While the hunt for the fugitive pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh continues, another CCTV footage has emerged wherein his mentor and social media handler Papalpreet Singh can be seen casually roaming around in the compound of a dera in Hoshiarpur in Punjab. According to reports, Papalpreet Singh, who provided all logistics and contacts required to live in hiding for Amritpal Singh for the past 13 days, got separated from the latter in the same city.
According to the police, the CCTV footage is believed to be from the March 29 morning, when Papalpreet Singh is spotted walking in the compound of Gurdwara Sahib and connecting link roads in Hoshiarpur.
Times Now has accessed CCTV footage showing the close aide of Amritpal Singh in a Gurdwara in Hoshiarpur. Papalpreet Singh is considered to be very close to fugitive pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh.@Gurpreet_Chhina shares the latest updates with @anchoramitaw. pic.twitter.com/ScZscyxm52
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 1, 2023
The police believe that Amritpal Singh and his key aide Papalpreet Singh separated and chose to take different routes after the Innova SUV they were travelling in from Phagwara to Hoshiarpur got intercepted on March 28 evening.
The four people on board abandoned the Innova car beside a gurdwara in Marnaian hamlet, scaled a wall, and ran as the Punjab Police intelligence teams began chasing them from Rawalpindi police station that evening while they were on their way to an interview with a news channel in Hoshiarpur. While Amritpal Singh and another individual fled to one side, Papalpreet and driver Joga Singh went to the other.
While the authorities continued to scour the area, Papalpreet and Joga Singh sought shelter in a Hoshiarpur dera, the CCTV footage of which has emerged today.
According to authorities, as per new leads, Papalpreet and Joga Singh then headed towards Sahnewal. They also stopped at a gurdwara there. While Joga Singh was apprehended from Ludhiana in Punjab on Friday, Papalpreet is said to have fled yet again.
Notably, Joga Singh was driving the Innova car in which pro-Khalistan radical preacher Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet were travelling on Tuesday, and he managed to elude police in Kapurthala district. They eventually abandoned the automobile in Mernaian village in the Hoshiarpur district.
Following his arrest, Joga is said to have told authorities that Amritpal had given him his mobile to deceive the pursuing police teams.
The police sources further said that Amritpal had fled from Kapurthala on foot and could also be hiding in a dera. The cops believe that it will now be easier to catch him since he has lost his mastermind as a result of which he may be lacking in resources. They did not, however, rule out the possibility of both getting back together and planning their next move.
Meanwhile, after discovering the evidence of Papalpreet’s stay in Hoshiarpur, police teams utilised drones yesterday to track any suspicious movements. Several barricades were placed at key points and a thorough search of all vehicles in Marnaian and nearby villages including Harkhowal, Bibi Di Pandori and Bassi has been underway.
Notably, since the Punjab police began the search for the Waris Punjab De chief and pro-Khalistani sympathiser on March 18, multiple CCTV footages have emerged purportedly of Amritpal Singh in which he is seen casually roaming around, either on foot or in vehicles. Recently, Amritpal Singh, himself released his first video since the Punjab police action against him and claimed that it was not about his arrest but an attack on the Sikh community. He opined that the government could have arrested him at home if they had wanted to.
#BREAKING: Khalistani Radical Amritpal Singh releases a new video from hiding in Punjab. Requests Jathedar of Akal Takht to call Sarbad Khalsa (congregation of Sikhs) to discuss issues to save Punjab. Dares Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Punjab Police.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 29, 2023
pic.twitter.com/vhcDN1lBaE
Amritpal declared that no one could hurt him and he does not fear imprisonment. Claiming that he would dispel the “terror” that the government had instilled in the public’s hearts, he asked Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to host a Sarbat Khalsa (meeting) on the occasion of Baiskahi at Talwandi Sabo.
