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The prison van taking Ramanjit Singh back to court had a heavy police escort. Photo: Dickson Lee 

Hong Kong man wanted by Interpol for alleged terrorist links denied bail a second time

Ramanjit Singh faces charge over HK$32.6 million robbery in city

An Indian-born Hong Kong resident wanted by Interpol for alleged links to terrorism and political killings in his native country was on Friday denied bail by a local court for the second time as he faces a charge over a multimillion-dollar robbery in the city.

Ramanjit Singh, 29, returned to Kowloon Court under heightened security, seven police officers guarding him in the dock as he stood beside co-defendant Enish Limbu, 26.

The two men had applied for a bail review following their failed application last Friday

Singh, also known as Romi, watched his Punjabi interpreter intently as proceedings were translated to him, occasionally nodding and smiling briefly. 

Ramanjit Singh, alias Romi, is wanted in India for various high-profile crimes. Photo: Handout

Principal Magistrate Bernadette Woo Huey Fang ruled: “Both defendants will remain in jail custody as their bail is refused.”

Limbu has waived his right to another bail review at the same court on March 16, but Singh is expected to return on that day for his third application. 

Both men were reminded that they could apply for bail directly at the higher Court of First Instance in Admiralty. 

Singh made his first court appearance last month when he was taken to Kowloon Court to face the robbery charge. He and Limbu are two of five accused of robbing two people in Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy district in Hong Kong, of more than 450 million Japanese yen (HK$32.6 million) on February 9 this year.

The case was adjourned to April 9, pending further investigation.

At the time of the first hearing, the allegations against Singh in India were not yet known to the Hong Kong authorities or the public, until they were revealed in the  Post ’s reports.

Singh is accused of “conspiring in, abetting, advising and facilitating terrorist activities”, raising funds for terrorism, preparing an act of terror and membership of a terrorist group, according to a notice issued by Interpol. He is also accused of attempted murder, robbery and breaking prisoners out of jail in the Indian city of Nabha in the state of Punjab.

The high-security prison van that conveyed him from Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre to the court on Friday was accompanied by a fleet of police vehicles. 

Rifle-wielding officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests stood guard outside the building, while more police stood at sensitive locations, such as footbridges, along the route.

Heightened security measures were also put in place on the seventh floor outside Court Five, where Singh appeared.

A checkpoint was set up for anyone entering the vicinity, with handheld metal detectors in use. 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: fugitive on interpol list again denied bail
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