2016 Nabha jailbreak: 3 gangsters among 18 get 10 years in jail, two others get 20

While Sekhon, Deol and Dhotiyan have been convicted under the sections 395, 307, 120-B, 186, 353 and other sections of IPC and Arms Act, the jail officials have been convicted under the Sections 223 and 120-B of IPC.

Though the police had also invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the initial FIR, the court quashed it and convicted the accused under several sections of IPC, Arms Act and the NDPS Act.

On November 27, 2016, a group of gangsters dressed as policemen opened fire at security guards at high security Nabha jail and freed four gangsters and two terrorists. Of six prisoners who had managed to escape, three have been held guilty, while two others died during proceedings. One — terrorist Kashmir Singh — is still absconding and was declared a proclaimed offender.

Police had said that Gurpreet Singh Sekhon was the mastermind behind the jailbreak. Another accused, gangster Vicky Gounder, who had escaped, was killed in a police encounter in January 2018. Another escapee, Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) terrorist Harminder Singh Mintoo, was later arrested from Delhi. He died of cardiac arrest in the prison in April 2018. Fugitive gangster Ramajit Singh Romi, who is reportedly in custody of Hong Kong Police and is yet to be extradited, had allegedly funded the jailbreak and provided weapons to gangsters. He too is has been declared a proclaimed offender in the case.

The court, while awarding 20 years in jail to Bikkar Singh and Sukhchain Singh alias Sukhi, ordered that their sentences will consecutively under IPC and Arms Act and NDPS Act. Sunil Kalra has been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment under section 216, 468 and 471 of IPC for harboring offenders while Gurpreet Singh Mangewal has been awarded five years under the Arms Act.

Thirteen others who have been sentenced to 10 years are Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Kaura, Aman Kumar, Manjinder Singh, Gurjeet Singh alias Lada, Sukhlakhan Singh alias Babbar, Ravinder Singh alias Giana, Kulwinder Singh alias Dhimbri, Kiranpal Singh, Rajwinder Singh alias Sultan, Manvir Singh alias Mani Sekhon, Harjot Singh, Palwinder Singh alias Pinda and Jagatbir Singh alias Jagta. Six acquitted are Naresh Narang, Jatinder Singh alias Tony, Varinder alias Ricky Sahota, Mohammad Asim, Tejinder alias Happy and Ranjit Singh.

Advocate Sumesh Jain, one of the defence lawyers, said that initially police had imposed UAPA sections in the FIR but they were quashed by the court. “Also police had lodged FIR under Section 392 of IPC, which is for robbery, but the charges were framed under Section 395 of IPC which pertains to armed dacoity,” he said.

Police said that jailbreak mastermind Sekhon was re-arrested on February 12, 2017 by the counter intelligence wing of Punjab Police from Dhudike village of Moga along with his three accomplices who had given him shelter after escape from jail. His cousin Manvir Sekhon and Rajwinder Raja alias Sultan, both convicted, were among those who had launched the attack at the prison to help gangsters escape. They were working on orders of Sekhon. Booked in 13 FIRs, including murder and attempt to murder, Sekhon was the prime accused in rival Sukha Kahlwan murder case. A resident of Mudki village of Ferozepur, Sekhon arrested in March 2016 in the Kahlwan murder case.