Just moments after getting very close to nabbing the Khalistan sympathiser, the Punjab Police launched a massive operation to crack down on Amritpal Singh and his supporters, arresting 78 of them on Saturday evening.
While the police were successful in cracking down on one of his convoys and nabbing several suspected Khalistani leaders, Amritpal Singh managed to slip from the fingers of the police and was seen fleeing the area on a bike, undetected by the authorities.
The police said it has launched a "massive state-wide cordon and search operations (CASO)" in the state against elements of the 'Waris Punjab De' (WPD), headed by Singh, against whom several criminal cases had been registered.
During the operation, a total of 78 persons have been arrested so far, while, several others have been detained for questioning, it said. Amritpal Singh and others are on the run and a massive manhunt has been launched to nab them, a police spokesperson said.
The Punjab Police has also suspended internet in the state till 12 pm on Sunday to hamper any communication between Amritpal and his supporters. Further, a heavy deployment of security forces had been made near the village Jallupur Khera in Amritsar, the native place of Amritpal Singh, for the operation.
While the police decided to search the house of Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh, it was reported that they didn’t find “anything illegal”. Singh further said that the actions against his son are “unjustified” as he was keeping youngsters in Punjab off drugs.
Some supporters of 'Waris Punjab De' chief shared some videos on social media claiming that policemen were chasing them. A video also showed Amritpal sitting in a vehicle and one of his aides could be heard saying policemen were after "Bhai saab" (Amritpal).
During the state-wide operation, nine weapons, including one .315 bore rifle, seven rifles of 12 bore, one revolver, and 373 live cartridges of different caliber have been recovered so far, the police said.
The whereabouts of Amritpal Singh is currently being tracked, and the Punjab Police are making efforts to nab the Waris Punjab De chief within the next 24 hours.
(With PTI inputs)
READ | Amritpal Singh crackdown latest updates: 78 arrested, Waris Punjab De chief still on the run, says Punjab Police
