Punjab police on Saturday said they have arrested a close aide of Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run since March 18 following a police crackdown, from Sirhind town for allegedly providing shelter and vehicle to the fugitive Khalistan sympathiser in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit.
Joga Singh is a resident of Ludhiana and managed a ‘dera’ in Pilibhit, said Deputy Inspector General (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav at a press conference. He was arrested by a police team when he was on his way to Punjab from Haryana.
Joga Singh had provided shelter to Amritpal and later dropped him back to Hoshiarpur.
“Joga Singh was in direct contact with Amritpal Singh. He arranged shelter and vehicles for Amritpal Singh. He arranged for him to stay in Pilibhit and then return to Punjab," Bhargav said.
#WATCH | Punjab police have arrested 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh's main aide Joga Singh from Sirhind: Narinder Bhargav, DIG Border Range pic.twitter.com/ekLzxZg8iL— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023
The police had also released an earlier picture of Joga Singh, wearing yellow turban in the photo.
Punjab Police releases an earlier picture of 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh's main aide Joga Singh (in yellow turban) who was arrested today. pic.twitter.com/ILVvWRrzPo— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023
Earlier in the day, officials said two men - Rajdeep Singh of Hoshiarpur district and Sarbjit Singh of Jalandhar district - were arrested for allegedly harbouring ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal.
On April 11, Amritpal’s close aide Papalpreet Singh was brought Dibrugarh in Assam and lodged in the central jail, police said. Papalpreet, who is considered to be Amritpal’s mentor, was nabbed in Amritsar district and booked under the National Security Act (NSA). He was brought to Assam from Delhi by a Punjab police team and escorted to the Dibrugarh central jail from the airport amidst tight security.
The police launched a major crackdown against Amritpal and members of his ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit last month. The Khalistan sympathiser, who is yet to be nabbed, escaped the police’s net in Jalandhar district on March 18, switching vehicles and changing his appearance.
(with inputs from PTI)
Read all the Latest India News here