Nabha jailbreak: Gangster Sukhchain Singh arrested, firearms recovered

Chandigarh: A gangster who played a key role in the sensational Nabha jailbreak was nabbed in Patiala district on Wednesday. Sukhchain Singh alias Sukhi was an accomplice of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, the mastermind of the 2016 jailbreak. AIG Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said he was arrested by the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit of the Punjab Police when a car in which he was travelling was stopped at the Nabha-Sangrur road near Chhitanwala. [caption id=“attachment_3127440” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Security personnel and media outside Nabha Central Jail. File photo. PTI[/caption] Police seized a .30 bore country-made pistol and a licensed .32 bore revolver, besides 630 grams of an intoxicating powder from his possession, he said. On 27 November last year, a group of armed men in police uniform stormed the maximum security Nabha jail and managed to free six prisoners — Harminder Singh Mintoo and Kashmir Singh, both terrorists, and gangsters Dhothian, Vicky Gounder, Gurpreet Sekhon and Neeta Deol. Sukhchain had played a key role in the affair as he had fired shots for gaining entry into the jail. During investigation, it came to light that Sukhchain had come into contact with Gurpreet Singh Sekhon at Bathinda Jail in 2014, where they were both incarcerated. He has also been an accomplice of Gurpreet’s brother Mani Sekhon. The police officer said Sukhchain is already facing charges in around a dozen cases relating to robbery, snatching, dacoity and attempt to murder in Sangrur, Bathinda, Patiala and Sirsa (Haryana). The car in which he was travelling today was also found to have been robbed by the gangster from a car dealer in Patran area last month. Sukhchain had opened fire on the dealer, injuring him. The vehicle also bore a fake number plate. Out of the six escapees, Harminder Singh Mintoo, Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, Kulpreet Singh Neeta and Aman Dhotia have been arrested. Police so far have arrested a total of 22 accused, including escapees, conspirators, attackers, facilitators and sympathisers in connection with the jailbreak case.