Last fugitive from 2016 Nabha jail break nabbed after 9 yrs

Despite a massive manhunt by both Punjab Police and national agencies, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a terrorist linked to Khalistani extremist groups, managed to evade arrest for nearly nine years following his escape from Nabha jail in 2016. He remained undetected for years by using multiple hideouts, including taking refuge in Nepal under a false identity

Despite a massive manhunt by both Punjab Police and national agencies, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a terrorist linked to Khalistani extremist groups, managed to evade arrest for nearly nine years following his escape from Nabha jail in 2016. He remained undetected for years by using multiple hideouts, including taking refuge in Nepal under a false identity. Galwaddi also has connections with international terror networks, particularly with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).

Despite a massive manhunt by both Punjab Police and national agencies, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a terrorist linked to Khalistani extremist groups, managed to evade arrest for nearly nine years following his escape from Nabha jail in 2016. He remained undetected for years by using multiple hideouts, including taking refuge in Nepal under a false identity.

He was arrested on May 11, 2025, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Motihari, Bihar.

How Galwaddi escaped Nabha jail

The Nabha jail break took place on November 27, 2016. A group of 10-15 armed men, disguised as police officers, stormed the jail in Patiala’s Nabha. They opened fire at the security personnel and facilitated the escape of six of the most-wanted criminals. The escapees included Harminder Singh Mintoo, KLF chief, gangsters Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, Amandeep Singh Dhotian, Kulpreet Singh Neeta Deol, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi and Harjinder Singh Vicky Gounder. While most of the escapees were apprehended over the following years, Gounder was killed in a police encounter in 2018. Galwaddi and Mintoo, however, managed to stay out of reach, with Galwaddi remaining the only fugitive until his recent capture.

Hideout for years

After his escape from Nabha jail, Galwaddi went into hiding, managing to avoid capture by Punjab Police for nearly a decade. According to a senior officer from Punjab Police’s internal security wing, Galwaddi initially took refuge in Nepal where he worked as a sewadar (volunteer) in various gurdwaras. Despite his attempts to disguise himself, intelligence reports about his movements and possible hideouts were consistently shared between Punjab Police and central agencies, including the NIA.

Links to Khalistani terrorist groups

Galwaddi’s arrest followed a significant breakthrough by the NIA, which had been investigating his links to international terror groups. The agency claims that Galwaddi was a key associate of foreign-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda. Galwaddi was involved in several terrorist activities, including providing shelter, logistics and financial support to members of Khalistani terrorist groups who had fled to Nepal after carrying out attacks in India. He played a crucial role as an important node in the BKI and Rinda’s terror network, particularly in aiding the escapees of various terror operations, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters.

Criminal career and previous arrests

Galwaddi was a proclaimed offender in a 2022 NIA case related to a terror conspiracy. The investigation had been launched to probe terrorist activities involving proscribed organisations such as BKI, KLF and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). The NIA had issued non-bailable warrants for his arrest and a cash reward of ₹10 lakh was announced for any information leading to his capture. He was also involved in several assassination plots targeting religious figures, including a conspiracy to kill Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda, in addition to those accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Galwaddi’s criminal career dates back to 2013 when he was arrested by Fatehgarh Sahib Police for a conspiracy to assassinate religious figures. In 2015, he masterminded the shooting of Harwinder Soni, a Shiv Sena leader from Gurdaspur, though Soni survived the attack. This act of violence was allegedly motivated by Soni’s involvement in a 2012 incident where he was accused of forcibly removing turbans during a bandh, an event that led to the killing of a Sikh student, Jaspal Singh, in a police firing.