kaur alias Mahi, would position herself late at night along roads like Airport Road, Zirakpur-Banur Road and Zirakpur-Panchkula Road and would stop vehicles and request for a lift. Once inside, she would direct the driver to a quiet area where her associates would arrive, record videos, and begin threatening the victims. The gang would blackmail them by claiming to make the footage viral if they did not cooperate. In most cases, the victims were forced to hand over cash, mobile phones, and other valuables. Two gang members, Irbnpreet Singh alias Pinky and Harjinder Singh alias Laadi, reportedly posed as press reporters during these incidents to lend credibility and intimidate the victims further. A case was registered against the accused on June 22 at IT City Police Station under Sections 318(2), 308(2), 304(2), and 3(5) of the BNS. According to police, the gang has confessed to committing over 20 such incidents in the areas under IT City and Zirakpur police stations. Among those arrested are individuals with a history of criminal activity, including extortion, theft, and violations of the Arms Act. One of the accused, Sunny Kumar Sachdeva, is yet to be arrested. Two accused are currently under police remand, while the remaining three have been sent to judicial custody.

Chandigarh: Cyber crooks swipe off ₹25 crore in 6 months
Chandigarh: Cyber crooks swipe off ₹25 crore in 6 months

Hindustan Times

time9 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Chandigarh: Cyber crooks swipe off ₹25 crore in 6 months

City residents lost approximately ₹ 25 crore to online frauds between January 1 and June 25, 2025, data from the cyber crime unit revealed. This is a nearly seven-fold rise in the losses suffered during the corresponding period last year, which stood at ₹ 3.39 crore. In 2024, ₹ 4.64 crore was held (frozen before criminals could lay their hands on it) and just ₹ 2.06 lakh was refunded. (HT Photo) As many as 3,927 cybercrime complaints have been received so far this year but against this, only 70 FIRs have been registered and 69 accused arrested. Explaining the gap between complaints and FIRs, cyber police officials say that an FIR is not always necessary for recovery of funds, and many complainants choose not to pursue formal registration once their money is successfully recovered. 'Several victims withdraw their request for FIR once their funds are traced or held by the cyber team. FIR is not mandatory for initiating the refund process,' a senior officer said. Recovery: A grim picture Despite holding or freezing ₹ 5.33 crore in suspicious accounts this year, only ₹ 17.14 lakh —less than 1% — has been refunded to victims so far. In 2024, ₹ 4.64 crore was held (frozen before criminals could lay their hands on it) and just ₹ 2.06 lakh was refunded. A senior cyber official explained, 'Even if we freeze the amount, the refund process requires due legal verification and bank approvals, which can be slow. Also, once the money is routed through multiple accounts or crypto wallets, tracing becomes tougher.' If targeted, report promptly Cyber officials explain that victims of financial fraud can seek immediate assistance by calling the 1930 helpline, which is specifically dedicated to reporting cyber financial frauds. Once a complaint is received, a team of trained operators collects key transaction details—such as account numbers, transaction IDs, and amounts—and enters them into the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS). From there, the case is escalated to nodal bank officers, who trace the flow of the suspected crime proceeds. If the transaction appears suspicious or has been reported multiple times from different locations, authorities can place a hold or, in some cases, freeze the entire amount. However, officials caution that this mechanism is time-sensitive. The chances of recovery are highest within the first one to two hours of the fraudulent transaction. 'Sometimes we're lucky and able to act even after a day, but that's rare,' an official said. The challenge, they add, lies in the sophistication of cybercriminals, who often use automated tools to instantly disburse funds across multiple accounts. Within minutes, these proceeds are converted into cryptocurrency, particularly USDT, making them nearly impossible to trace. Many such transactions are eventually tracked to offshore locations including Dubai, China, Hong Kong, and other jurisdictions, significantly complicating the recovery process. Arrests & action In 2025, 69 accused have been arrested so far. In contrast, only 44 were arrested in the same period in 2024. Many arrests are made from other states, especially Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Rajasthan—regions flagged as cybercrime hubs by central agencies. Still, police say that syndicates often operate through disposable devices and proxy accounts, making it difficult to trace the masterminds. Cyber police officials acknowledge that those arrested in most cases are rarely the masterminds behind the fraud. In many instances, the individuals apprehended by Chandigarh Police are account holders who have willingly allowed their bank accounts to be used in exchange for a small commission—typically ranging from 1% to 10% of the transaction amount. These individuals, often from economically weaker sections, act as pawns in larger cybercrime networks, with limited knowledge of the full scale of the operation. In a recent case investigated by the Chandigarh Police involving a digital arrest scam of ₹ 3.5 crore, it was revealed that nearly ₹ 3 crore was routed through more than 150 bank accounts, making the money trail both complex and layered. Such layering tactics are deliberately used to obstruct tracking efforts and slow down law enforcement responses.

Religious structures are loudspeaker-free, claims police chief
Religious structures are loudspeaker-free, claims police chief

Hindustan Times

time9 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Religious structures are loudspeaker-free, claims police chief

MUMBAI: 'Mumbai has become free of loudspeakers on religious structures,' police commissioner Deven Bharti said on Saturday. Mumbai, India. Apr 30, 2025: Deven Bharti IPS officer of the 1994 batch took charge as Mumbai Police commissioner from outgoing police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar at Mumbai Police headquarters in Mumbai. Mumbai, 30, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times) While not naming any community, the police claimed that meetings and negotiations helped them convince community and political leaders, and the trustees of religious bodies, to remove loudspeakers from more than 1,500 structures, making the city 'loudspeaker-free'. They claimed the action was not aimed at any particular community and was in line with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's directive in March, saying that the guidelines of the centre and court must be strictly followed. The police clarified, however, that religious structures can have loudspeakers installed 'temporarily', during festivals, after taking permission from local police stations. Bharti's sweeping statement follows an order of the Bombay High Court in January, in which the police were directed to take prompt action against loudspeakers and public address systems violating noise pollution rules. A bench of Justice A S Gadkari and A C Chandak had said that loudspeakers are not integral to any religion, highlighting the health risks posed by noise pollution. It observed that denying permission for loudspeakers does not infringe anyone's rights. The bench was hearing a petition filed by two housing societies in Kurla, which had raised concerns over the noise pollution caused by loudspeakers at local mosques. They argued that the use of loudspeakers for religious activities, including the Islamic call to prayer (azaan), disrupts the peace and infringes the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. However, the Muslim community has complained that the police have not been following due process while taking down loudspeakers at masjids. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met Muslim leaders and senior police officials, instructing the law enforcers to refrain from 'unlawful' actions. Pawar also urged BJP leader Kirit Somaiya to end his 'loudspeaker-free Mumbai campaign'.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store