JALANDHAR/JALLUPUR KHERA: Fugitive Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh taken Punjab Police on a wild chase through the state’s countryside for the fifth day, leaving behind fragmentary tracks of his escape route and fragments of CCTV footage, including one of him and an associate taking a ride on a “jugaad rehri” – or makeshift cargo cart – with a suspected getaway bike in the middle.
Police on Wednesday arrested Gurbhej Singh, one of four who had departed from a gurdwara in Jalandhar Nangal Ambian with Amritpal on two motorbikes, and mapped out a 45km stretch of the route they took before the trail turned cold again. One of the two bicycles, a Bajaj Platina, was found near Darapur village.
Amritpal had apparently fled with Papalpreet Singh, the aide seen with him in the CCTV hold, on the Bajaj Platina bike. Three others – Gurbhej, Bikram Singh and Shutrana – drove a Royal Enfield. The Enfield was scrapped for a Hero Splendor somewhere along the route, investigators said.
Amritpal and his associates passed through Parjian, Mehatpur and Nurmahal during the 45km portion of their journey which was caught on CCTV along that route. Detectives said while Amritpal and Papalpreet got separated from the other three after the latter boarded a bus in Nurmahal.
On Tuesday, a new case was registered against Amritpal and the four associates with whom he fled for criminal intimidation, extortion and threat with weapons, based on a statement by granthi Ranjit Singh of Nangal Ambian gurdwara. According to the FIR, at around 1.15 pm on 18 March, a Maruti Brezza arrived outside the Gurdwara and Amritpal and his four associates entered Ranjit’s residence on the Gurdwara premises.
“My son worked there and one of them said they needed his clothes because the police were chasing them and they had to run away by changing their clothes. I refused to give them any clothes, whereupon Amritpal held the gun near my ear and threatened to kill my whole family,” the FIR said quoting the granthi. “After that I opened the almirah and they took my son’s clothes. As they were leaving, they threatened me once again not to give any information to the police.”
Police registered an FIR against four others who helped Amritpal and his associates escape on two motorcycles. They were presented in a Shahkot court and held in police custody for five days. Police recovered the Breeze from a shed adjoining the home of one of the arrested, who was in a wheelchair.
Police on Wednesday arrested Gurbhej Singh, one of four who had departed from a gurdwara in Jalandhar Nangal Ambian with Amritpal on two motorbikes, and mapped out a 45km stretch of the route they took before the trail turned cold again. One of the two bicycles, a Bajaj Platina, was found near Darapur village.
Amritpal had apparently fled with Papalpreet Singh, the aide seen with him in the CCTV hold, on the Bajaj Platina bike. Three others – Gurbhej, Bikram Singh and Shutrana – drove a Royal Enfield. The Enfield was scrapped for a Hero Splendor somewhere along the route, investigators said.
Amritpal and his associates passed through Parjian, Mehatpur and Nurmahal during the 45km portion of their journey which was caught on CCTV along that route. Detectives said while Amritpal and Papalpreet got separated from the other three after the latter boarded a bus in Nurmahal.
On Tuesday, a new case was registered against Amritpal and the four associates with whom he fled for criminal intimidation, extortion and threat with weapons, based on a statement by granthi Ranjit Singh of Nangal Ambian gurdwara. According to the FIR, at around 1.15 pm on 18 March, a Maruti Brezza arrived outside the Gurdwara and Amritpal and his four associates entered Ranjit’s residence on the Gurdwara premises.
“My son worked there and one of them said they needed his clothes because the police were chasing them and they had to run away by changing their clothes. I refused to give them any clothes, whereupon Amritpal held the gun near my ear and threatened to kill my whole family,” the FIR said quoting the granthi. “After that I opened the almirah and they took my son’s clothes. As they were leaving, they threatened me once again not to give any information to the police.”
Police registered an FIR against four others who helped Amritpal and his associates escape on two motorcycles. They were presented in a Shahkot court and held in police custody for five days. Police recovered the Breeze from a shed adjoining the home of one of the arrested, who was in a wheelchair.
