WEB DESK / AMN
Six prisoners including the chief of Khalistan Liberation Front — escaped from Nabha jail in Punjab on Sunday in a daring prison break in which a dozen suspected gangsters dressed in police uniforms attacked the high-security prison.
The Punjab government has announced a reward of Rs. 25 lakh for any information on them and a probe by a Special Task Force has been launched.
KLF’s Harminder Singh Mintoo, 49, has been accused in more than 10 terror-related cases, including the attack on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He was arrested from Delhi’s IGI airport in November 2014. The state police said he was trying to revive the KLF and had had close contact with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence officers.
According to reports Some armed gangsters who came in four cars attacked the jail guard, broke into the prison and set six people — Khalistan Liberation Front chief Harminder Singh ‘ Mintoo’ and, another militant, Kashmira Singh, gangsters Amandeep Dhothian; Vicky Gounder, Gurpreet Sekhon and Neetu Deol — free as they fired indiscriminately before escaping, sources said.
Police officials said that the gunmen fired 200 rounds at the policemen on duty, although nobody was reported injured.
Sources in police said that the entire operation lasted 20 minutes — gunmen entered in Nabha jail at 8.28 am and left with the escapees by 9.01 am — raising questions of possible help from within the prison.
Sources said that intelligence reports had already alerted the police of a possible jail break. Police later confirmed that the suspects were heading towards Sadar Samana.
The Central government has asked for a report from the Punjab government regarding the jailbreak. “We will help the Punjab government in any way we can,” said Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said a special task force has been formed to investigate the matter. “We will catch them. Strict action will be taken against whoever is responsible,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also indicated Pakistan could be behind the jailbreak, saying Pakistan has been “desperate” to revive terror since the surgical strikes held by the Indian army across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh has accused the ruling Parkash Singh Badal government of “complicity” in the Nabha jailbreak. He said it has exposed a “complete breakdown of law and order” and triggered fears of revival of terrorism in the state ahead of the Assembly polls.
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