Absconding Punjab cop arrested after 20 years in 1991 fake encounter case

After evading arrest for more than two decades, Kashmir Singh (55), a former Punjab Police constable accused in a 1991 fake encounter case, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from his sister’s house in Moga district. He was sent to judicial custody by a Mohali court on Thursday

Mohali: After evading arrest for more than two decades, Kashmir Singh (55), a former Punjab Police constable accused in a 1991 fake encounter case, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from his sister’s house in Moga district. He was sent to judicial custody by a Mohali court on Thursday.

After evading arrest for more than two decades, Kashmir Singh (55), a former Punjab Police constable accused in a 1991 fake encounter case, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from his sister’s house in Moga district. He was sent to judicial custody by a Mohali court on Thursday.

According to CBI officials, Singh, who had been declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in 2005, was tracked down after he recently purchased a mobile SIM card in his name. As he was already under electronic surveillance and the agency traced and arrested him from a village in Moga.

At the time of the crime, Kashmir was serving as a constable. He went into hiding after being declared a proclaimed offender, leading to his dismissal from service for unauthorised absence in 2005.

Co-accused in the case, then station house officer (SHO) Suba Singh, sub-inspector (SI) Dalbir Singh and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ravel Singh, were convicted by the CBI court in March 2023 and sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment.

Public prosecutor for the CBI Anmol Narang said: “Now that Kashmir Singh has been arrested, he will face trial from the stage where proceedings were left off. The cross-examination of witnesses will resume soon.”

Officials privy to the matter also indicated that the agency might initiate proceedings against his relatives for harbouring a fugitive.

The case dates back to August 7, 1991, when Baljit Singh, a resident of Mallowal Santa village in Tarn Taran was allegedly abducted and killed by the then SHO Suba Singh, SI Dalbir Singh, ASI Ravel Singh, and constable Kashmir Singh.

According to the CBI investigation, Baljit had gone to Chabal with his brother Paramjit Singh to purchase manure. When they got down at the Chabal bus stand around 10am, Baljit was allegedly forcibly taken away by the police officials in a Maruti Gypsy belonging to the Chabal police station.

An eyewitness, Anoop Singh, the then sarpanch of Kambo village, saw the incident and informed Rattan Singh, a panchayat member, and Hari Singh, Baljit’s father. However, Baljit disappeared thereafter and was never traced. His wife Balbir Kaur later filed a habeas corpus writ in the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking his production.

The high court ordered an inquiry, which was subsequently handed over to the CBI, whose investigation confirmed that Baljit was illegally detained and killed.

Based on the findings, the CBI court convicted the three police officials in 2023. With Kashmir Singh’s arrest, the last accused in the case will now face trial after nearly 34 years.