- Police have been investigating the recovered cellphone of jailed sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s confidante, Honeypreet Insan
- A cyber lab examination of the handset has purportedly revealed that efforts were made to tamper with it
- See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome
After nine days of a marathon interrogation, Panchkula police have finally recovered the cellphone of jailed sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s confidante, Honeypreet Insan.
The handset was lying with Vipassana Insan, chairperson of the Dera Sacha Sauda management committee.
The iPhone she handed over to officers on Friday only opens with Honeypreet’s fingerprint.
Honeypreet Insan in prison. HO image
Police sources said Honeypreet was asked to unlock the phone four times during her questioning in Vipassana’s presence.
A cyber lab examination of the handset has purportedly revealed that efforts were made to tamper with it.
Sources say data is missing from both the phone and its iCloud account.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Police sources said they believed that most of the files were deleted from the phone by Honeypreet herself before she finally handed it over to Vipassana on August 26.
The sources added that when Honeypreet was quizzed about the phone, her answers were in the negative and that she said she was ignorant of the data deletion.
Officer have asked experts to help recover the erased information, which they hope would prove that she was the brains behind the violence in Panchkula that took place after a court in August held Ram Rahim guilty of raping two female disciples.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, before his conviction
Police investigations have revealed that Honeypreet had collected a number of videos in which Dera supporters were heard saying that they would wipe India off the face of the world if the self-styled godman was jailed.
She allegedly shared these provocative clips on social media to stir up violence.
The videos, according to sources, were shared using a mobile phone.
Apart from recovering the clips, cops also want to unravel the mystery of the 17 SIM cards that Honeypreet allegedly used during her 38 days of disappearance.
Honeypreet Insan
They are also trying to find out whose phone she was using in this period, given that she had handed over her previous handset to Vipassana on August 26.
Honeypreet also told the police that she used WhatsApp to communicate with other Dera functionaries.
Sukhdeep Kaur, Honeypreet’s aide, told officers that Honeypreet would speak to unidentified people over the phone while on the run.
She would ask her assistant to leave the vehicle whenever she had a conversation.
A court sent Honeypreet and Sukhdeep in judicial custody for 10 days on Friday after their police remand ended.
Honeypreet will now occupy cell number 11 of Ambala Central Jail during the next few days.
The room has accommodated a number of high-profile accused and convicts including Himachal Pradesh MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, and former Haryana transport minister Om Prakash Jain.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Sources told India Today TV that Honeypreet ate a couple of bites of chapati on Friday night and could not sleep as she was bitten by mosquitoes through the night.
She also demanded a pillow from jail authorities, which was denied as inmates are not entitled to it.
During her questioning on Friday, Honeypreet reportedly told the police that Vipassana was present in an August 17 meeting chaired by her during which the Panchkula violence was purportedly planned.
The two women had a heated argument after this, as Vipassana has denied any role in the rioting.
Police have also recovered a large grey suitcase from Gurusar Modi, Ram Rahim’s native village.
The bag allegedly contained property papers belonging to Honeypreet apart from some ATM cards and other documents.