On Tuesday, March 21, the Punjab police, which has been desperately searching for Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh, released his few photographs in different attires and sought help to identify him. The police claimed that Amritpal, who has been eluding arrest for the last four days, had used a bike to flee.
“There are several pictures of Amritpal Singh in different attires. We are releasing all of these pictures. I request you display them so that people can help us to arrest him in this case,” says Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill.
Punjab Police releases a few pictures of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh.
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
“There are several pictures of Amritpal Singh in different attires. We are releasing all of these pictures. I request you display them so that people can help us to arrest him in this case,” says… https://t.co/ZGh5aOs5jq pic.twitter.com/wh7gNb4BUA
Meanwhile, a new CCTV footage is being widely circulated in which Amritpal Singh was seen crossing a toll plaza in Punjab on Tuesday. According to sources, Amritpal switched many cars to flee but the footage showed him leave in an SUV Maruti Suzuki Brezza car.
#BreakingNews: Exclusive CCTV footage of the car in which Amritpal Singh fled has now been accessed by CNN-News18@_anshuls shares more details
— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 21, 2023
Join the broadcast with @ridhimb | #AmritpalSingh #WarisPunjabDe #Punjab pic.twitter.com/s0b4IGkpAY
Inspector general of police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill said that the Punjab police have recovered a Brezza car using which Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh fled from Mehatpur.
The IGP recounted the events that led to the extremist pro-Khalistani preacher eluding capture thus far. “Four accused who helped Amritpal escape have been arrested. A .315 bore rifle has been recovered from the Brezza car”, Gill said.
According to the IGP, Amritpal Singh stayed in a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village after providing a slip to the police in Mehatpur. He later changed into a shirt and trousers and fled on two motorcycles.
Amritpal Singh may have fled Punjab, say cops after his clothes, abandoned car found#5iveLIVE | @ShivAroor @SharmaLalit8 @arvindojha pic.twitter.com/Rg55VBWPXG
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) March 21, 2023
According to reports, Punjab police discovered Amritpal Singh’s clothes in the SUV car recovered from the Bullar village in Jalandhar district’s Shahkot city on Tuesday. According to sources, Amritpal was observed wearing the same clothes when he fled the police trap on March 18. According to reports, the vehicle has been impounded at the Shahkot Police Station.
Police invoke NSA
The Punjab Police have said that a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Amritpal Singh on March 18 and the strict National Security Act has been invoked. So far, 154 people have been detained in connection with the investigation.
National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh…A non-bailable warrant has been issued against him on 18th March: Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill pic.twitter.com/5MKEm5NMSZ
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
“Those arrested for helping Amritpal to flee from Mehatpur include Manpreet Manna (28) of Nawan Killa village of Shahkot, Gurdeep Singh Deepa of Bal Naun in Nakodar, Harpreet Singh Happy (36) of Kotla Nodh Singh village of Bullowal Hoshiarpur and Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja of village Goindara of Faridkot”, the senior cop said, adding that three more people accompanying the wanted preacher to flee from Nangal Ambian Gurdwara are still absconding.
Punjab HC raps up police over “intelligence failure” resulting in Amritpal Singh evading arrest
Meanwhile, during the hearing of the habeas corpus petition on Amritpal Singh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court pulled up the Punjab police over the “intelligence failure” that led to the pro-Khalistan preacher giving police the slip.
“When there was a threat to the security of the country, what was the government doing till now? They were roaming around with weapons. How did he manage to escape despite so many police? What are 80,000 police doing when the country’s security is in danger?” the High Court said.
The Punjab police, in turn, told the High Court that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh. Besides, a non-bailable warrant has also been issued against the Khalistani leader.
The AAP administration in the state responded to the High Court by saying it is doing all possible to apprehend Amritpal Singh.
Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported that a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reportedly reached Punjab on Tuesday. Media reports quoted sources as saying that the NIA is seeking details and documents related to the Amrit Pal’s Singh case from the Punjab police and may take over the case from today (Tuesday).
