The Hindu : National : Police had no clued drededultra was in Punjab

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Thursday, Jun 09, 2005

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National

Police had no clued drededultra was in Punjab

Devesh K. Pandey

``They dug a 14 x 100 feet tunnel for over two months unnoticed to escape from jail''

NEW DELHI WEDNESDAY'S: arrest of Jagtar Singh Hawara, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief in India, came as a surprise to intelligence agencies and even the Punjab police as they did not have a clue to his whereabouts after he and two of his accomplices had escaped from Burail Jail in Chandigarh in January last year.

Jagtar Singh frequently changed his hideouts in Punjab. During interrogation, police claim that Jagtar Singh gave details of his dramatic escape. The BKI chief and the two associates, Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Pammi, charged with the murder of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh were lodged in the same cell in the Burail Jail. The militants were leading a comfortable life behind bars with access to television, a music system and mobile phones.

As the slow court proceedings were slow with only half of 150 witnesses deposing, the three planned their escape from the high security jail. Police said they got hold of spades and began digging a tunnel inside their cell. They covered the tunnel's mouth to evade detection and disposed of the soil through the toilet pit. They took about two-and-half months to dig the 14x100 feet tunnel by which they escaped on January 22 last year. During interrogation, Jagtar Singh allegedly said his accomplices remained with him for about a fortnight after which they left for unknown destinations.

The intelligence agencies and the Punjab police were in the dark about Jagtar Singh's whereabouts. They were under the impression that he had crossed over to Pakistan or fled to some other country.

However, by his own "disclosure," he remained in Punjab shifting base from Ludhiana to Jalandhar and other areas. Till recently, he had a hideout at Samrala in Ludhiana, where he had been living using a fictitious name.

After he escaped, Jagtar Singh was "directed" to remain underground and he managed financial transactions for other BKI militants operating in Punjab. After the blasts at Liberty and Satyam cinemas here on May 22, the alleged mastermind, Jaspal aka Raja, and his accomplices, Balwinder and Vikas Sehgal, fled to Punjab the next day. When Balwinder and another accused, Jagannath, were caught, Jaspal fell into the net.

During interrogation, he allegedly said he was asked by a Germany-based BKI leader, Surender Singh, to contact a person who would help him arrange for a safe hideout. That person turned out to be Jagtar Singh.

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