During the crackdown against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his associates, four accused were detained and sent to jail in Ludhiana on Wednesday, the police said.
ADSP Rupinder Kaur Sra said, “The four accused have been sent to preventive jail. They have been identified as Honey, Gurnam, Simarjeet Singh, and Harpreet.
Further investigation into the matter is underway.” Jalandhar SSP Swarnadeep Singh said on Wednesday that earlier in the day, the bike on which ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh fled had been recovered by the Punjab Police. Earlier, CCTV footage had emerged in which Amritpal Singh was seen driving away in an SUV in Jalandhar on 18 March.
Punjab Police IG (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said, “He is still absconding. We are making all efforts to arrest him. We are hopeful that we will arrest him soon. It is difficult to say Punjab Police is getting full cooperation from other states and central agencies.”
“A total of 154 people have been arrested so far for disturbing peace and harmony in the state,” he said. Earlier, a local villager from Jalandhar said that he came to know on Tuesday that Amritpal Singh and his companions had come to the village on 18 March.
“We came to know this morning that Amritpal was in the village with his companions on 18 March. He changed clothes at the local gurudwara, had food, and then left on a motorcycle. Babaji, who is being questioned by the police, has now accepted that it was Amritpal who came here.
The local people of Jalandhar village claimed the presence of Amritpal Singh in their village on 18 March. A CCTV video has surfaced, quoting local villagers. The Punjab Police has not officially confirmed this. The video shows men waiting on a car and bike near a farm. Another bike is parked nearby, and as soon as the first bike with three riders starts moving, the second one too gets ready to go.
He also said that the National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh.
Punjab Police released photographs of Amritpal Singh as part of efforts to arrest him. Amritpal Singh is seen clean-shaven in a picture. Gill said, “There are many pictures of Amritpal Singh in different outfits. We are releasing all these pictures.”
Jalandhar commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal confirmed late Saturday evening that the hardline leader has been declared a “fugitive.” The Punjab Police had started the operation against Amritpal Singh and his associates on Saturday.