Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: Police today constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing of a youth during a police action at Miran Sahib Area here late on Sunday night, officials said.
The SIT, headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer, was formed after family members of the deceased youth, identified as Arshdeep Singh (Janu), who was identified as Abhineet Singh by the police on Sunday night, staged a demonstration at Miran Sahib Area and demanded justice, claiming Janu was innocent and had no association with any criminal gang.
Through a statement, police had also claimed that the deceased youth was wanted in 13 FIRs and he, along with his accomplice, allegedly opened fire on a police team after breaking a naka on Sunday night.
In the self-defence by a police team monitoring the naka point, the statement said, one of the youth sustained injuries, who later on succumbed at Government Medical College Jammu.
Officials said the SIT is headed by SDPO RS Pura Gurmeet Singh and has four Sub-Inspectors from different police stations as members.
The probe is being monitored by Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu Joginder Singh, they said, without sharing details about the time frame fixed for completion of the investigation.
LAHORE, Apr 27
Sheikh Yousaf Afridi, a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) figure and a close associate of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Monday.
The incident took place in Landi Kotal in the Khyber region, some 250 kms from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
A source in the police told PTI that unknown armed assailants opened indiscriminate fire on Afridi, resulting in his death on the spot.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Afridi is said to be a key figure within the regional structure of the banned LeT.
He also reportedly played a role in the recruitment and coordination of the terror group’s activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The incident has sparked widespread anger in the area, and local authorities have launched an investigation to apprehend those responsible for his killing,” the source said.
An official of Saeed’s banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) said that Afridi was a “renowned religious scholar and belonged to the Zakhakhel tribe of Khyber and was regarded as a prominent scholar of the Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi) school of thought.”
“He was targeted when unidentified attackers sprayed him with bullets and managed to flee the scene. It should be remembered that extremist groups like — Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) — are currently facing strong intellectual and practical challenges from Salafi scholars,” he said.
Over a week ago in Lahore, Amir Hamza, a founding leader of LeT, suffered bullet injuries in an attack.
Hamza is LeT’s second most important leader after Saeed, who has been in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases. (PTI)
HORSENS (DENMARK), Apr 27: India sealed a place in the Thomas Cup Finals quarterfinals with a commanding 5-0 sweep of Australia in a Group A tie here on Monday.
India and China occupy the top spots in the group. The 2022 champions had opened with a 4-1 win over Canada, while China blanked Australia 5-0 and beat Canada 4-1 earlier in the day.
The two sides will clash in their final group tie on Wednesday to decide the group topper.
Paris Olympian and Commonweal Games champion Lakshya Sen set the tone with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Ephraim Stephen Sam to hand India an early lead.
US Open champion Ayush Shetty, who recently finished runner-up at the Badminton Asia Championships, doubled the advantage with a dominant 21-8, 21-6 victory over Shrey Dhand.
India’s top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the Asian Games champions, made it 3-0, defeating Rizky Hidayat and Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16 to clinch the tie.
HS Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, extended the lead with a 21-11, 21-17 win over Rishi Honda Boopathy in under 30 minutes.
In the second doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun outplayed Andika Ramadiansyah and Ephraim Stephen Sam 21-12, 21-10 as India completed a flawless outing without dropping a match. (PTI)
Excelsior Correspondent
REASI, Apr 27: The Gujjar Bakerwal Employees Association (GBEA) organized a grand one-day convention at Sugri village in Chassana tehsil of Reasi district.
The event was held under the leadership of Ch Mohd Asad Noomani, President of GBEA Jammu & Kashmir UT. The proceedings commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by speeches from local employee leaders who highlighted pressing issues faced by the community. They appealed to the association’s leadership to take up these matters at the appropriate levels for early resolution.
Mukhtar Awan, District President Reasi and organizer of the event, particularly raised concerns regarding reservation in promotions and the problems faced by seasonal teachers, urging immediate intervention.
Addressing the gathering, Ch Mohd Asad Noomani emphasized that the struggle for reservation in promotions has been ongoing for a long time and assured that the movement would be intensified further. Speaking on the issues of seasonal teachers, he informed that he has already taken up the matter with the Tribal Affairs Minister and expressed confidence that a positive solution will be achieved soon.
He further highlighted the concerns of daily wage workers in departments like PHE, PDD, and others, stating that the association is fully aware of their hardships and is committed to fighting for their rights. He added that after the granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, GBEA has emerged as a strong platform at the Jammu & Kashmir level, and collective efforts are needed to strengthen the organization so that employees from all districts can unite and work towards resolving their issues.
The event proceedings were conducted by Abdul Qadus Choudhary, while Principal Riaz Choudhary presented the vote of thanks. Several prominent speakers, including educationists, employee leaders, and local representatives, expressed their views and highlighted key concerns during the convention.
On this occasion, the organizational body of Tehsil Chassana was also constituted, and newly appointed office bearers were administered the oath of office.
The convention concluded with a special prayer session in memory of the late Tahir Fazal Choudhary, a hero of Operation Sarp Vinash, acknowledging his sacrifices and contributions.
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: An alleged drug peddler was arrested with 5-6 grams of heroin-like substance from Gorkha Nagar area here today.
Officials said during routine patrolling duty near Shiv Mandir, Shamshan Ghat, Gorkha Nagar area, a team of Bagh-e-Bahu Police Station headed by PSI Ayush Sharma stopped a suspicious person, later identified as Ajay Mehra (30) of Gorkha Nagar, Jammu, who tried to flee on seeing the police.
He was, however, chased and overpowered, they said, adding that on his personal search, 5-6 grams of heroin-like substance was recovered.
He was accordingly arrested and booked in case FIR number 23/2026 under sections 8, 21, 22, 27A registered at Police Station Bagh-e-Bahu and further investigation taken up, official said.
BENONI (SA), Apr 27: India suffered yet another batting meltdown in a modest 156-run chase as South Africa rode on skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s sublime unbeaten 92 to clinch a convincing 23-run win and seal the Women’s T20I series 4-1 in dominant fashion.
Wolvaardt, who has already notched up two fifties and a century in the series, struck 11 fours and two sixes in her 56-ball knock, carrying her bat despite wickets falling around her.
Her late flourish — two sixes off the final two balls — lifted South Africa past the 150-mark after a middle-overs slowdown.
In reply, India were restricted to 132 for eight, with their experienced batters once again failing to deliver.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur laboured to 22 off 28 balls, while Shafali Verma (4), Jemimah Rodrigues (1) and Deepti Sharma (8) fell cheaply without much resistance.
It was left to Bharti Fulmali to provide some fight with a counter-attacking 40 off 30 balls (4×4, 2×6), but India’s middle-overs stagnation following a poor start proved costly.
South Africa’s bowlers were disciplined throughout, with Nonkululeko Mlaba leading the charge with an impressive 2/15, including a maiden, and accounting for Harmanpreet. Nadine de Klerk also picked up two wickets.
It was a reality check for the WODI champions India ahead of the T20 World Cup in two months’ time, as frequent changes in the XI and lack of consistency continued to hurt their campaign.
India got off to a poor start, losing Shafali and Rodrigues in quick succession to slump to 21 for two in four overs.
Shafali’s attempted sweep off Eliz-Mari Marx found Chloe Tryon at fine leg, who held on to a sharp catch.
Rodrigues followed soon after, mistiming a pull off Ayabonga Khaka, with Tryon once again impressing with a well-judged running catch at deep square leg.
With India in trouble early, Harmanpreet and opener Anushka Sharma attempted to rebuild cautiously.
However, with the required rate climbing, Anushka fell to a well-disguised slower ball from de Klerk, leaving India at 38 for three in 7.3 overs. Their 17-run stand consumed 24 balls, adding to the pressure.
Fulmali then injected some momentum with her aggressive strokeplay, even as Harmanpreet struggled to accelerate before being dismissed by Mlaba in the 13th over.
Needing 79 runs off the last seven overs, India’s task was steep. Fulmali kept their hopes alive briefly, but South Africa continued to chip away at regular intervals, and her dismissal in the 16th over effectively ended the contest.
Earlier, the Indian spin duo of Shree Charani (2/22) and Deepti Sharma (2/37) turned the game with timely breakthroughs while Renuka Singh (2/21) stepped up at the death.
The young left-arm spinner Charani removed Sune Luus (23) and Tazmin Brits (2) in successive overs as South Africa slipped from 70 for no loss in eight overs to lose three wickets in the next four.
Renuka Singh then struck at the death, picking up two wickets in three balls as South Africa struggled to break free.
However, Wolvaardt held firm and finished with a flourish, taking on Deepti with back-to-back sixes in the final over.
Opting to bat, Wolvaardt was at her elegant best from the outset, taking charge in Kranti Goud’s opening over with two boundaries in an 11-run start.
She barely put a foot wrong, continuing her exquisite strokeplay against the new ball, including consecutive fours off Renuka — one powered through midwicket and another crisply driven through point, showcasing her range on both sides of the wicket.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur introduced spin through Charani, but Wolvaardt maintained the momentum, stepping out for a boundary and following it up with a drive past mid-off.
South Africa ended the power play at 49 for no loss, with Wolvaardt in full control.
India finally broke through when Charani deceived Luus in flight, with Richa Ghosh completing a stumping after a brief fumble.
The run-rate dipped sharply thereafter, and Charani struck again in her next over, knocking over Brits with a fuller delivery.
Deepti then returned to dismiss Annerie Dercksen for a duck, as South Africa lost three wickets for just 14 runs between the ninth and 12th overs, derailing their innings before Wolvaardt’s late surge. (PTI)
Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Apr 27: Samba police has apprehended a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL) in a case registered under relevant sections of NDPS Act at Police Station (PS) Bari Brahmana and recovered approximately 6.165 Kgs Ganja like substance from his possession.
A team of Police Station, Bari Brahmana during patrolling near Pahalwan shop, Bari Brahmana, recovered approximately 6.165 Kgs Ganja like substance from the possession of a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL).
A case FIR No 109/2026 U/S 8/20 NDPS Act has been registered at PS Bari Brahmana and investigation started.
The CCL has been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) Samba and sent to Observation Home RS Pura.
Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Apr 27: The police nabbed a drug- peddler and recovered heroin from his possession at Darhal today.
Reports said Darhal police party, led by SHO, Inspector Manpreet Singh, under the supervision of SDPO Thanamandi Parupkar Singh during naka at Iqbal Gate, Darhal noticed one person coming from Darhal towards Rakiban. He tried to flee on seeing the police party.
The alert naka party chased and apprehended him. During questioning the accused disclosed his identity as Mehraj-ud-Din, son of Mohd Shakoor, resident of Thanamang. On his personal search 3.20 grams of heroin was recovered from him. He was arrested on the spot. In this regard, a Case FIR No. 27/2026 was registered against him.
Excelsior Correspondent
DODA, Apr 27: Police here today arrested a drug peddler and recovered 601 gram narcotic substance from him.
A reliable input was received at Police Post Kahara that one Amreek Singh alias Sonu, son of Kashmir Lal, resident of Gallu, Tehsil Kahara, District Doda, was actively involved in illegal sale of Charas targeting the youth of Gullu area.
On getting this information, a special Police team was constituted which arrested the accused and recovered about 601 gram of Charas-like substance from him.
In this regard, a case in FIR No. 41/2026 U/S 8/20 NDPS Act was registered at Police Station Gandoh and investigation started.
Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 27: Amandeep Singh Boparai, founder chairman of Yuva Jatt Sabha (YJS), announced the formation of the Kathua team at a function here, today.
This significant event marks a pivotal moment for the organization as it strengthens its commitment to the Jatt community in Jammu and Kashmir.
The newly appointed team members included
Choudhary Ankit Nathyal – district president,
Nitish Singh, district vice president, Choudhary Ranjit Randhawa , vice president, Choudhary Vishal – district general secretary.
The Sabha is advocating for essential initiatives, including the establishment of a Jatt Youth Hostel to support students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds within the Jatt community. Additionally, they are calling for the installation of a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Sandhwalia in the Main Chowk of Jammu, honoring his legacy for liberating Jammu by defeating the Afghans in the Battle of Nowshera.
