Raining rewards: Over 5,000 police officials honoured for excellent duty

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, October 5

It’s raining rewards on the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police! In what appears to be a record of sorts, over 5,000 officials of the Commissionerate Police have bagged commendation certificates, cash awards, promotions and appreciation for excellent work by way of swift action and professional approach in cracking a majority of the heinous crime cases in the recent past.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav has conferred cash awards amounting to over Rs 32 lakh on 5,027 police officials, comprising those from the level of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to constables posted in the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police.

The development comes quick on the heels of the Commissionerate Police cracking at least 15 cases of heinous crime, involving blind murders, dacoities and robberies/snatchings within as less as 12 hours and as long as 96 hours during the past nine months.

It was made possible after the police stations concerned registered FIRs on complaints lodged by victims following which swift action was taken and professional approach in conducting investigations led to arrests of criminals and recoveries of case properties, running into crores of rupees and also including illegal arms and ammunition used to execute the crime.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu, who personally led investigations in all such cases, told The Tribune, here on Thursday that the police personnel had been rewarded with cash awards amounting to Rs 32,02,100, commendation certificates Class-1, DGP’s Commendation Disc and promotions for their par excellence work.

He said it was perhaps a rare instance when such a large number of police personnel from any Commissionerate Police had been rewarded for their commendable job in less than a year.

The rewards were granted on the recommendations of the CP, who had sought suitable recognition of the officials for their extraordinary services recorded since November last.

Sidhu said 40 police personnel had been awarded the DGP’s Commendation Disc, three with appreciation letters, 241 with commendation certificate class-I, 3,186 with commendation certificate class-II, and 1,494 persons had been conferred with commendation certificate class-III for performing their duties with zeal and devotion to boost their morale.

Besides, promotions of local ranks had been granted to 24 inspectors, 20 SIs, 12 ASIs, four head constables and a constable under Rule 13.2-A of the Punjab Police Rules in recognition of good work.

Those who have been rewarded with the cash awards included DCP Jaskiranjeet Singh, ADCP, Zone-2, Sohail Qasim Meer, and ACP, South, Gur Iqbal Singh.

Moreover, two local police officers had also been conferred the President’s Police Medal for outstanding services in the recent past.

What made the difference

Police stations had been given clear instructions to register FIRs on receipt of complaints, take swift action and adopt professional approach in conducting investigations.

“Instead of delaying the registration of FIRs and making victims wait long for even getting their cases lodged, we have adopted a proactive approach to register the FIRs forthwith and launch investigations subsequently, which had led to cracking major cases of heinous crime,” the CP disclosed.

Creating a record

Creating a record of sorts, the Commissionerate Police had solved one case each within 12, 16, 36, 60 and 96 hours, cracked two cases in 24 hours and four cases each had been worked out in 48 and 72 hours.

These record-making cases included eight cases of murder coupled with robbery and seven cases of armed heist, dacoity, robbery and snatching of valuables and vehicles. A triple and a double murder case were among them.

Biggest heist cracked in 60 hours

The state’s biggest heist of Rs 8.49 crore from a cash management firm reported on June 10 was cracked in a record time of 60 hours with the arrest of all 18 suspects and recovery of 7.14 crore cash, two vehicles, three .12-bore rifles and other firearms used in the crime.

Triple murder solved in a day

A shocking triple murder of a resident of New Janak Puri here and his two aged women family members on July 7 was solved with the arrest of cold-blooded killer Robin, alias Munna, in 24 hours. The suspect had killed three of the family by hammering them on their heads while they were asleep in their home.

In another bone-chilling murder of an 18-year-old Class XI girl student in Jamalpur, all four killers were nabbed in 24 hours. The victim had left her home for appearing in a school exam on December 14 when the group of four suspects waylaid her and killed her. The girl’s body was recovered from the nearby Bhamian area.

Double murder of dairy owner cracked in 48 hrs

A double murder of a dairy owner and his worker by one of his former workers was cracked in 48 hours with the arrest of the killer, Girdhari Lal. The case was reported from Bulara village on February 26.

Int’l racket busted in 24 hrs

An international well-knit gold smuggling racket was busted within 24 hours with the arrest of all three smugglers Azad Singh, Ashu Kumar and Puneet Singh,from whom 1.230 gm gold powder, a 32-bore pistol with magazine, and five cartridges had been recovered on September 9. These smugglers had till landing in the police net had got at least 50-kg gold worth around Rs 30 crore smuggled through 50 different passengers from Dubai.

The recent case of robbery from a doctor couple’s house in Shaheed Bhagat Nagar here on September 14 was also traced within 96 hours with the arrest of all four robbers – Gurwinder Singh, Pavneet, Jagpreet Singh and Sahildeep Singh, from whom Rs 3.94-crore cash, 271.35-gm gold, 88-gm silver, two cars, a .12-bore revolver and six live cartridges had been recovered.

DGP pats back

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP), Gaurav Yadav, has patted the back of Commissioner of Police, Mandeep Singh Sidhu, and his team of officials, who had created a record of sorts by solving the heinous crime cases within such a short duration. “The professional and scientific approach adopted by the police to work out the blind cases of murder and heist, involving loss of precious lives, cash and valuables worth several crores of rupees is much appreciated,” the DGP remarked, while rewarding the cops with cash awards, commendation certificates, and promotions.

Morale booster: CP

“The rewards would go a long way in boosting the morale of police officials and would motivate others as well to follow suit for bagging the similar recognition in future. My team members have made Ludhiana proud,” said Mandeep Singh Sidhu, CP

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