One person arrested in the case. Photo: ANI

One person has been arrested from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh in Nabha jailbreak case.

10 armed men pulled off a daring prison break and freed the chief of Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo from the high-security Nabha Central Jail. The accused, Parvinder, helped the prisoners to escape.

Police suspect some of his associates could be hiding in UP. Parvinder too had fled Nabha jail a few months ago. Huge cache of arms has been recovered from Parvinder's car.

Police suspect connivance of jail staff in Nabha jailbreak, SIM cards may have been provided to prisoners who escaped.



Also read:

How Nabha jailbreak unfolded: They used automatic rifles in attack that lasted for 10 minutes



HARYANA ON HIGH ALERT

Haryana has been put on high alert after the car suspected to have been used in Nabha jailbreak to free a hardened Khalistani terrorist and five gangsters was spotted in Kaithal.

The suspected Fortuner was noticed when it broke a police naka at Keorak in Kaithal district of Haryana. The SUV was seen speeding towards Kurukshetra.

According to police officials, who spotted the SUV, there were six occupants in the car. Driver of the car was a Sikh youth.

Police suspect that the escaped prisoners could be in the SUV.

Meanwhile, police have found a second car abandoned in Kaithal. The Verna car was parked at a deserted location in the Haryana town.

Car with Punjab number plate found in Sonu Majra village in Kaithal (Haryana), suspected to be in connection with #PunjabJailBreak pic.twitter.com/QLiA8KWMps November 27, 2016

Also read:



Car used for Nabha jailbreak spotted in Kaithal; Haryana on high alert



The Punjab government has warned of strict action against those responsible for it.



Under Opposition fire after the incident, the government has suspended Director General (Jail) and dismissed the superintendent and deputy superintendent of the Nabha jail.

"A team under Additional Director General of Police has been formed to investigate the incident. Strict action will be taken against whoever responsible (for this)," said Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

Badal said a special task force has been formed to track the criminals. Punjab Prime Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also called for an emergency meeting following the prison break.

Congress' Captain Amarinder Singh said the incident has "exposed the complete breakdown of law and order in the state".

PAKISTAN ROLE SUSPECTED



"Pakistan desperate to revive terror, could be behind Nabha jailbreak," said Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal.



Pak desperate to revive terror post surgical strike. Could be behind jail break. /3 Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) November 27, 2016

THE PRISON BREAK



Ten armed men today stormed into the high-security Nabha Central Jail near Patiala in Punjab, and freed five Khalistani militants, including Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo.

The men, dressed in police uniform, fired over 100 rounds, and managed to flee the spot. The attackers, about 10-12 in number and carrying weapons, entered the jail premises in two cars, including a Toyota Fortuner SUV. The attack took place when the prisoners were brought out of their barracks for morning chores.



Mintoo is an accused in 10 terror cases. He was arrested at the Delhi airport in 2014. Mintoo left Babbar Khalsa in 2009 to form KLF.



The Punjab Police and security agencies have cordoned off the area and a massive search operation has been launched to nab the escaped prisoners.



Also read: Nabha jailbreak: Who is Harminder Singh Mintoo



Four others who escaped are Gurpreet Singh, Vicky Gondra, Vikramjeet Singh and Nitin Deol.

A meeting between DGP and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal took place in Amritsar.

The incident is being seen as a major security breach and intelligence failure. Several top terrorists, gangsters and criminals are lodged in the Nabha Jail, which has maximum security among Punjab prisons and is about 100 km from Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, commenting on the jail break, Jitendra Singh, MoS PMO said that the concerned agencies will take cognizance of this and take appropriate action. He added that the government was in full control of the situation.

A reward has been announced of Rs 25 lakh for anybody who gives information on the prisoners.



Also read: RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadav to remain in jail for raping minor girl

