Chandigarh, Sep 3 (IANS): The Punjab Police on Thursday denied withdrawal of the security of former DGP Sumedh Saini, who, it said, had absconded, leaving his security detail behind, a day before the High Court was due to hear his anticipatory bail application in the murder case of former CITCO employee Balwant Singh Multani.

A spokesperson for the SIT, probing the extra-judicial killing case which was on Wednesday converted into a case of murder, denied the allegation of Saini's wife that the ex-DGP's security had been withdrawn, endangering his life.

Contrary to what had been claimed by Saini's wife in a letter to DGP Dinkar Gupta, there had been no change whatsoever in the security detail and all the necessary equipment, including the security box and jammer vehicle, was provided to the former police chief, who is a 'Z' plus category protectee of the state government, the spokesperson said.

The fact of the matter was that Saini seemed to have left his Chandigarh residence without Punjab Police security personnel and security vehicles, including the jammer vehicle, on his own, thus jeopardising his own security, the spokesperson added.

What is more, the security vehicle, including the jammer vehicle, can still be seen standing outside his Chandigarh residence, where the security personnel are idling away their time waiting for his return, the spokesperson said.

The letter written to the DGP by Saini's wife, who also seemed to have disappeared from the Chandigarh residence, appears to be an attempt to strengthen his claim for grant of anticipatory bail in the murder case, said the spokesperson.

The state government, the spokesperson said, was fully alive to the security concerns involving Saini, as per the present threat assessment, and will not do anything to endanger his security or that of his family members.