Security footage from a toll booth in Jalandhar shows him in a Brezza.
New Delhi:
Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, who evaded thousands of police officers for four days in a dramatic manhunt across Punjab, was recorded by police during various stages of his escape.
In footage exclusively accessed by NDTV, Amritpal Singh is seen getting out of a car and riding it with his aides on bicycles.
The 30-year-old radical preacher is seen in a clip from a toll station in Jalandhar at around 11:27 a.m. on Saturday, the day Punjab police launched their arrest. He was sitting in the front seat of the Maruti Brezza.
Earlier, Amritpal Singh was discovered in a Mercedes SUV that he had dumped down a road in Shahkot. Hours later, he switched to an associate’s Maruti Brezza, sources said. He appears to have changed his clothes in the car, as the footage shows him wearing a shirt instead of his usual long robe.
He changed his religious clothes into a shirt and trousers and changed from a blue turban to a pink turban.
Another clip shows him getting out of his car and going into hiding with three aides on two bicycles.
Police believe he hid in a Gurdwara, changed his clothes again and fled.
They also released photos of Amritpal Singh in various looks, suspecting he may have changed his appearance and hoping people can help spot him.
Brezza was confiscated and four people who helped Amritpal Singh flee were arrested.
More than 120 people, including Amritpal Singh’s uncle, have been arrested since Saturday. Several members of his “Waris Punjab De” group were also arrested under the strict National Security Act (NSA) and detained in BJP-ruled Assam. The internet was suspended for three days but was partially restored today.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court criticized the Punjab police and questioned how Amritpal Singh was able to repeatedly let them fail.
“You have 80,000 policemen. What are they doing. How did Amritpal Singh escape?” The Supreme Court questioned the Punjab government, calling it an intelligence failure.
The police crackdown on Amritpal Singh comes three weeks after his supporters clashed with police on February 23. They stormed into a police station, brandishing swords and guns, threatening police to kill them. suffer severe consequences if they do not release Singh’s aide Lovepreet Toofan, who has been arrested for allegedly assaulting and kidnapping a man.
Amritpal Singh has been active in Punjab for several years and is often seen waving from the sunroof of his Mercedes, escorted by armed supporters. He claims to be a follower of terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during Operation Bluestar in 1984, and is referred to as “Bhindranwale 2.0” by his supporters.
