As the manhunt for Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh entered the sixth day on Thursday, the Punjab Police said that the Waris Punjab De leader had used five different vehicles in 12 hours to evade arrest, reported NDTV.
Singh has been on the run since Saturday when the Punjab Police launched an operation to arrest him.
The crackdown on Singh started days after he and his supporters stormed a police station in Amritsar on February 23 following the arrest of one of the preacher’s aides for alleged assault and attempted kidnapping.
The Waris Punjab De leader has garnered a significant following through his speeches that often focus on Punjab’s youth and religion. He has also given several interviews supporting demands for Khalistan, an independent state for Sikhs.
According to the police, the preacher was first seen inside a Mercedes on the day the manhunt began before switching to a Maruti Breeza in Jalandhar’s Shahkot area. CCTV footage showed that Singh had then changed his clothes and escaped on a Bajaj Platina motorcycle with one of his aides identified as Pappal Preet.
When the Platina ran out of fuel, Singh and his associate continued their journey on a three-wheeler in Jalandhar district’s Darapur village, according to NDTV.
This motorcycle was found dumped by the police on Wednesday. The police have also recovered the Mercedes and the Maruti Breeza.
The police said that Singh and his aide then stole another motorcycle at gunpoint and were last spotted crossing Sheikhupur village in Jalandhar on Saturday, reported The Tribune.
The owner of the dumped motorcycle has been identified as Nirmal Kumar, who works at a mobile shop in Nakodar town. Kumar and his employer, Gaurav Gora, had arrived on their motorcycles in Jalandhar’s Nangal Ambian village, where Singh hid inside a gurdwara for 45 minutes to evade arrest, reported The Tribune.
Both Gora and Kumar have been arrested.
Meanwhile, another fresh first information report has been filed against Singh on the complaint of a priest of the gurudwara.
Ranjit Singh said in his complaint that the Waris Punjab De chief and his three aides entered the gurdwara and demanded clothes at gunpoint. He said that Amritpal Singh also threatened to kill him and his family when he refused to give clothes.
The police have registered a case against Amritpal Singh on various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 148 (rioting) and also under the Arms Act at Shahkot police station in Jalandhar.
Singh and his associates have already been booked for storming the police station as well as in connection with weapons recovered from an abandoned vehicle.
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