Amritpal Singh held wife captive, engaged in illegal activities: Report
Intelligence agencies on Friday claimed that fugitive Waris Punjab De chief and Khalistan separatist Amritpal Singh held his wife Kirandeep Kaur captive and often beat her up. They claimed Singh was also linked with drug traffickers. The agencies are also looking into Singh's alleged involvement in prostitution and whether he had a girlfriend in Thailand and kept a second wife there, ANI reported.
Why does this story matter?
- On Friday, the manhunt for Singh entered its seventh day, nearly a month after he and his associates stormed the Ajnala Police Station in Punjab with swords and guns in order to release one of their detained associates.
- Intelligence officials believe Singh is an operative of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) sent to India to spread narcotics and violence.
Police investigating Amritpal Singh's alleged involvement in prostitution
The intelligence report said that Singh used to beat Kaur, whom he married in February this year; she was also kept in captivity, per HT. Kaur was recently questioned by the Punjab Police in connection with the foreign funds that Waris Punjab De allegedly received. They are also investigating Singh's Thailand connection, suspecting that he might have indulged in prostitution there.
Singh might have indulged in drug trade also: Intelligence report
The intelligence inputs also went on to say that Singh was not an Amritdhari Sikh and did not follow Sikh religious tenets. They claim he was involved with drug dealers in Dubai, including Jaswant Singh, whose brother operates out of Pakistan. The report also claimed that his organization was not actually fighting the drug menace, as members claimed, but was only showing off.
Singh kept a low profile about his past, claims report
Singh avoided discussing his past to protect the image he has been cultivating, the report added. He worked as a truck driver in Dubai before returning to India in 2022 to take over Waris Punjab De, which was previously led by late actor Deep Sidhu. Singh also reportedly began dressing up as Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers dubbed him Bhindranwale 2.0.
