5 Facts About Amritpal Singh, Fugitive Preacher Arrested Today

Amritpal Singh, who the government describes as a Khalistani-Pakistan agent, had been on the run from the Punjab Police since March 18. He had escaped the police net in Jalandhar district by switching vehicles and changing appearances.

Amritpal Singh was at the centre of a huge protest against the arrest of his aide in February. He claims to be a follower of the Khalistani separatist and terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and is known as "Bhindranwale 2.0" among his supporters.

Home Ministry sources said Amritpal singh was planning to launch a statewide procession to baptize the youth to carry out suicide attacks. The radical preacher was using de-addiction centres to stockpile weapons illegally sourced from Pakistan through its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence, they said

Amritpal Singh had been allegedly leading young people towards "gun culture" and trying to divide Punjab on communal lines. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, sources say, had discussed the plan to arrest Amritpal Singh with Home Minister Amit Shah in a meeting on March 2.

Before he went into hiding, Amritpal Singh roamed around with his private militia, all of them armed. He is married to a UK-based non-resident Indian, Kirandeep Kaur who was stopped from travelling to UK earlier this week. He worked in his family-owned transport business earlier in Dubai, where he had been staying since 2012. He came to India during the farmers' protest against new farm laws in 2021.