Amid the hunt for fugitive and Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh, his aide Papalpreet Singh has been flown to Assam's Dibrugarh Jail amid tight security after he was arrested in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Monday. Papalpreet Singh was arrested from Hoshiarpur in a joint operation conducted by the Punjab Police and its counter-intelligence unit along with Delhi Police. The police convoy with Papalpreet reached the Dibrugarh Central Jail at around 12 noon.
The distance between the Mohanbari airport and Dibrugarh Central Jail is around 15 kilometers and takes about 25 minutes. Papalpreet Singh was brought to the Dibrugarh Central Jail in a white Bolero vehicle.
Eight other close aides of Amritpal Singh, including his uncle Harjeet Singh, have been lodged at the high-security Dibrugarh Central Jail, after being slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Amritpal and Papalpreet were on the run since March 18 after the police launched a crackdown on Amritpal's radical outfit Waris Punjab De and its supporters. Both were spotted together at various places in Punjab but went on their own ways in Hoshiarpur.
Earlier on Monday, a delegation of lawyers from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar visited Dibrugarh to pursue the case of Amritpal Singh's eight close aides, who were arrested from Punjab and have been imprisoned in the Dibrugarh Central Jail.
Papalpreet Singh, a close aide of 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh, has been slapped with the NSA. He is also wanted in six cases.
Papalpreet is believed to be the right-hand man and mentor of radical preacher Amritpal Singh who planned out things for him after the latter was declared a fugitive by the Punjab Police. He is also alleged to have been in contact with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI.
Papalpreet reportedly told his family that he was tired of being on the run and disclosed his location to his family members who then informed the police as he had decided to surrender.
Amritpal and his associates have been booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attacking police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.