Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) late Wednesday night arrested a long-absconding terrorist of the banned Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), who had been evading arrest for nearly 30 years.
The accused, Mangat Singh alias Manga, carried a cash reward of Rs 25,000 and was wanted in multiple cases, including attempted murder and terrorism under (now defunct) the TADA Act.
Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint team of the ATS Noida unit and Sahibabad Police traced Mangat Singh to his native village Timmbowal in Amritsar, Punjab, and arrested him on Wednesday.
The ATS officials said Manga had gone underground after being released on bail in 1995 and been changing locations and identities ever since.
He is the younger brother of Sangat Singh, the former chief of the Khalistan Commando Force, who was killed in an encounter with Punjab Police in 1990.
The ATS said that like his brother, Mangat, too, was an active member of the KCF and was first arrested in 1993 in Ghaziabad under serious charges, including Section 307 of the IPC, the Arms Act, and the TADA Act.
Police said Mangat is a habitual offender, with at least four criminal cases registered against him at Sahibabad Police Station, including robbery, extortion, and criminal intimidation.
“Despite multiple court-issued warrants, he managed to dodge the law for nearly three decades,” the ATS said.
The ATS developed intelligence using technical surveillance and support from central and local agencies before narrowing down his current hideout.
Officials confirmed that he had returned to his hometown in Punjab recently, assuming he had dropped off the radar.
“His arrest is a significant blow to pro-Khalistan sleeper cells. It also demonstrates the commitment of UP Police to bringing even long-absconding criminals to justice,” a senior ATS officer said.
Mangat Singh will now face prosecution in the pending cases, and further investigation is underway to trace any recent links with separatist networks, the officer added.
