Jailbreak accused Galwaddi got new identity to evade arrest

Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, the only accused in the 2016 Nabha jailbreak case who had been at large and arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bihar’s Motihari on Sunday, was allegedly involved in an attack on the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters and a Shiv Sena leader.

He was one of the most-wanted criminals in Punjab as he managed to remain on the run for more than eight years. According to Punjab Police sources, he had been hiding in Nepal with a different identity and altered appearance. Later, he served as a sewadar at several religious places in the country.

He is accused of providing shelter and financial support to two people involved in the 2022 RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali before they fled to Nepal.

One of these individuals, arrested by the NIA in Gorakhpur in January 2023, revealed during interrogation that Galwaddi had provided logistical support to him and his juvenile associate.

As per Punjab Police dossier, Galwaddi was a “radical terrorist” who started as a robber first. He earlier worked as a teacher at a government girls’ school in Khanna. He also worked as a granthi (priest) at Gurdwara Baba Bachittar Singh there.

Galwaddi is also accused of the bid to assassinate Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Police sources said he began his criminal activities with forming a WhatsApp group to plan robberies. He used the stolen money to fund terror operations. He belongs to Galwaddi village in Khanna.

One of his failed robbery attempts took place in Fatehgarh Sahib in 2014, where he and his associates posed as members of a meter-checking team of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.

Their plan was to rob an arhtiya but the man’s wife alerted her husband. Following his advice, she ran out of the house screaming, forcing Kashmir Singh and his accomplices to flee.

In haste, they left behind one of their motorcycles, which led to their arrest.

On April 15, 2015, he fired at Shiv Sena leader Harvinder Soni. He was alone and overpowered by Soni’s security guards. His three accomplices, who helped him in executing the crime, were later arrested and booked for attempt to murder.

On November 27, 2016, he and five others escaped from the Nabha jail after a group of gangsters wearing police uniform opened fire on security guards.

He remained the only escapee who had eluded capture till now. Following his escape, Galwaddi became involved in a terror conspiracy case registered in 2022 by the NIA , which investigated the activities of Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Liberation Front, and the International Sikh Youth Federation.

He also formed alliances with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda and Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu, also known as Landa.

The Mohali RPG attack was carried out by Deepak Ranga on Rinda’s orders.

Investigators later examined Ranga’s financial transactions and discovered a money transfer to his account from an account belonging to Galwaddi’s mother. During questioning, he disclosed that Galwaddi had changed his appearance and had been meeting them every 10 days.