Robbery gang kingpin escapes from custody in Adampur

Jalandhar: Two days after his arrest by the Jalandhar rural police, Ajay Pal Singh alias Raja Ambarsariya, an alleged kingpin of a gang of highway robbers, has fled from Adampur police station.

The police said he was the mastermind behind many highway robberies that terrorized people travelling on highways. Ajay Pal was arrested by the CIA staff and Jalandhar rural police on January 16.

Jalandhar Rural SSP Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said: “Ajay Pal pushed a guard while being taken to his cell at the police station after a court hearing on January 18. A police team traced him to Goindwal Sahib Naka at night on the same day, but he managed to vanish into nearby fields amid thick fog. He will be captured soon.”

Following the escape, a fresh case was registered against him under the IPC Section 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) at Adampur police station.

After his arrest, 400 gm heroin and a.30 bore pistol with two magazines were recovered from him and a case was registered against him under Sections 21-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. Nine cases were lodged against him at different police stations in the state.

At least five recent highway robberies in Jalandhar and Amritsar had been pulled off by him, the police said. On the intervening night of January 4 and 5, he and his associate fled with a car from Jalandhar. Between January 8 and 9, he and his gang carried out two robberies at gunpoint on the Adampur highway.