Fugitive Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal hits country roads, shakes off police pursuers

 Fugitive Khalistan sympathiser and self-styled preacher Amritpal Singh dodged Punjab Police’s dragnet for the second successive day on Sunday, changing vehicles more than once and knocking down several bike riders along the way as his convoy sped through narrow country lanes in a bid to throw off teams tracking the Mercedes in which he had been last spotted.

Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal and three others, including an uncle known to be his shadow, are believed to have switched to the Mercedes after abandoning an Isuzu pickup truck found by Jalandhar Rural police close to Salema village, near Mehatpur in the same district. The left the key on the truck’s roof.

Jalandhar (Rural) SSP Swarandeep Singh said a .315-bore weapon, 57 live cartridges, a walkie-talkie set and a kirpan were found in the pickup truck. The vehicle’s owner, identified as Manpreet Singh of Anokharwal village in Nawanshahr district, was arrested later. In Amritsar, interrogation of the seven associates of Amritpal arrested last Tuesday led cops to another cache of weapons and ammunition comprising five .12 bore rifles and 193 cartridges.

Another 34 Waris Punjab De members and protesters allegedly attempting to disturb peace were arrested Sunday, taking number of arrests so far to 112.

Search teams earlier in the day found two abandoned Ford Endeavour SUVs suspected to be part of Amritpal’s convoy. Jalandhar Rural police registered a fresh case against the absconding Khalistan sympathiser and his associates in connection with the seizure.

Jalandhar DIG Swapan Sharma said investigators had received leads about Amritpal having links with Pakistan’s ISI and were trying to verify these.