Nabha jailbreak: This is how Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested
NSA Ajit Doval and IB helped police forces of Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi to nab Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo from Nizamuddin railway station.
In Short
- Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested from Delhi.
- Phone calls made by Mintoo to his relative helped joint team trace him.
- NSA Ajit Doval guided the joint team of IB and police forces.
Acting on a plot that is generally seen in bollywood films, 10-12 armed men stormed the high security Nabha jail in Patiala and freed Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo on Sunday morning.
A massive manhunt began and within 24 hours, the hardened militant was arrested in Delhi.
Apart from the police of Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi, intelligence bureau and national security advisor Ajit Doval were also involved in the operation.
READ| Nabha jailbreak: Khalistani terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo arrested in Delhi
INITIAL INPUTS
Agencies made the first arrest in the case on Sunday evening itself when one of the accused of the jailbreak Parvinder was nabbed from Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh. But, the prime catch was still not in sight.
Reports of a car- suspected to have been used for jailbreak- breaking police barricades in Kaithal, Haryana suggested that the escaped terrorist Mintoo and five gangsters were moving towards Kurukshetra. An abandoned car was also recovered from Kaithal.
WATCH:
Now, it has emerged that Harminder Singh Mintoo got down from the SUV
that Haryana Police spotted speeding past barricades some 20 kms short
of Kurukshetra.
Mintoo took bus to carry his onward journey. He changed bus two-three times to reach Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.
THE FINAL CLUES
But, the final clues came from the phone calls that KLF chief Harminder Singh Mintoo made to some of his relatives in Subhash Nagar, Delhi.
As soon as the calls were made, the agencies- IB and police forces of Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi- got their acts together. IB traced the call location and helped nab the KLF chief.
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Harminder Singh Mintoo's hide-and-seek game ended around 3 am, when he was arrested from Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi, from where he wanted to flee to some location in southern part of the national capital.
MINTOO DISGUISED APPEARANCE
According to police sources, Mintoo had shaved off his beard and gotten a hair cut to avoid being identified. But, the joint team guided by NSA Ajit Doval had their plan in place that ended Harminder Singh Mintoo's run.
Mintoo was not carrying any weapon lest he attracted suspicion of a curious onlooker or security officials at public places. He wanted to make sure that he looked as one among the crowd.
However, the other five, who escaped during the jailbreak, are still on the run. But, Mintoo is the big catch for the agencies.
READ| Nabha jailbreak: Who is Harminder Singh Mintoo
WHAT HE PLANNED
According to police sources, Mintoo had bought to ticket for Panvel, Mumbai. He was then supposed to go to Goa, from where he planned to visit Nepal.
Harminder Singh Mintoo has established a good network in Southeast Asia and Europe with the help of Pakistan's ISI.
Police recovered some cash from Harminder Singh Mintoo suggesting that he was being financed by someone. Agencies are trying to trace the people, who gave him financial support and provided him with cash.