Amritpal Singh seen in Delhi without turban, wearing mask, sunglasses
Fugitive pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run from the police for 10 days now, was reportedly seen in CCTV footage from March 21 in Delhi. Though the person in the clip is wearing a mask, the police claim it is Singh in disguise. The person can be seen wearing a denim jacket and sunglasses without a turban.
Why does this story matter?
- Authorities earlier claimed that Singh had escaped to Nepal and requested the neighboring country's government not to let him escape. The government launched a manhunt to nab Singh owing to his calls for Khalistan—a separate Sikh nation.
- Meanwhile, security agencies claim that Singh was sent to India by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to create unrest by fuelling terror activities and boosting the drug trade.
Singh reached Delhi through Haryana's Kurukshetra
On March 18, the Punjab Police sprung into action to arrest Singh, three days before the CCTV footage was recorded. Reports claim Singh reached Delhi through Haryana's Kurukshetra. The police, however, did not give details as to whether he could still be hiding in Delhi or fled the national capital. They further claimed that Singh's aide Papalpreet Singh is also seen in the video.
Woman arrested for sheltering Singh, aide
On Monday, a selfie, apparently clicked by Papalpreet, showing him and Singh having an energy drink also surfaced on social media. The police said the photo was from March 19. Days later, a woman named Baljit Kaur was arrested from Shahabad-Markanda town in Kurukshetra district on March 23 for harboring both fugitives at her residence on the intervening night of March 19 and 20.
Uttarakhand Police alerted about Singh
During questioning, Kaur told the police that Singh indicated that he might escape to Uttarakhand, following which the state's police were alerted. Notably, Uttarakhand shares its border with Nepal spanning 275km. Prior to that, Singh reportedly visited a gurudwara in Punjab's Nangal Ambian village with four of his associates, after which they drove to Sheikhpura and crossed into Haryana in a truck.
Singh didn't wear turban while he was in Dubai
Earlier, the police had also shared images of Amritpal Singh in seven different avatars, including a clean-shaven one. Singh reportedly moved to India in August last year from Dubai, where he grew up and his father has a transport business. Before coming to India, Singh did not have the traditional Sikh look, which includes wearing a turban and not trimming one's beard or hair.
