Amritpal Singh, the pro-Khalistan preacher declared a fugitive by Punjab Police, is outside the state now, sources say after a fresh FIR was filed against him for extortion and rioting following a complaint by the 'granthi' of a gurdwara in Jalandhar where the Waris Punjab De chief changed his clothes and fled on a bike to escape the police crackdown.
Sources say that the operation to nab Amritpal Singh could be made more complicated for the police as he is believed to be outside the state now. He had managed to give the police a slip last week after changing his vehicle.
This comes as police recovered WhatsApp chats of the Waris Punjab De chief where his private conversations with several women came to the fore, as per inputs. The conversations are said to have taken place during his time in Dubai before he came to India in August 2022 to take over the organisation floated by late actor Deep Sidhu.
Earlier, the police said the fugitive spent around 45 minutes at a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village.
According to news agency PTI, Ranjit Singh, the granthi (Sikh priest), said in his complaint with police that the Waris Punjab De chief and his three aides entered the gurdwara and demanded clothes of his son at gunpoint to change his appearance. The priest stated that Amritpal Singh threatened to kill him and his family when he refused to give them clothes.
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They were carrying a pistol and .315 bore rifle, the granthi said.
After the complaint, police registered a case against Amritpal Singh and four of his unidentified aides under various IPC sections 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.
The stringent National Security Act has been invoked against the radical preacher, the Punjab government has told the high court. Police also informed that a lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant have been issued against him.
A fresh image of the fugitive also surfaced online where he was shown on a motorised cart with his bike and the person who rode it.
As per the police, the bike on which Amritpal Singh fled was recovered on Wednesday near a canal in Jalandhar.
CCTV footage has shown his close aide Papalpreet driving the motorcycle with Amritpal riding pillion.
Police said that the Waris Punjab De chief and his aide used link roads to avoid the police gaze.
A police team has reached Jallupur Khera, Amritpal Singh's native village in Amritsar, where they met some of preacher's family members. The team included two deputy superintendent of police rank officers.
Amritpal is said to have been in his Mercedes vehicle but later switched to a Brezza SUV. In a photo that appeared on social media, he was seen riding pillion on a bike wearing a pink turban and black goggles, suggesting that he tried to change his appearance to get away from the eyes of the police.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government Thursday extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts till Friday noon while lifting the curbs in Moga, Sangrur, Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar, and a few areas in Mohali.
Mobile internet services in the rest of Punjab resumed on March 21.