Mastermind held in Hong Kong

Over a year after the sensational Nabha jailbreak incident wherein six inmates, including, three gangsters fled the maximum security jail, the main brain behind the ‘great escape’, Ramanjit Singh Romi, was arrested by the Hong Kong police in connection with a robbery there.

Soon after the news, the Punjab Police has sought Romi’s deportation from Hong Kong by sending a formal request through diplomatic channels.

Romi, according to the Punjab police officials, is a dreaded criminal and a key conspirator in the targeted killings in the state. Police said that Romi is also a known facilitator for several of Punjab’s notorious gangsters, including the slain Vicky Gounder, and ISI-backed Pak terrorists.

A Red-Corner Notice had been issued against Romi, and only recently, he was nabbed in Hong Kong where he had taken refuge after fleeing from India, in connection with a robbery in Choi Hung Estate, Kowloon.

“Punjab Police was informed about his arrest by the Interpol,” said the Police spokesperson adding that Romi's involvement had figured in the cases of targeted sectarian killings in Punjab, and he was also involved in drugs and weapons smuggling.

Romi was acting as “communication hub” and a link between Punjab gangsters and ISI-backed Pak-based terrorists, and was coordinating their activities through WhatsApp, VoIP platforms and Social Media, said the spokesperson.

The state police had roped in Interpol after three gangsters who were arrested in February, last year including jail escapee Gurpreet Sekhon had told the police interrogators that Romi had provided funds for the jailbreak and had even set up a control room in Hong Kong to coordinate the movement of the jailbreak escapees using internet telephony.

Romi, a native of Bathinda and a close associate of slain gangsters Vicky Gounder and Prema Lahoria, had escaped to Hong Kong in June 2016 after jumping bail.

He had been arrested by the Nabha police after stolen cars, pistols and fake credit cards had been recovered from him. The cops had confiscated his passport. After spending around two months behind the bars, Romi came out on bail and managed to get his passport and fled abroad.

It was informed that Romi has set up a control room in Hong Kong to coordinate the movement of the escaped prisoners using internet telephony making it difficult for the police investigators to track down the movement of the jailbreak accused.

The escaped prisoner would call up Romi individually to get their coordinates for their safe movement from one state to another.

He had also used various illegal channels to send money for the jailbreak and even helped the gangsters to stay off the police radar. He had also tried to help the gangsters prepare fake travel documents including passports so that they could flee from the country, but could never succeed.

Till date, Police has made 36 arrests in connection with the Nabha jailbreak case. Out of the six escapees, the OCCU has arrested three gangsters including Neeta Deol, Gurpreet Sekhon, Aman Dhotian and KLF chief Harminder Singh Mintoo.

Vicky Gounder had been killed in a police encounter while the sixth escapee Sikh militant Baba Kashmir Singh is still eluding arrests.

Police spokesperson said that Romi's name had figured prominently in the recently busted terror module that was responsible for seven hate killings in the state. “Romi had told Jaggi that Dharmender Singh alias Gugni, a gangster lodged in Nabha Jail, had arranged weapons for Ramandeep Rathore, one of the two motorcycle borne hitmen in the target killing case,” said spokesperson.

Romi was also in touch with UK national Jagtar Singh Johal alias Jaggi, one of the key conspirators in the targeted killings of Hindu and Shiv Sena leaders, including that of Brig Jagdish Gagneja, the vice president of Punjab RSS Unit, in 2016.

The two were in touch, through Harmeet Singh alias PHD, a known KLF terrorist based in Pakistan, and had spoken to each other at least thrice between May and July 2017, investigations had revealed.

Spokesperson further revealed that Romi was also acting as mediator to strike a deal between Gugni and Gounder, who were at loggerheads because of inter-gang rivalries.

Besides the Nabha Jail break and the targeted killigs, Romi was also wanted for illegal transference of funds for criminal and terror activities, abetting and facilitating terrorists, kidnapping and smuggling of weapons. He is also suspected to be a major conduit for drugs smuggling through his Pak-based contacts.

Spokesperson said that after fleeing to Hong Kong, Romi managed to build an empire for himself and was continuing his nefarious terror activities and drug smuggling from there.