“We are closing in on Amritpal Singh,” police said.
Jalandhar:
Followers of Amritpal Singh, the now fugitive Khalistani separatist, led the police in a fun chase, eventually entering a market from which they had to be hunted down one by one. While Singh managed to let the police slip, 78 of his associates were arrested, the top policeman leading the ongoing large-scale search operation said.
“We decided not to use lethal force in this operation… We chased him for 16-17 km. He was hiding in a crowded place,” said Swapan Sharma, police chief. of Jalandhar in Punjab, told NDTV in an exclusive interview held. in a flag-raising parade in the city today. “We’re closing in on him… There are six or seven FIRs against him,” he added.
During Saturday’s car chase, supporters of Amritpal Singh purposely crashed into motorbikes to distract police attention. Two vehicles of the “Waris Punjab De” leader’s convoy were seized by the police.
“We were directed to catch him (Amritpal Singh.) While giving chase, he entered the single-lane road ahead of us. While outrunning us, he crashed into a number of people. motorcyclists, some with motives wanting to divert us from the chase,” Swapan Sharma was quoted as saying by India’s Press Trust news agency today.
Senior police officer Kuldeep Singh Chahal said six to seven of Amritpal Singh’s gunmen were among those arrested. His close assistant Daljeet Singh Kalsi, his financial manager, was arrested this morning from Gurgaon of Haryana.
The crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his supporters, who have publicly declared secession, began after they stormed a police station with swords and guns to secure the release of one of them. Six police officials were injured in the clash.
The Punjab government has faced major criticism for the law and order situation in the state following the incident.
Officials said Amritpal Singh has maintained close links with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and terrorist groups based abroad.
