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Nabha jailbreak mastermind extradited from Hong Kong
5-member Punjab Police team brings back Ramanjit Singh, alias Romy, to Delhi, will be produced in Nabha court
Ramanjit Singh, alias Romy, the mastermind of the 2016 Nabha jailbreak, was extradited to India from Hong Kong on Thursday.
“The mastermind of the 2016 Nabha jailbreak, Ramanjit Singh @ Romy, extradited to #India from #HongKong! After tireless efforts by @PunjabPoliceInd, Romy, the key conspirator, is being brought back today to face justice. He was in touch with #ISI and other escaped prisoners, including Harminder Singh Mintu and Kashmir Singh Galwaddi of the Khalistan Liberation Force (#KLF),” Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav posted on X.
A five-member Punjab Police team, comprising assistant inspector general (AIG), crime investigation department (CID), Patiala, Harvinder Virk, Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) deputy superintendent of police Bikram Brar, DSP Nabha Davinder Kumar Attri, SHO Nabha Kotwali Inspector Ronnie Singh Salh and ASI AGTF Jaspreet Singh, brought Romy back to Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, at 4:30 am.
On November 27, 2016, a group of gangsters in police uniforms opened fire at security guards in the high-security Nabha jail in Patiala district and freed six most-wanted criminals, including KLF chief Harminder Singh alias Mintu and gangsters Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, Amandeep Singh Dhotian, Kulpreet Singh alias Neeta Deol, Kashmir Singh alias Galwaddi and Harjinder Singh alias Vicky Gounder. While others were arrested, Gounder was killed in an encounter with cops in Rajasthan in January 2018.
Romy, 36, is being brought to Nabha where he will be produced in a local court as the case is registered at the Nabha Kotwali police station.
The DGP’s tweet further reads, “We thank the Hong Kong authorities, the CBI, ministry of home affairs, the ministry of external affairs and all other central agencies as part of this international cooperation.”
The extradition proceedings against Romy, a resident of Bangi Ruldu village of Bathinda were initiated in 2018. Romy was arrested in Hongkong in 2017 in case of robbery of ₹30 crore but was freed later.
According to investigating agencies, Romy was the nodal point of the terrorist-gangster nexus and hatched the jailbreak conspiracy sitting abroad. A key member of the Shera Khuban/Vicky Gounder gang, Romy played a vital role in the jailbreak providing logistical support, including fake police IDs, financial aid and weapons used in the jailbreak. He was also responsible for providing safe houses for prisoners who had escaped from the jail.
The DGP said through relentless investigation, a total of 26 Nabha jailbreak accused were arrested and chargesheeted. However, Romy, who was the foreign handler, was declared a proclaimed offender. He was also in touch with the Pak spy agency, the ISI, said the DGP. Romy is also suspected to be involved in the target killings of religious leaders held in Jalandhar and Ludhiana in 2016-17.
Romy had moved to Hongkong in 2013. He is related to gangster Rammi Machana who is an associate of Gurpreet Sekhon.
“Our relentless pursuit of justice led to issuance of a lookout circular (LOC) and red corner notice (RCN) against Romy. The extradition process was set in motion in 2018 as per the mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) with the government of special administrative region (SAR) Hong Kong, where the case was robustly presented to the department of justice and courts of Hong Kong,” said the DGP, adding that the chief executive officer of Hong Kong issued the order for Romy’s surrender on August 6, 2024.
