Chandigarh: Haryana Police have nabbed a woman who allegedly harboured Amritpal Singh and his associate Papalpreet Singh at her home in the state’s Kurukshetra district, an official said on Thursday.
In another development, Punjab police said they have arrested a man who was allegedly part of the private security set-up of the radical preacher. Tejinder Singh Gill, a resident of Mangewal village in the Khanna area of Ludhiana district, was deputed in the security of Amritpal Singh.
Haryana Police said the woman nabbed from Shahabad in Kurukshetra district has been identified as Baljit Kaur.
“We have nabbed the woman, who harboured Amritpal and his associate Papalpreet Singh at her home in Shahabad on Sunday. The woman has been handed over to Punjab Police,” Kurukshetra Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said.
He also said the woman knew Papalpreet Singh for over two years. Officials have said Papalpreet Singh is considered one of Amritpal Singh’s mentors and had been working closely with the radical preacher. He was seen driving the motorcycle on which Amritpal Singh rode a pillion while escaping the police crackdown on his outfit on Saturday. The two-wheeler was found abandoned near a canal in Jalandhar.
Photographs and CCTV footage, that have emerged on social media, have shown the fugitive using several vehicles, including a Mercedes, a Brezza SUV, an Isuzu pick-up, a motorbike and a motorized cart, to escape with some of his aides.
Punjab Police said efforts are on to nab the fugitive preacher and several of his aides and members of his outfit have been detained or arrested.
They said Gill, who was part of the security setup of Amritpal Singh, used to display weapons in pictures and videos on social media without having an arms licence. An FIR against him was registered under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant).
Officials said their investigation has revealed that Gill was also involved in the Ajnala incident and Ajnala police will separately take action against him.
Amritpal is outside the state now, sources said after a fresh FIR was filed against him for extortion and rioting following a complaint by the ‘granthi’ of a gurdwara in Jalandhar where the Waris Punjab De chief changed his clothes and fled on a bike to escape the police crackdown.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Thursday extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts till Friday noon while lifting the curbs in Moga, Sangrur, Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar and a few areas in Mohali. Mobile internet services in the rest of Punjab resumed on March 21.