Nabha jailbreak: How 'trimmed beard' helped police arrest KLF Chief Harminder Mintoo

NEW DELHI: In a swift operation, chief of Khalistan Liberation Front militant outfit Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested last night within hours of his escape from Nabha jail in Punjab. 48-year-old Mintoo was nabbed from Nizamuddin railway station's parking area. Giving details of the operation, DCP (Special Cell) P S Kushwah said after receiving information about the escape of six men from Nabha Jail of Punjab, Delhi Police was put on high alert and the Special Cell was also tasked by senior officers to develop information and apprehend them. There was quick sharing of information by Punjab, Haryana and UP Police with their counterparts in Delhi. Meanwhile, information was received that one of the criminals identified as Palwinder Singh alias Penda was arrested by UP police in Shamli district. On interrogation, Palwinder disclosed that Harminder and Kashmeer Singh were dropped by him in Kaithal, Haryana. He said that they might come to Delhi, the DCP said. Pictures of Harminder and Kashmeer were circulated through whatsapp to all the districts and an alert was also issued to all the SHOs about his presence in Delhi, he said. Police personnel were asked to be on lookout for any suspicious movement, the DCP said. "Personnel were deployed on probable hideout areas and checking of guest houses was undertaken. Searches were conducted at bus terminals, railway stations, etc," he said. A police team was deployed at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station where they noticed a Sikh man having patka on his head and a trimmed beard that looked as if it had been trimmed haphazardly and improperly, said Kushwah, adding that he was looking extra conscious which raised suspicion. "The person bought ticket and came outside of the building and as he was moving out, he was apprehended by the police personnel who grappled with him and managed to snatch the pistol from him," he said. "On the day of incident, all the men who ultimately escaped from jail were out in the open in the jail premises as a 'bhandara' was being organized at the Gurudwara in jail premises. In accordance with their plan, they reached near the exit gate of the jail at the time when the intruders in police uniform stormed the jail," the officer added. "After escaping from the jail, Harminder, Kashmeer Singh, Gurpreet Singh Shekhon and Amandeep Singh, boarded a Toyota Fortuner. Shekhon was driving the vehicle. Around 24 kms before Kurushetra, Harminder Singh and Kashmeer Singh got down from the vehicle, Kushwah said.