NEW DELHI: Two of the four militants who escaped from the Lucknow jail in September this year have been killed in “encounters” with the Punjab Police. While Hardeep Singh was killed on October 4 in the Majitha police station district Ranvir Singh alias Dheera was said to have been shot dead in Amritsar on October 1. Sources in the Uttar Pradesh Police however said that Dheera was in fact killed in a fake encounter after being interrogated for nine days by top Punjab Police officials. The sources said that Dheera on being interrogated disclosed to the officials including the SSP Ludhiana S.Chatopadhyay and the SP (Detective) B.S.Gill that the Lucknow jailbreak was masterminded by the “Terai” militant Sukha and his father Pritam Singh.
The duo carried out the plan with the aid of two Uttar Pradesh policemen and the deputy jailor of the jail N.N.Srivastava the sources said on Nov6. Srivastava who was arrested by the former SSP of Lucknow Shailja Kant Mishra is at present in police Custody in connection with the case.
The sources said Dheera had confirmed during his interrogation that Srivastava and the two UP policemen Rajdev Shukla and Moolchand took Rs 10 lakh to help the militants escape. A small saw hidden in a box of incense Sticks was smuggled into the jail and passed to the militants.
Later on the appointed time the four militants sawed through the bars and “escaped through the main gate.” The electricity in the jail had been conveniently switched off for their benefit.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 20, 1992
