Punjab Police are currently questioning a 22-year-old Delhi University girl who gave shelter to Khalistani radical Amritpal Singh and his accomplice Papalpreet at her rented 2-BHK flat in Laxmi Nagar’s Ramesh Park on the night of March 21. Amritpal and Pappalpreet have been on the run for 12 days now.
The New Indian team located Kulwinder Kaur’s house in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi, where Amritpal stayed overnight on March 21 while hiding from Punjab Police. The house owner, Lakhan Haldar, said that he had no idea that a fugitive was living in a house rented by the girl. She paid a rent of Rs 9500 for the two-BHK located in the dingy streets of East Delhi.
The police landed at her doorstep for the first time on March 24 and again on March 29. The girl is currently being questioned, and her house is locked. The New Indian has obtained the rent agreement and the police verification document of the girl.
“We often saw her buying vegetables and coming back home in the evening. She has been living here for six months and studied in a nearby college. Her mother would visit her sometimes. She did not reveal that Police came to her residence,” said Lakhan Haldar, the house owner.
The house has been locked since March 29.
Hadlar said that he had no clue that a fugitive was living in a house rented by him. She paid a rent of Rs 9500 for two-BHK located in the dingy streets of East Delhi.
According to her neighbour Rajesh, there was nothing suspicious about the girl, though she hardly spoke to people.
Kaur had come in contact with Waris Punjab De members during her participation in anti-farm law protests. According to sources, Amritpal’s close aide Pappalpreet Singh, who used to participate in farmers’ agitation at Singhu border, introduced the student to Amritpal. With the police in pursuit, Amritpal and Papalpreet stayed at the student’s flat for a night and had food there. The student will be questioned again, as per sources.
A Delhi Police source from the East district confirmed that Amritpal and Papalpreet Singh had stayed for one night at the student’s residence. Amritpal’s presence in Laxmi Nagar’s Ramesh Park on March 21 was captured on CCTV footage, where he was seen with his constant companion and fellow Waris Punjab De member Papalpreet Singh. The police said that Amritpal’s casual attire in the footage might have been an attempt to disguise his identity, as he was seen sporting jeans and a jacket.
Amritpal’s last known location was in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, where he recorded his first video message since the chase began on March 18. The never-ending cat and mouse chase between Punjab Police and Amritpal has now gone on for over a week. The police have issued a hue and cry notice against him and released contact details of officers to be contacted if anyone finds Amritpal. More than 200 of Amritpal’s supporters and aides have been arrested or detained so far.
Amritpal is known for making provocative speeches to incite Sikhs, blaming “the Indian state” for drug problems in Punjab and the community’s miseries. In February, he led hundreds of his supporters to storm the Ajnala police station in Amritsar and force police to release a man arrested in a kidnapping case. At least six Punjab Police personnel were injured during the siege. On Wednesday, Amritpal released a video appealing to community members to support him in his fight for the right cause. This was apparently his first video on social media since fleeing Punjab.