Chandigarh: After six years of the extradition procedure, the Punjab Police on Thursday achieved a significant milestone by extraditing the mastermind of the 2016 Nabha jailbreak episode in the Patiala district of Punjab, where ten to twelve armed men raided the high-security jail, allowing six wanted criminals, including two terrorists, to escape.
After eight years, the main jailbreak conspirator, Ramanjit Singh, also known as Romy, was deported from Hong Kong.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav emphasised the Punjab Police’s efforts to bring Romy back to India for trial.
Romy maintained communication with the ISI as well as other escaped convicts, such as Kashmir Singh Galwaddi and Harminder Singh Mintu of the Khalistan Liberation Force.
The DGP added that the police’s efforts led to issuing the Look-Out Circular and Red-Corner Notice against Romy.
The extradition procedure was initiated in 2018 in accordance with a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the government of Hong Kong.
According to Yadav, Romy’s extradition resulted from a convincing case made to the Department of Justice and courts in Hong Kong.
The Anti-Gangster Task Force brought Romy back to India.
DGP Yadav expressed gratitude towards the Hong Kong authorities, the CBI, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, and all other central agencies involved in this complex international cooperation.
Romy was arrested in Hong Kong for his involvement in a Rs 30-crore robbery in February 2018.
According to the police, Romy, the point man between the terrorists and gangsters, hatched the jailbreak conspiracy sitting abroad. He had provided money, weapons and other logistical support for the jailbreak.
On November 27, 2016, a group of gangsters in police uniforms opened fire at security guards in the high-security Nabha jail in Patiala district and freed four gangsters and two terrorists.
Khalistani terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo, who escaped during the jailbreak, was arrested in a joint operation by the Punjab Police and the Delhi Police Special Cell within 24 hours of the crime.
The main accused in the case, gangster Vicky Gounder, was killed in a police encounter.
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–IANS
