Shingar Cinema Blast Accused Found Dead In Nabha Prison

Patiala: Dreaded terrorist Sandeep Singh, a charged in the 2007 Shingar Cinema attack in the city of Ludhiana that took lives of around 6 individuals and left 37 badly hurt, was found dead in his room within the maximum-security Nabha prison.

While the police officers await the postmortem examination report of the dead, sources inside the prison stated that Sandeep become drug-addict and had recently got heart troubles.

The officials stated that Sandeep Singh, also known as Harry, who was remanded by the court under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act, was detected unconscious and admitted to the Nabha Civil Hospital today morning.

“He was announced brought dead and initial probes hint that he died of heart attach,” the sources said.

A thorough report in the case is awaited. Sources added that Sandeep had finished his 5 year jail term in the Explosives Act case and was serving another 9 months for defaulting in court fine. “His demise could be owing to inaccessibility of drugs and he had recently been advised by physicians against drugs accompanying his heart care,” they said.

A senior Jail Department representative stated that Sandeep was undergoing care for heart problem at the PGI, Chandigarh, and was not keeping well from the past some time.

“He may have been on drug overdose previously but had been under tight supervising of late,” he added.

Sources added that Sandeep usually remained on distance from inmates and was mostly witnessed with only a couple of convicts with whom he interacted. This morning, he was taken to the Civil Hospital after the medical facilities inside the prison were found short to deal with his declining situation.

Sandeep’s role in the attacks

On the day of the Shingar Cinema attack in the year 2007, Singh, co-charged Gurpreet, Harminder and Rinku reached the cinema in an autorickshaw (driven by Rinku). Whilst others kept sitting in the three wheeler, Rinku entered the theater and set the bomb.

Cops feared he may cut and run

The Punjab Police is learnt to have been alerted three times by the Intelligence Bureau in 2012 that he and other hardcore radicals Gurpreet Singh, Harminder and Rinku (all convicted in this case) may dig a tunnel to run the jail. The notice had come after the sensational escape by Jagtar Singh Hawara from the Burail prison in the city of Chandigarh.