New Delhi:

A 20-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh has been killed after a four-storey building collapsed in Punjab’s Mohali district on Saturday.

The victim, identified as Drishti Verma from Theog, was rescued from the rubble in critical condition and was rushed to Sohana Hospital but died of her injuries, officials said.

At least five people are said to be trapped in the rubble. Teams of the Indian Army and National Disaster Response Team (NDRF) are engaged in the rescue operation.

-Sohana Building Collapse Update-

Rescue Operation Continues;

District Admin Sets Up Control Room +91 172-2219506,
Civil Hospital Mohali, Fortis, Max and Sohana Hospital put on alert pic.twitter.com/UjRsI4G0Zh

— DC Mohali (@dcmohali) December 21, 2024

Preliminary information suggests the building, which also had a gym, collapsed due to digging in an adjacent plot.

Police said they have filed a case against the building owners — Parwinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh – under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with the punishment for culpable homicide that doesn’t amount to murder.

Officials said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been monitoring the situation over the phone.

In a post on X, Mr Mann expressed his sorrow at the incident.

“Sad news has been received that a multistorey building near Sohana in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) has collapsed. The entire administration and other rescue teams have been deployed at the spot. I am in constant touch with the administration,” he said.

“We pray that there is no loss of life, we will also take action against the culprits. Appeal to the people to cooperate with the administration,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader added.

Officials have also released a helpline number — 0172-2219506.

New Delhi:

Fifteen people are feared trapped under the debris of a building that collapsed in Punjab’s Mohali this evening.

The Indian Army deployed specialist engineering equipment at 7.30 pm to remove the debris and look for survivors.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have joined the rescue effort.

Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, Anandpur Sahib MP Malwinder Singh Kang and Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh are overseeing the rescue operation.

“Sad news has been received that a multi-storey building near Sohana in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) has collapsed. The entire administration and other rescue teams have been deployed at the spot. I am in constant touch with the administration,” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said in a post on X.

“We pray that there is no loss of life, we will also take action against the culprits. Appeal to the people to cooperate with the administration,” he added.

A resident said he heard a loud noise when the building collapsed. Officials said preliminary information indicated the building collapsed after a basement was dug in a nearby area. Local media reported that a gym was operating on all the three floors of the building that collapsed.

New Delhi:

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was acquitted on Friday in a 13-year-old case of assaulting a student in Punjab’s Mohali.

The case was filed on February 5, 2011 after Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly forcibly entered the residence of Khalsa College student Satvinder and assaulted him. He also allegedly fired shots.

Meanwhile, seven ‘shooters’ working for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, linked to the gunfire outside Bollywood star Salman Khan’s home and the murder of ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, were arrested – across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi – over the past 48 hours, sources told NDTV on Friday.

The arrest of the seven hitmen, and others in connection with the Baba Siddiqui murder, Salman Khan firing, and killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022 – is only the tip of a vast criminal syndicate run by Lawrence Bishnoi from his prison cell in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail.

In other news, Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been added to the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The anti-terror agency has also announced a reward of ₹ 10 lakh for the arrest of Anmol Bishnoi.

Chandigarh:

Mohali Police on Wednesday said it has arrested three youths, including an Agniveer, in a vehicle snatching case.

The police said the accused have been identified as Agniveer Ishmeet Singh alias Ishu, Prabhpreet Singh alias Prabh and Balkaran Singh, who had taken a room on rent in Mohali’s Balongi.

Addressing a press conference in Mohali, Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Garg said the trio had two days ago allegedly stolen a car from the driver at gunpoint after booking a ride through an app.

They had used pepper spray on the driver’s face while snatching the vehicle in Mohali district, he said.

Ishmeet, currently posted in West Bengal, had come to Punjab on leave two months ago but did not rejoin work after his leave period of one month ended, the SSP said, adding that the accused hails from Punjab’s Fazilka district.

A probe was launched and the investigation led to the arrest of the accused on Wednesday, he said.

The accused were also involved in a few other incidents of vehicle snatching and theft and used to flee to Fazilka after committing the crimes, the officer said.

“Ishmeet Singh was enrolled as Agniveer in 2022. He had come on leave two months ago but did not join back his duty,” the SSP said.

A stolen scooter, a motorcycle and a countrymade pistol have also been recovered from the accused, he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)