We are very confident about arresting Honeypreet within a few days. We have some tip-offs about her location. But we want to move cautiously.Senior Officer #1, Panchkula, Haryana Police
The top officials of the Haryana Police outright denied all media reports about Honeypreet having fled to Nepal. Cops told The Quint that they have a few strong leads on her whereabouts. An adopted daughter of rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Honeypreet has been on the run since she was charged with sedition for inciting violence outside Panchkula court.
Police sources are reticent to divulge the ‘strong leads’ they have on her location, fearing that she might escape. Rubbishing the reports with a smile, a top official of Haryana police said:
Honeypreet has not escaped to Nepal. We don’t have any such evidence or information. These all are rumours spread by media. If journalists want to travel on office budgets to Nepal, what can we do? She is very much in India.Top official, Haryana Police
Not just one but two senior officers in the Haryana Police made approximations of the above remark. When asked why they said so when the information about her being in Nepal was leaked by police, the reply was:
Journalists were briefed that Honeypreet was not in Nepal, but they didn’t take down the stories.Senior officers
Honeypreet Makes a Run For It
When Ram Rahim was convicted on 25 August, Honeypreet accompanied him to Sunaria jail in Rohtak. From there, she left for Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa.
On 27 August, an FIR of sedition was registered against two Ram Rahim followers. It was registered on the complaint of a journalist who published an article on 26 August stating that he heard Aditya Insan and other Ram Rahim followers planning violence outside the Panchkula Court on 25 August.
During their investigation, the police found that Honeypreet and a few others were also involved in the planning and incorporated their names into the FIR on 29 August, after which she disappeared.
Now, the question arises: Rather than publicly announcing her name in the FIR and tipping her off to their suspicions, why didn’t the police directly go and arrest her when they learned of her involvement?
Considering the clout Ram Rahim had with political parties – let’s not forget how Deputy Advocate General Gurdas Singh Salwara was spotted carrying his bag in court after he was convicted, only to be later sacked for it by the Haryana government – is it possible that politicians and bureaucrats had a hand in Honeypreet’s great escape?
How to Evade Police
Haryana Police DGP BS Sandhu said that she is not carrying a mobile phone on her and that she is not communicating with Ram Rahim followers over the phone. According to police sources, Ram Rahim’s followers are now providing her with logistical and financial support since police have frozen her bank accounts and raided her known hideouts, but the adopted daughter of convicted rapist Ram Rahim is proving slippery.
According to police sources, Honeypreet had earlier been sighted in Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Mumbai, but no arrest could be made because her exact location remained unclear.
We are taking assistance of police from other states. We contacted Rajasthan police for their help when we got a tip-off on her presence there.Senior Officer #2, Haryana Police
Where Is Honeypreet?
Haryana police is being tight-lipped about her location, but claim they will catch her soon.
Haryana Police have taken assistance of at least seven state police forces to track down Honeypreet. Till now, police have questioned more than 150 Ram Rahim followers including her family members to locate her.
We know this much: She is holed up somewhere and not moving around. And if she does, she will be caught.Senior Officer #3, Haryana Police
We have kept several of Ram Rahim’s followers whom we suspect to be in touch with Honeypreet, under surveillance.Senior Officer #4, Haryana Police
On Thursday, one of the nine SIT teams of Haryana Police raided Sri Gurusar Modia village in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. They were chasing down a lead regarding Honeypreet and other Ram Rahim followers named in the FIR. The village lies at the border of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
For almost two hours, the SIT team surrounded a girls’ hostel but couldn't find Honeypreet.
We are working on all leads that we get on Honeypreet and other absconders. In this raid, we have found some concrete evidence which will help us locate them.Manbir Singh, DCP, Panchkula, Haryana Police
Following the Panchkula violence on 25 August, police had registered 177 FIRs including sedition, against Honeypreet. So far, they have arrested 1,150 Ram Rahim’s followers for their part in the violence.
Isn’t it a little surprising that Honeypreet managed to slip through their fingers despite being firmly in the limelight after Ram Rahim’s conviction? Did the cops play a part in her escape?
Almost a month later, Haryana Police has failed to arrest Honeypreet, the mastermind of the Panchkula violence that cost 38 lives, injured over 300, and caused damage worth crores of rupees across three states.
Here is a copy of the FIR that Honeypreet Singh was added to on 29 August:
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