Nabha jailbreak: Cops probe role of Mintoo’s Pak-based deputy

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7

The investigation into the links of Khalistan Liberation Front chief Harminder Singh Mintoo, who was caught within 15 hours of his escape from the Nabha jail on November 27, has led the police to zero down on the activities of his deputy and the second in command Pakistan-based Harmeet PhD.

The Punjab Police are preparing a complete case file on the activities of Harmeet, who is about 45 years old. “The state government and the Union Home Ministry will take a call on whether to declare him a wanted terrorist now or at some later stage,” said a senior police official.

The police have learnt that Mintoo was regularly in touch with Harmeet, who was given the nickname of PhD owing to his expertise in technology. The police have found evidence in the form of some calls made from mobile phones from inside the jails.

“Mintoo was made the head of the KLF only due to his global network and his expertise in training other terrorists. Phd was trained by him. He was his protégé. He was desperate to take Mintoo out of the jail. Mintoo is a vital cog in the terrorism network of the Paksitan-based Sikh groups.

Sources said though there was no evidence so far to suggest that the terrorists planned the jailbreak, it is possible that Mintoo shared the plan of the gangsters about the escape and could have got some logistic help. However, as Mintoo was caught within 15 hours but none of the four gangsters freed with him have been caught so far, the police believe it was not an operation by terrorists.