Briefly: Drug addict found dead, three persons booked

Muktsar: An alleged drug addict, Sukhmander Singh of Bhallaiana village, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a waterworks reservoir here on Wednesday. Villagers claimed Sukhmander had recorded a video before his death, accusing the trio of thrashing him and snatching money from him. They also claimed that drugs were freely available in the area. TNS

NIA raids YouTuber’s house in Budhlada

Mansa: A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted a raid at the residence of a YouTuber in Budhlada town of Mansa district over his alleged links with anti-national elements in Pakistan. Though the officials did not divulge much details, sources said the YouTuber was not present at his residence. The team asked the family to send him to the National Investigation Agency office at Chandigarh. The raid lasted for around two hours. TNS

Stamp vendor’s licence cancelled for overcharging

Muktsar: The Muktsar Deputy Commissioner has cancelled the licence of stamp vendor Satish Rani in Malout for allegedly overcharging a resident of Sehna Khera village. The Malout SDM conducted a probe and found the reply given by the vendor unsatisfactory. The complainant alleged he was charged Rs 130 for a stamp paper worth Rs 100 by the vendor. TNS

Farmers protest outside MLA’s residence

Mansa: A large number of farmers on Thursday staged a protest outside MLA Vijay Singla’s residence here against the state government’s decision to acquire 212 acres at Thuthianwali village for an urban estate. The protesting farmers claimed they would not give even an inch of their land for the project. They have been protesting for some time and have already met several officials in connection with the issue. TNS

Telecom equipment theft racket busted, 4 held

Muktsar: The police on Thursday claimed to have busted a telecom tower equipment theft racket by arresting four persons and recovering some stolen items. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akhil Chaudhary said one of the accused had earlier worked with a private contractor installing telecom towers. “They have admitted to targeting nearly 30 mobile phone towers in the past,” said the police officer . Those arrested in the case by the police were indentified as Pawandeep Singh, Bittu Singh, Sitar Mohammad and Lakhwinder Singh. TNS

Punjab