Absconding AAP MLA Pathanmajra arrested from Gwalior in rape case

A Punjab Police team from Patiala arrested absconding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday.

Pathanmajra, 50, a first-time legislator from the Sanaur constituency in Patiala district, had been on the run since September 2 last year in connection with a rape and cheating case. A local court had previously declared him a proclaimed offender and a lookout circular was issued against him.

Pathanmajra has become the sixth party MLA arrested by the Punjab Police or vigilance authorities during the Bhagwant Mann government’s tenure. His arrest came just two days after former cabinet minister and AAP’s Patti MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar was taken into custody from Mandi Gobindgarh on Monday.

Following his arrest, Pathanmajra was brought back to Patiala early on Wednesday and produced in a local court amid tight security arrangements. The court sent him to four-day police remand.

‘Operation Pathan’

According to the police, Pathanmajra was apprehended from the outskirts of Gwalior based on a technical lead. Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Varun Sharma said the tracking team zeroed in on his location after the MLA used a local hotel’s Wi-Fi network. “The accused had been using multiple mobile numbers to evade law enforcement agencies,” the SSP added.

A special team, led by SP Vaibhav Choudhary and comprising four inspectors, travelled nearly 1,200 km overnight to execute the arrest in Madhya Pradesh. The operation was codenamed ‘Pathan’.

The team had been on alert after Pathanmajra announced on Facebook that he would return to India after February 20.

“We were maintaining technical surveillance (digital tabs). When Pathanmajra used the Wi-Fi of a hotel in Uttar Pradesh, we were alerted. A UK -registered number was used, which raised suspicion. We immediately rushed to the hotel from where he had accessed the Wi-Fi, but by the time we reached there, he had already left,” said one of the team members.

The officer added that CCTV footage from the hotel confirmed Pathanmajra’s identity. Patiala Police also obtained details of the car used by him from the footage. “By analysing CCTV footage from toll plazas, we tracked his movement to Gwalior. We were aware of his few possible hideouts in the city, as he had been a frequent visitor there. The MLA was apprehended during raids at one of these locations,” said CIA Samana in-charge Ankurdeep Singh, who was a part of the team.

Used Snapchat to contact his son; Cops

Technical surveillance by Patiala Police further revealed that Pathanmajra was in constant touch with his son through Snapchat. “He used Snapchat, along with other messaging applications, through multiple IDs to communicate with his son,” said a senior police officer.

Back from Australia 2 weeks ago

Pathanmajra had narrowly escaped arrest on September 2 from the residence of his relative, Gurnam Singh Laddi, a member of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), at Dabri village in Karnal district. He fled the premises minutes before a Punjab Police raid.

Following the incident, the Haryana Police registered a separate case against the MLA and his relative for obstructing a public servant from discharging duty and facilitating his escape.

Investigating officials said that after his escape from Karnal, Pathanmajra initially fled to Nepal by road. He subsequently travelled to Australia, where he held a valid visa and had visited previously. He is believed to have stayed in Australia for several months before returning to India two weeks ago, eventually moving to Gwalior where he was apprehended.