Dera chief Baba Tarsem Singh murder accused escapes, held after encounter

Aakash Ahuja / TNN / Updated: Mar 28, 2025, 10:56 IST

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The accused in the March 2024 murder of Baba Tarsem Singh was captured after escaping police custody. He fled when the convoy vehicle crashed following a tyre burst. He was shot in the knees by the police during the pursuit. The accused had been evading arrest for nearly a year. Nine people have been arrested in the case.

Dera chief Baba Tarsem Singh murder accused escapes, held after encounter

The accused in Baba Tarsem Singh’s March 2024 murder was captured after escaping a convoy crash and being shot in the knees during the pursuit

RUDRAPUR: An accused in the March 2024 murder of Dera Kar Seva chief Baba Tarsem Singh at a gurdwara in Udham Singh Nagar of Uttarakhand was nabbed after an encounter hours after he escaped from police custody on Wednesday night.
Sarabjit Singh was arrested in Punjab on Tuesday, and he escaped from custody when a police vehicle carrying him back to Uttarakhand’s Kashipur overturned due to a tyre burst.
SSP Manikant Mishra said the incident happened around 10 pm on Wednesday at a location between Dhela Bridge and Banskheda in Kashipur area of the district. "One of the convoy vehicles suffered a tyre burst, leading to an accident. Sarabjit seized the moment, snatched a policeman's pistol and fled into a nearby wheat field, opening fire at our team. Constable Shubham Saini suffered a bullet injury in his left arm. The police team retaliated and Sarabjit suffered bullet injuries in both his knees,” Mishra said.
The accused was then captured and taken to Kashipur govt hospital.

Sarabjit had been on the run for nearly a year, carrying a bounty of Rs 2 lakh on his head. He had evaded arrest by frequently changing his locations. “Our intelligence suggested he was hiding in Tarn Taran in Punjab. A team, led by SHO of Nanakmatta, was dispatched and arrested him after days of surveillance,” SSP Mishra added.
Baba Tarsem Singh’s murder in Nanakmatta on March 28, 2024, had sent shockwaves across the region. Sarabjit and his accomplice, Amarjit Singh alias Bittu, had fled on a motorcycle. Bittu was shot dead in an encounter in Haridwar in April 2024, but Sarabjit remained elusive. Police tracked him across several states, including Haryana and Delhi.
So far, nine people have been arrested in connection with the murder conspiracy, while key conspirator Baba Anoop Singh remains at large. "Sarabjit’s arrest will shed more light on the conspiracy and help us apprehend other suspects,” said SSP Mishra.