Court extends KLF chief Mintoo’s judicial custody by seven days

NEW DELHI: Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo was sent to police custody for seven more days on Monday by a Delhi court, which allowed the cops to keep him in handcuff as and when required.

Additional sessions judge Reetesh Singh allowed the plea of Delhi police.

The defense counsel, however, opposed the plea for custody saying seven days were already given to the police on the last date which was sufficient to interrogate him.

On November 28, the court had remanded Mintoo in police custody for seven days, saying that his “custodial interrogation” was required to unearth the conspiracy in the Nabha jailbreak case.

The police had earlier submitted that they needed his custody to know about the role of “insiders and outsiders”, who assisted him and five others in fleeing from Nabha jail in Patiala.

It had said that the role of InterServices Intelligence and some terror organisations was required to be probed in the case as he had also visited Pakistan.

According to the police, one loaded pistol and six live cartridges were recovered from his possession. He was earlier a member of Babbar Khalsa International and later floated his own group, they said.

“About 100 rounds of ammunition were fired in the jailbreak incident and two jail official s were injured. He also snatched one rifle from a jail official,” police had said.

Mintoo was nabbed from a Delhi railway station a day after he escaped with five other inmates from the prison.