The insurmountable walls of the Nabha high security jail were no bar for the "attackers" as they fired their way out of the prison with two alleged "militants" and four alleged gangsters.
The Pioneer tracks down their history as they become the "most wanted men".
Harminder Singh Mintoo:
A Khalistan liberation Force (KlF) chief, 49-year-old Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested in November 2014 while returning to India from Thailand after being deported from there. Wanted in several terror cases in Punjab, the Police had claimed that Mintoo was planning terrorist strikes in the region.
When he was arrested, it was maintained that the KlF chief was wanted in 10 terrorist offences and his key aide Gurpreet Singh had been tasked to execute a conspiracy of assassinating Hindu leaders in 2013 which was foiled by Punjab Police.
Mintoo was trying to revive and strengthen the KlF with foreign based supporters. He visited Pakistan and later travelled to Italy, Belgium, Germany, France and other European countries for 11 months (June 2013 to May 2014) before coming to Southeast Asia.
The Punjab Police came to know about the conspiracy to eliminate Hindu leaders after sleeper cells were busted by the police in 2013-14.
He is said to have close contact with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers.
Born in Dalli village of Jalandhar district in April 1967, Harminder Singh, whose family shifted to Goa in 1980s, was using a fake Malaysian passport and documents to travel.
Harjinder Singh Bhullar alias Vicky Gounder:
A native of Sarawan Bodla village in lambi assembly segment, Gounder is a notorious gangster arrested in December last year. He was suspected to be behind the murderous attack on another gangster, Sukha Kahlwan, near Jalandhar in January 2015. Kahlwan was in police protection and was being taken for a court hearing when the attack took place at Phagwara town. Gounder and other gangsters had been in the news for running the affairs of their gangs from inside Punjab jails and also using social media. He is also an accused in a murder case registered by Jalandhar Commissionerate in 2010. His gang — gangster Gurshahid Singh alias Shera Khubban’s group — was primarily involved in highway robberies and murders. Gurshahid was killed in a police encounter in 2012.
Gurpreet Singh Sekhon alias Sonu Mudki:
Sekhon, a native of Mudki village, belongs to a financially sound family, owns some brick kilns in Ferozepur district. Shera Khubban had nurtured him a few months before his killing. In 2012 assembly polls, Shera killed someone and Gurpreet was with him. At the time of his arrest by Faridkot police on March 4, 2015, Sekhon was facing 13 criminal cases in Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, Bathinda and Chandigarh.
Kulpreet Singh alias Neeta Deol:
Neeta, a Dubai-based NRI, runs a transport business there. He is son of a former Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Department, originally hails from Moga district. He is a prime accused in the killing of Sukha Kahlwan. He was arrested from Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport, Amritsar on April 22, 2015. At the time of his arrest, he was wanted in six cases.
Amandeep Dhotian: A resident of Tarn Taran’s Dhotian village, Amandeep Dhotian heads the Dhotian gang in Punjab’s Majha belt. He is suspected to have been involved in a number of incidents of loot and vehicle thefts. Dhotian alongwith six other members of his gang was arrested on November 5, 2015.
Kashmir Singh Galwadi: A terrorist involved in an attack on a Punjab Hindu leader in Gurdaspur in 2013, has also escaped. He was also associated with the pro-Khalistan movement.