Police have arrested a close aide of radical preacher Amritpal Singh for allegedly providing shelter and other assistance to the absconding Khalistan sympathiser in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.
Joga Singh, who is a resident of Ludhiana and is managing a dera in Pilibhit, was nabbed while he was on his way to Punjab from Haryana, a senior police official said on Saturday. “Joga Singh was in direct contact with Amritpal. He arranged shelter and vehicles for Amritpal. He arranged for him to stay in Pilibhit and then return to Punjab,” DIG (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav said at a press conference.
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Earlier, police said two more men have been arrested for allegedly harbouring Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run after police launched a crackdown against him last month. The arrested men were identified as Rajdeep Singh of Babak village in Hoshiarpur district and Sarbjit Singh of Jalandhar district, the police said. Both Rajdeep and Sarbjit were produced before the duty magistrate on Friday night and sent to one-day police remand.
The police launched a major crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of his Waris Punjab De outfit last month. The Khalistan sympathiser, who is yet to be nabbed, escaped the police net in Jalandhar district on March 18, switching vehicles and changing his appearance.
(With Agency inputs)