Patwari caught taking bribe

Jalandhar: The district Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday nabbed a patwari red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs10,000. Disclosing this here, an official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said Vipin Kumar, a patwari posted at Goraya in Jalandhar district, was nabbed red-handed by the Vigilance team for accepting bribe of Rs10,000. The complaint was filed from Charanjeet Singh. The complainant approached the VB and alleged that the patwari was demanding Rs15,000 for mutation of his land but the deal was struck at Rs10,000. After verifying his information, a team from the Vigilance Bureau Jalandhar laid a trap and the patwari was arrested on the spot while accepting Rs10,000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. He said a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against the accused at the VB police station in Jalandhar and further investigation was on. TNS

5 shops sealed in Model Town

Jalandhar: To expedite recovery of property tax from commercial buildings in the city at the fag-end of the financial year, the Municipal Corporation has started with its sealing drive. Beginning from posh area of Model Town, the officials on Wednesday sealed five showrooms, including popular eateries and salon. The buildings which faced action include outlets such as Wok Singh, I Love desserts, Looking Sharp, Motor Junction and another shop. Getting the action implemented, Assistant Commissioner SS Sidhu said: “The last date to deposit property tax with 10 per cent penalty is March 31. From April 1, 20 per cent penalty on the amount and 18 per cent annual interest would be levied from defaulters. Hence, we appeal to all defaulters to quickly pay up the amount or be ready to face a stern action.” TNS

350-kg poppy husk seized

Jalandhar: Three people were arrested with 350-kg poppy husk by the Adampur and Bhogpur police here on Wednesday. Those accused are residents of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. They used to smuggle drugs to Jalandhar, Ludhiana among other districts under the garb of bringing in soil, or rock-laden trucks. A case under Sections 15-C, 61 and 85 of the the NDPS Act was registered against the accused at the Bhogpur police station. The accused have been identified as Sahibzad of Akbarpur, Gurgaon; Yabar Hussain and Yasser Ahmed, both residents of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. During a naka at Kureshia, Bhogpur, a police party spotted a truck (JK-01-AH-8676), which was stopped for checking. On searching, 350-kg poppy husk was found stashed in it. The naka was held based on a tip-off which stated the three accused had been supplying poppy husk in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Kapurthala. SHO Manjit Singh, Bhogpur police station, carried out the proceedings with a police party. The police said the poppy husk kept in sacks has been recovered and the track had also been seized. The police said more revelations are expected in further probe in the case. tns