Ramanjit Singh, an Indian citizen, has been denied bail in Hong Kong where he has been charged with a robbery amounting to millions of dollars. Singh is a fugitive wanted by the Indian police for crimes that range from funding terrorism to jailbreak.
Singh, 29, allegedly stole more than 450 million Japanese yen (dollar 4 million) in cash from two persons on Feb.9 in Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy area located in the heart of Hong Kong. He appeared in the magistrate’s court on March 2 with co-defendant Enish Limbu and faces one charge of robbery, reported AFP.
He is on the global watch list of Interpol and authorities detained him in March for the robbery in the southern Chinese city.
Describing the robbery as a “very serious offense,” the magistrate, who denied him bail, noted that Singh was at risk of re-offending, while he calmly listened to the proceedings of the case through an interpreter.
The Kowloon City court was surrounded by several heavily-armed police, and traffic cordons had been placed. Police dogs were brought to the scene, an unusual sight for a lower court. People entering the premises had to pass through security checks.
The next hearing for the case is scheduled in April.
Singh, also known as Romi, has been accused by Indian authorities of masterminding the Nabha jailbreak in 2016, where armed men in the guise of police personnel entered into the high-security jail in Punjab and freed a top Sikh militant commander and four others.
“Romi was arrested and sent to jail in 2016, but he managed bail and got in touch with one of the three senior cops probing his case. One of them allegedly struck a deal with him and returned his passport,” said an officer, the Tribune reported last month.
After he disappeared in 2016, Interpol issued a red corner notice against Singh on Patiala Police’s application. Singh jumped bail and fled to Hong Kong from where he was arrested, according to reports.
“We sent a provisional request through our foreign ministry for Ramanjit’s custody after his arrest in Hong Kong. We will follow it up with whatever formalities are required by their authorities,” superintendent Harwinder Singh Virk said, AFP had reported earlier.
The charges against him on Interpol’s website include forgery, possession of arms, conspiracy to murder and “advising and facilitating terrorist activities.”
Singh is also said to have come in contact with Jagtar Singh Johal, a UK National, arrested in a terror module case. Johal was taken into custody on Nov. 4 along with four others by the Punjab Police when he was visiting India for his wedding.