Chandigarh, March 25 (IANS) Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested rape accused and fugitive Punjab MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who dramatically escaped from the police custody in September last and had been evading arrest since then.

This is the second arrest of an AAP-ruling legislator this week. Earlier, former Transport Minister Laljit Bhullar was arrested on Monday in an abetment to suicide case of a government official.

Earlier, the trial court in Patiala on October 9, 2025, dismissed the anticipatory bail plea, for the second consecutive time, of Pathanmajra, who had been on the run after being booked in a rape case on September 2, 2025.

The police registered a case against the first-time legislator from Sanaur on September 1, 2025, on charges of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. The 50-year-old legislator had fled from his relative's house at the Dabri village in Karnal on September 2, 2025, minutes after a Punjab Police team arrived to arrest him in connection with a rape case.

Pathanmajra has been denying police claims that bullets were fired at policemen, who had come to arrest him.

In two video messages released from an undisclosed location, Pathanmajra had hit out at AAP's Central leadership, alleging that he was being targeted by the "Delhi lobby" and had to flee after learning that he would be killed in a "fake encounter".

He had criticised his own government over the handling of floods in Patiala. He accused senior officials of the Irrigation Department, including a senior IAS officer, of ignoring repeated requests to desilt rivers to prevent flooding in villages.

Earlier, the state police had booked 15 aides of the absconding MLA for 'harbouring' him. The Haryana Police have also registered a case against the AAP legislator and his relative, Gurnam Singh Laadi, for obstruction of discharge from official duty, escape from custody, and other charges.

Residents of Dabri village in Karnal alleged that 14 members of Laadi's family were "picked up" by Punjab Police teams in connection with the case.

--IANS

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