Nabha jail break mastermind detained in Lucknow?
COPS PUZZLED Gopi Ghanshampura ‘detained’ on September 10, but arrest not shown in UP or Punjab, reads a social media post by his aide
The arrest of Ghanshampura’s three accomplices, who allegedly tried to free him from police custody by giving ₹45 lakh to a senior police officer in a Lucknow hotel, added more spice to his mysterious detention SOURCES
Cops of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are reportedly puzzled over the ‘police detention’ and subsequent disappearance of the mastermind of Nabha jail break in Patiala – Gopi Ghanshampura alias Gurupreet Singh – from Lucknow.
Sources said the information of Ghanshampura’s detention went viral when one of his close accomplices, Harjinder Singh Bhullar alias Vicky Gounder, who had also escaped during the jail break along with five others, posted a message about it on his facebook wall around a week ago.
The post read that police detained Ghanshampura from a Lucknow bus stand on September 10, but his arrest was not shown anywhere in UP or Punjab till Tuesday, said a source.
“Moreover, the arrest of Ghanshampura’s three accomplices, who allegedly tried to free him from police custody by giving ₹45 lakh to a senior police officer in a Lucknow hotel, added more spice to his mysterious detention,” said the source.
He said the Punjab police arrested the three alleged Ghanshampura aides – Sandeep Tewari alias Pintu, Amandeep Singh and Harjinder Singh Kahlon – from Lucknow with help of UP Anti Terror Squad (ATS) on September 15 and later presented them in an Amritsar court in another case of kidnapping. Asim Arun, IG, UP ATS on Tuesday confirmed the trio’s arrest. He said they were held on Punjab police’s tip-off and later handed over to them for further proceedings.
The source said Sandeep Tewari alias Pintu, a local contractor, had contested 2012 Assembly election as a candidate of a national political party from Sultanpur. The other accused Kahlon is one of the petitioners in 1991 fake encounter of 10 Sikh pilgrims in Pilibhit. In the fake counter, the CBI court of Lucknow had sentenced life imprisonment to 47 policemen in April, 2016, he added.
He said the third accused, Amandeep Singh is a businessman of Ranikhet, who has relations with a Punjab liquor trader Rimple.
“It was only at Rimple’s request Amandeep had roped in Kahlon and Tewari to reportedly free Ghanshampura from police custody and fix the deal in ₹45 lakh,” said the source.
The source said Ghanshampura was reportedly hiding at different places in UP, including Lucknow and Shahjahpur, after the jail break on November 27, 2016. Ghanshampura moved to Lucknow after Punjab police managed to track his location in Shahjahanpur.
He said Ghanshampura was in touch with his accomplices till September 10 and was on Punjab police’s radar.
Principal secretary, home, Arvind Kumar said through media, it had come to the notice of govt that certain allegations were levelled against a senior police officer with regard to the detention and release of a Punjab criminal. He said the government had taken note of these media reports and a high level inquiry headed by an ADG level officer had been ordered.