Mansa murder convict rearrested: A threat from jail-time lover triggered his escape

A day after murder convict Gurtej Singh escaped from the Mansa jail, he was nabbed in Nabha on Thursday afternoon. And, behind it, the police have unravelled a love affair that blossomed behind bars but went wrong later.

A day after murder convict Gurtej Singh escaped from the Mansa jail, he was nabbed in Nabha on Thursday afternoon. And, behind it, the police have unravelled a love affair that blossomed behind bars but went wrong later.

Gurtej, who was serving life term, had killed his lover’s husband in 2005. The lover, Roshni, had already served her jail time. (HT Representative Image)

Gurtej, who was serving life term, had killed his lover’s husband in 2005. The lover, Roshni, had already served her jail time. Meanwhile, he got involved with another inmate, named Murti, who was in jail in a case of illicit drugs.

While he was already set to be released in a few months owing to a mercy petition, Murti, who had served her sentence, allegedly threatened to implicate him in a rape case. “Murti and Gurtej developed the relationship behind bars, and she had met him earlier this week before he escaped. After getting arrested, Gurtej lamented that, despite his release scheduled after a few months, he ruined his chances by escaping,” said a senior police official.

Lax security aided escape

Gurtej had escaped while he was engaged in cleaning of the jail waterworks in the fields adjacent to the prison premises on Thursday afternoon. This, despite three cops monitoring him. Is it allowed for prisoners to work outside the jail premises?

The Mansa SSP said, “It is the first time I have noticed that prisoners are engaged to work outside jail premises. Though I am not aware of the jail norms, I am sending a report to the department concerned to verify whether it is allowed.”

The absence of a high boundary wall makes it easier too. “A proposal worth around Rs 4 crore for construction of the boundary wall is pending with the department,” the SSP added.

Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Viveksheel Soni interrogated him at the CIA (crime investigation agency) police station on Friday. “Gurtej was being threatened by one of his known friends that she will implicate him in a false rape case,” he said. “To avoid any such case, he planned the escape. He wanted to go to Delhi.”

But the SSP denied that Gurtej had contacted cops while on the run. Policemen had told HT on Thursday that he had called up and told them after his escape that he would return after committing another murder.