10 gunmen storm jail in Punjab, escape with Khalistani militant
Five others also flee with the gunmen who were disguised as cops; one arrested
PATIALA: About 10 gunmen disguised as policemen tricked their way into Punjab’s high-security Nabha prison, stabbed a guard at the gate, fired automatics, and escaped with a Khalistani militant group commander, his sidekick and four gangsters in a daring jailbreak on Sunday.
The stunned jail guards offered no resistance and couldn’t allegedly fire a single shot to stop the self-styled chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Harminder Singh Mintoo, his aide Kashmir Singh Galwadi and another four prisoners from escaping.
Besides the militants, the fugitives include gangsters Harjinder Singh alias Vicky Gondar, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, Kulpreet Singh alias Neeta, and Amandeep Singh alias Bura.
Their rescuers fired more than 200 rounds before escaping in getaway cars — a sedan, a hatchback and an SUV. The entire operation lasted not more than 10 minutes, indicating the attackers were familiar with the jail’s layout and routine. Uttar Pradesh police arrested one of the attackers, Palwinder Singh alias Pinda, at Kairana in Shamli district later in the evening. A self-loading rifle, two rifles, bullets and cash were found on him.
When constables flagged down a Haryana-registered white SUV, he jumped from the vehicle and tried to escape. The constables chased and caught him in a congested market alley.