‘Tara stayed in India for 1 yr after escape from jail’

PATIALA: Extradited Khalistan Tiger Force terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara, convicted for life in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination, apparently stayed in Punjab and the neighbouring states for over a year after escaping from Burial jail in 2004, before sneaking out of the country.
Moreover, contrary to reports that he was hiding in Thailand for a long time, a sleuth associated with the case said Tara had re-entered that country from Pakistan only in mid-2014.Tara was nabbed by Thai police on January 5.
“After escaping from Burial jail by digging a tunnel in 2004, Tara used his hideouts in districts of south-east Punjab and Rajasthan, where he kept hiding till 2005,” said the senior official requesting anonymity. “He sneaked into Nepal, Thailand and then to Pakistan in 2006, where he gave arms training to some extremists who later executed terror strikes in Punjab.”
The official said Tara re-entered Thailand from Pakistan in middle of last year and Indian security agencies were trailing him and other suspects in Thailand since then. “He had also visited Cambodia and Malaysia to make his passport stronger, so he could finally move to Europe,” he said.
Tara was brought here by a team of Punjab police after being extradited from Bangkok. Tara had escaped from jail along with Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Devi Singh. Hawara and Bheora were later arrested, but Tara and Devi Singh reportedly fled to Pakistan.
On Saturday a Patiala court had sent Tara to police custody till January 22 in connection with the murder of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat president Rulda Singh in 2009.