Mangal Dhillon, star of 'Junoon' and 'Buniyaad', dies at 64
Ludhiana(PTI): Actor Mangal Dhillon, best known for his performance in hit TV serials such as "Junoon" and "Buniyaad", died battling cancer on Saturday in Ludhiana district's Neelo Kalan village, his family said. He was 64. Dhillon, also known for Hindi films such as "Khoon Bhari Maang" and "Vishwatma", was admitted to a private hospital before his family took him home a few days ago.
According to his sister Ranjeet Kaur, the actor passed away late last evening in the village Neelo Kalan.
Dhillon was born in village Wander Jattana in Faridkot district and later moved to Uttar Pradesh, where his father owned agricultural land.
In a career spanning over three decades, Dhillon garnered popularity for his role of Labhaya Ram in Ramesh Sippy's TV soap opera "Buniyaad" (1986-87) and as Sumer Rajvansh in the 1994 drama serial "Junoon".
He worked both in Hindi and Punjabi movies, including "Khalsa", for which he was honoured by the Punjab government.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal remembered Dhillon for his "captivating voice".
"Saddened to learn about the demise of noted actor, writer, director and producer of Punjabi cine industry Mr Mangal Dhillon.
"It's a big loss to the world of Indian Cinema. His captivating voice and theatrical displays will be missed by many. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and fans," Badal wrote on Twitter.
Anmol Gagan Mann, Punjab Tourism and Culture Affairs Minister, also expressed grief over Dhillon's passing at a press conference. Actor Yashpal Sharma, who found out about Dhillon being admitted to a cancer hospital a week ago, said the late actor had "bid adieu to acting".
"About a year-and-half ago, I got to know that he had become a motivational speaker. He was working towards the betterment of society," Sharma told PTI.
"Dahaad" star Gulshan Devaiah shared Dhillon's photo on Twitter with the caption: "'Mangal Dhillon' Shradhanjali'.
Dhillon is survived by a son and a daughter.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
