CHANDIGARH: In a startling revelation, sources said that two more gangsters could have fled from the high security Nabha jail, had they not been shifted a few days prior to the jail break, to other jails in the State. Also the four cars used in the jail escape discovered to be stolen from different parts of Punjab.
Currently, the police are trying to identify the gangsters who allegedly knew about the conspiracy that was being hatched inside the high security prison.
According to sources, the main target was to get gangsters Harjinder Singh Bhullar alias Vicky Gondar and Gurpreet Singh Sekhon out of the jail. The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo and other militant Kashmir Singh became part of the plan just one day before the jail break, they added.
During the initial interrogation jointly carried out by the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Police and intelligence officials, Palwinder Singh, the mastermind behind the plan stated he hatched an elaborate plan a few months ago at Mudki in Ferozeur district of Punjab and a total of ten people were involved in getting the six fugitives rescued from Nabha jail.
The 10 men came in four stolen vehicles and four of them were in police uniforms and one as decoy prisoner to be handed over while the rest five as visitors to meet a prisoners in the jail. The others who were involved have been identified as Gopi, Mani, Khan, Sukh, Channa, Pema, Harry, Baba besides two others, all residents of Punjab.
Sources said that the police has registered a case against 29 people, including nine prison employees which includes assistant jail superintendent Bhim Singh, who had met the escaped inmates a day before the incident, jail warden Jagmit Singh, head constable Sahib Singh, constables Hans Singh and Jaswinder Singh and three Punjab Ex-Servicemen Security Corporation (PESCO) security personnel- Tek Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Khan.
The accused had reportedly snatched self-loading rifles (SLRs) from the two constables before fleeing.
Besides, the six inmates who fled the jail that include Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo, Kashmir Singh, Harjinder Singh Bhullar alias Vicky Gondar, Kulpreet Singh alias Neeta Deol, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon and Amanpreet Tonda, 15 unidentified persons have been accused for helping the prisoners escape.
Inspector general of police (Patiala Range) Paramraj Singh Umranagal confirmed that a case has been registered at the Kotwali Police Station in Nabha for attempt to murder, robbery, escape from confinement or custody due to negligence by public servant, resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension, criminal conspiracy, rioting, armed with deadly weapons and unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed with a common object besides Arms Act
Also additional director general of police Pardbodh Kumar who is heading the Special Investigation Team, visited the Nabha Jail and inspected the CCTV footage and questioned several jail officials.
A police official said that the planning of the escape was being carried out for long and one can gorge that from the fact that all the four cars used in the escape were stolen by the accused from different parts of the state in last few days and their cases were registered respectively.
The Toyota Fortuner used by gangsters was stolen from Ludhiana based businessman Balbir Singh of BRS Nagar outside Gate No 1 of Punjab Agricultural University on September. These vehicles and men were arranged by gangster Prem Lahoria of Jalandhar, he added.