Shillong, March 23: As the manhunt for pro-Khalistan radical Amritpal Singh across Punjab entered its sixth day, it has come to the light that he had switched five vehicles in a bid to escape the police.
Just a few weeks after Amritpal Singh’s supporters barged into a police station with swords and firearms to demand the release of one of his aides, the Punjab Police began a huge operation to arrest him on Saturday.
The self-styled preacher was spotted inside a Mercedes SUV on the day of the operation before hopping into a Maruti Breeza in Jalandhar’s Shahkot neighbourhood.
Another switch occurred at Nangal Ambiyan, where Amritpal Singh boarded a Bajaj Platina motorcycle alongside Pappal Preet, one of his assistants. He boarded a diesel-powered three-wheeler in Darapur with the bike and his companion when the bike ran out of fuel.
Later, Amritpal Singh and Pappal Preet stole a motorcycle under the threat of a gun. The two males are captured on camera leaving on the stolen bike in Sheikhupur, Ludhiana, around 6:46 pm on March 18.
The Khalistani leader’s getaway vehicles, a Mercedes SUV, a Maruti Breeza, and a Bajaj Platina, have all been found by the police.
Since Saturday, more than 120 people have been detained, including Amritpal Singh’s uncle. In accordance with the strict National Security Act (NSA), some members of his group ‘Waris Punjab De’ have also been jailed in Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail.