The Punjab Police have issued a lookout notice and non-bailable warrant against radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who continues to evade arrest. As the manhunt enters day five, the authorities have extended the search to other states.
"We are making all efforts to arrest him. We’re hopeful that we’ll arrest him soon…It is difficult to say that. Punjab Police is receiving full cooperation from other states and central agencies," Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh Gill told reporters on Tuesday.
The Punjab police had arrested four aides of Amritpal Singh on Tuesday for helping him escape. The accused Manpreet Singh alias Manna, Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa, Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Gurbhej Singh alias Bheja helped the 'Waris Punjab De' chief to escape in a car while he was being chased by cops in Jalandhar on Saturday.
During questioning, they revealed that Amritpal first went to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village where he "changed his clothes, and wore a shirt and pants, and escaped along with three others on two bikes."
The officials have also seized a vehicle he used to travel. They recovered .315 bore rifle, some swords and a walkie-talkie set from it.
Meanwhile, the search for the fugitive has extended to other states. The Uttarakhand Police on Tuesday conducted a combing operation at gurdwaras, hotels and in areas on the Indo-Nepal border in Udham Singh Nagar district.
City Superintendent of Police Manoj Katyal said the search was conducted after the state police received information from their Punjab counterparts that Singh and his associates were trying to flee the country.
Intelligence agencies are also monitoring the situation. A close vigil is being kept on the India-Nepal border so that he does not escape to Nepal. The police have also put up posters to inform residents that Singh and his aides are wanted in Punjab.
A hearing on the habeas corpus petition was also held on Tuesday which saw the Court lashing out at the Punjab government for lapses in handling the case of Amritpal Singh.
The court questioned the government on how Amritpal could escape when the government has 80,000-strong police force.
"When there was a threat to the security of the country, what was the government doing till now? They were roaming around with weapons. How did he manage to escape despite so many police. What are 80,000 police doing when the country’s security is in danger?" the High Court said.