DELHI CRIME BRANCH MAKES TWO NEW ARRESTS IN REPUBLIC DAY VIOLENCE CASE
New Delhi, March 10
The Delhi Crime Branch has made two fresh arrests in red fort violence case where one,. Dutch national was allegedly trying to flee out of the country but got apprehended.
Maninderjit Singh (a Dutch national and settled in Birmingham, UK) and Khempreet Singh who had allegedly assaulted a police personnel on duty inside the walls of Red Fort (well area) with a spear.
DCP (Crime) Monika Bhardwaj stated that
Maninderjit Singh is a Dutch national and settled in Birmingham, UK was arrested at IGI Airport while trying to flee from India on forged travel documents.
The Delhi Police had issued a lookout notice for Maninderjit Singh who is also reportedly involved in two criminal cases previously.Khempreet was absconding and evading his arrest, officials said.
The crime branch had received information on the accused following which the crime branch team arrested the accused.
The police added that Maninderjit Singh, son of Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Village Vero Nangal of District Gurdaspur in Punjab while Khempreet Singh is son Kulwant Singh, a resident of Sindhi Colony, Swaroop Nagar in Delhi.
With the arrested of the duo, the Delhi Police has arrested 14 persons so far.
According to the case details, on the Republic Day, the farmers during their protest & tractor rally against newly enacted Farmer Act were carrying gout protests in the national capital. The protestors reached Red Fort, where they allegedly indulged in rioters activities causing irreparable loss to this world heritage site apart from assaulting the policemen guarding the site and performing law and order duty, thereby causing serious injuries and casualties.
The Delhi Police had lodged FIR on January 27 under Sections 147, 148, 149, 152, 186, 269, 279, 353, 332, 307, 308, 395, 397, 427, 188, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, The Arms Act, 1959, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, read with Section 30 of The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, was registered at Police Station Kotwali, Delhi.
After registration, the instant case was transferred to Special Investigation Unit I of the Delhi Crime Branch.
The crime branch had earlier arrested Maninderjit Singh. There are video footages on record, which shows the presence of accused alongside the unlawfully assembled unruly riotous mob at Red Fort carrying Bhaala (spear) during farmers protests.
The crime stated that the presence of accused at Red Fort is also established through electronic evidence. During investigation electronic map was drawn to figure out the possible route taken by accused to reach Red Fort on the date of incident, which transpired that accused alongside the unruly mob, started moving from Singhu Border, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Burari, Majnu ka Tila and finally reached Red Fort. Electronic evidence further corroborates the factum that accused had also visited Singhu Border protest site on different dates. He was also a part of the above riotous mob at Red Fort and took active part in it.
The crime branch stated, using forged travel documents in the name of imposter, Jarmanjit Singh and resident of Khabbe Rajputan of Gurdaspur in Punjab, Maninderjit was allegedly trying to flee from the clubtry. As per his plan and arrangements, he was to fly first to Nepal from Delhi and then from Nepal to UK.
The officials added that Maninderjit is a habitual offender. He was previously too involved in a riots case in Gurdaspur Punjab.
Speaking more about Maninderjit Singh, the crime branch added that his father is a Dutch (Netherlands) National. He was born in India but as his father is a Dutch National, therefore, he was also given Dutch nationality. He is holding a Netherlands passport. Presently, the accused along with his family is settled in Birmingham (United Kingdom) and is employed as laborer in construction field. During December, 2019 accused visited India and due to lockdown in 2020, he could not go back to his workplace.
The officials stated that Khempreet was also actively involved in the Red Fort Violence. During analysis of videos available on case record, he along with accused his other associates was seen carrying a big spear in his hand and assaulting the police personnel on duty inside Red Fort (Well Area).
The crime branch team was hunting for Khempreet since two months. After extensive search and surveillance, his location was narrowed down to Khayala, where he was hiding himself in a house of one of his relatives.
During investigation he disclosed that on January 26, he along with his associates joined the unruly mob (tractor rally) from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar and finally reached Red Fort after breaching the Barricades at Burari and Chatta Rail, officials added.
