Khalistani Leader On The Loose, Punjab Cops' Big Arms Haul From His Aides

A massive operation has been launched to catch Amritpal Singh who, sources say, was last seen speeding away on a motorcycle last evening in Jalandhar.

Police have so far arrested 7 associates of Amritpal Singh, while several members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De' have been detained for questioning. Daljeet Singh Kalsi, who handles the Khalistani leader's finance, has also been arrested this morning from Haryana's Gurgaon.

Four of his top arrested aides have been flown to Dibrugarh in upper Assam by a special aircraft, top police sources said. They will likely to be kept in the high-security Dibrugarh Central Jail. Amritpal Singh's father has also been detained for questioning.

Amritpal Singh's car has also been seized by the cops in Jalandhar. Several dozens of live cartridges were found inside the vehicle.

A special team of the state police, comprising personnel from seven districts, had followed the Khalistani leader's convoy while he was on his way to Jalandhar's Shahkot tehsil yesterday. The radical preacher, who claims to be a follower of terrorist Bhindranwale, managed to escape police's dragnet on a motorcycle.

Authorities stepped up security at several places after his aides shared some videos on social media claiming that policemen were chasing them, and urged his supporters to gather at Shahkot. The internet suspension is the state will continue till Monday noon to prevent the spread of misinformation and rumours through social media, officials said.

Sources said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had discussed the plan to arrest Amritpal Singh with Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting on March 2. The centre sent extra forces to Punjab before the police went out to look for him on Saturday, sources said.

The crackdown comes a month after Amritpal Singh and his supporters broke into a police station with swords and guns for the release of one of his aides. Six police officials were injured in the clash. The Punjab government had faced massive flak for the law and order situation in the state after the incident.

Amritpal Singh leads "Waris Punjab De", a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year.

Amritpal Singh, who is often seen escorted by armed supporters, had been openly making statements about declaring secession from India and forming Khalistan. Officials said Amritpal Singh has been maintaining close links with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and terrorist groups based in foreign countries.