KLF chief Harminder Mintoo dies of ''cardiac arrest'' in Patiala jail; probe ordered

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 18

Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo died of 'cardiac arrest' here on Wednesday evening, officials of Patiala Central Jail where he was lodged said. 

ADGP (Prisons) Inderpreet Singh Sahota has recommended a judicial inquiry into the death of Mintoo. He said Mintoo felt uneasy before appearing in a video-conference in an ongoing case trial.

He had undergone the video conferencing at 2 pm in a case registered against him in Jalandhar and was in his cell when he suffered a cardiac arrest. The jail doctors treated him before he was rushed to Rajindra Hospital.

He had escaped from Nabha prison in a sensational jailbreak on November 28, 2016, only to be arrested a day later.

Who is Harminder Singh Mintoo?

In November 2014, Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested by Punjab Police from the Indira Gandhi International airport on his return from Thailand. At the time of his arrest, Mintoo was accused of being involved in 10 terror-related cases.

Mintoo was using Thailand as his base to mobilise funds for the banned organisation. He was using online resources to enlist support for the Khalistan cause and to radicalise youth. 

Using a fake Malaysian passport and identity card, Mintoo travelled extensively across Europe and South East Asia in order to develop contacts. He frequently made trips to Pakistan, where he was reported to have acquired funds and support.

In India, Mintoo was named accused in several terror cases, including the attack on Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and on three Shiv Sena leaders. He was allegedly tasked by the ISI of Pakistan to carry out an attack in Punjab on Independence Day. However, the plan had failed.

In November 2016, Mintoo escaped from the Nabha jail in Punjab along with five other dreaded gangsters. Six to eight armed men had stormed Nabha jail and opened fire. They eventually helped the six inmates escape from the prison. 

Apart from Mintoo, the other four gangsters who escaped included Gurpreet Singh, Vicky Gounder, Neeta Deol and Vikramjeet Singh Vicky. 

Mintoo was nabbed from Delhi's Nizammuddin railway station a day after the Nabha jailbreak.