Arrested Amritpal aide got Rs 35 cr from abroad, phone records show calls to Pakistan: Probe

Sources in the agencies said they have found certain videos in which Amritpal’s close aides travelling in his cavalcade were seen carrying weapons bearing the AKF logo. Many were wearing stoles bearing AKF logos. They were seen saying they were not bothered about criminal cases that could be slapped on them by the police, the sources said.

Daljit Singh Kalsi, said to be the main financier of Amritpal and Waris Punjab De, according to investigators, had started a company named Sterling India in early 2000s. A multi-level marketing company located in Delhi, he is learnt to have used the unregulated direct selling route to run ponzi schemes. He was also on the Board of Directors of Tirumalla Tirupati Multi State Cooperative Credit Society under a pseudonym Sarabjeet Singh, as on April 21, 2018.

The investigators have now found that Tirumalla Tirupati Multi State Cooperative Credit Society is also involved in multi-level marketing and is located in Mumbai. One of its directors is also being investigated by the Crime Branch, Goa, for his alleged involvement in a drug racket and for using the credit cooperative society for money laundering, a source said.

Kalsi, they found, was also on board of directors of Icons Infraprop Private Limited and was disqualified under Section 164(2) (a) of Companies Act, 2013 for financial years 2014 to 2016 for not filing Income Tax returns for three consecutive years.

The investigating agencies have learnt Amritpal Singh has been using an Audi car registered in the name of a Pune resident, and partner of Kalsi in Sterling India.

Amritpal was last seen near Hawk dhaba on Khadoor Sahib-Harike road. A heavy police contingent was waiting to intercept him near Harike. Sources said Amritpal had a “flag car” that was moving approximately 2-3 kms ahead of his vehicle and this vehicle was the one that first spotted the heavy police deployment, took a U-turn, called Amritpal’s driver Harpreet and alerted Amritpal about the heavy police contingent apparently waiting to nab him.

Amritpal, the sources said, quickly took a U-turn, abandoned the Mercedes SUV in which he was travelling earlier, changed his route and escaped in the same “flag car”. Investigating agencies believe there were at least five persons including him, his driver Harpreet, and uncle Harjit Singh, a resident of Amritpal’s native village Jallupur Khera, Amritsar, during that time.

The seven persons arrested by the Punjab police include: i) Amandeep Singh, 22, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, who told the police he had come to Punjab to quit drugs, got involved with Waris Punjab De, and became a close confidant of Amritpal; ii) Harminder Singh, resident of village Raja Tal, Amritsar, who joined Waris Punjab De in November 2022; iii) Baljinder Singh, resident of Barnala, associated with Waris Punjab De when Deep Sidhu was the chief, also a close confidant of Amritpal and among the seven travelling with Amritpal before he escaped; and iv) Gurbir Singh, resident of Mehrowal village of Hoshiarpur district, who told investigators he had recently joined Waris Punjab De before which he used to stay in a gurdwara.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered from these accused who have been named as co-accused with Amritpal in the FIR registered against him on February 24 with respect to the Ajnala police station incident.