Guwahati: With a manhunt to nab Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh underway, the radical preacher's four close aides are lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail of Assam. Seven more members of the Waris Punjab De outfit are expected to join these four in the Assam jail shortly, according to the local police.


Speaking exclusively to ABP Live, Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu said: “Four accused are currently lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail and as per the information we have received, seven more members of the same organization will be flown to Dibrugarh, today or tomorrow.”


Meanwhile, the manhunt launched to arrest the radical preacher entered the third day today as the Punjab Police tightened security in the state to nab him at the earliest. The Punjab government has also extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the state until Tuesday noon.


The aides of Amritpal Singh, currently lodged in the Dibrugarh Central Jail are Daljit Singh Kalsi, who is reportedly the financer of Waris Punjab De and a close aide of Amritpal Singh. The other three are Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Pradhanmantri Bajeka.


The four aides have been charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), which allows the police to detain suspects in any prison across the country. 


Elaborate Security Arrangements Inside And Outside Dibrugarh Jail: DC


All top officers of the Assam Police in the Dibrugarh district of Assam are meanwhile tight-lipped about the four and are not ready to divulge any single piece of information on the quartet.


While ABP Live tried to contact Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra over the phone, he refused to say anything and repeatedly said: “I cannot say anything... I cannot disclose any information about them.”


DC Pegu, however, said: “We have made elaborate security arrangements, both inside and outside the jail premises. Personnel from the Assam Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed to maintain a tight vigil."


Earlier on Sunday morning, a 27-member Punjab Police team flew in four aides of Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh to the tea city of Assam.


The Punjab Police has launched a massive statewide cordon and search operation against members of the Waris Punjab De outfit, against whom several cases stand registered. The police arrested 78 of Amritpal Singh's associates Saturday and four among them were brought to Dibrugarh by a special Indian Air Force flight.


Amritpal Singh Sandhu is a radical pro-Khalistan leader and self-styled Sikh preacher who heads the organisation, Waris Punjab De, from Punjab.


He rose to prominence in September 2022 after he returned from Dubai to India to become the leader of the organisation after the death of its previous leader Deep Sidhu in a car accident. 


Amritpal Singh is currently absconding and has been declared a fugitive. He is reported to have close links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and other terror groups. He is also reported to have been raising his own army and 'human bomb squads' consisting of brainwashed youth as suicide bombers.


There are at least four criminal cases pending against the Waris Punjab De chief, all of which include serious charges.