4 mins is all it took to flee Nabha jail

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 26

Investigation into the Nabha jailbreak has found that 14 armed men, who attacked the prison, escaped with six jail inmates in just four minutes on November 27, last year. This has come to the light following another arrest in the case on Wednesday and probe by the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit (OCIU) of the Punjab Police.

The investigation revealed that the jailbreak was completed within four minutes due to the “nexus” between jail officials and gangsters. The “nexus” allowed gangsters access to mobiles and “special facilities” inside the jail.

“The whole operation was over in less than four minutes,” said investigators. “The CCTV footage inside the jail is crucial to the probe. The gangsters had done a complete dress rehearsal of the attack in Moga, a night before the attack,” they confirmed.

The CCTV footage showed that the gangsters made a safe entry into the jail. When they reached near the inner gate, the six inmates were already waiting for them in a passage. This showed that the outsiders and the insiders were in a constant touch. The footage, kept under wraps till now, showed how the attackers had complete information pertaining to the premises and presence of sentries at various gates.

Information further suggested that the gangsters fired indiscriminately using rifles and pistols to create fear among the jail staff. “It was not less than a fidayeen attack as the attackers knew about a light machine gun (LMG) securing the jail,” said a senior official. “The LMG atop the jail wall fired a few shots but by then the attackers had fled,” said the official.

Meanwhile, Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Ulak village in Mansa, was arrested on Wednesday. OCIU, AIG, Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said during a special operation, a police party led by Inspector Shaminder Singh intercepted a Verna car and arrested Sukhchain and recovered a countrymade pistol and a revolver from him. Around 630 gm of intoxicant powder was also recovered from him.

“Sukhchain was an accomplice of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, the mastermind of the jailbreak. He came into contact with him when both were in Bathinda jail in 2014,” said Chauhan. “He was in touch with other gangsters and ensured that they had 14 like-minded men to attack the Nabha jail on November 27, last year,” he said, adding that the videography and charts were drawn well in advance and each attacker was explained his role.

What has baffled the investigators is the availability of sophisticated weapons and bullets with the gangsters. Over 250 of 12 bore cartridges, meant for shotgun events, were recovered by the Uttar Pradesh Police when they arrested Palwinder Pinda, who was allegedly involved in the attack. These rounds were also found in the Nabha prison. Interestingly, only a few top shooters import these cartridges.

Till now, nine cars, 14 pistols and 500 rounds of ammunition and a few walkie-talkie sets have been recovered from the accused.