Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run since March 18, wanted guerrilla training, similar to the one given to the United States (US) Army, for his cadre, according to Punjab Police sources.
According to sources, a photo has been recovered from the mobile phone of Singh’s associates. In this picture, Singh is seen with two books on his lap – US Army Guerilla Warfare Handbook and The Complete US Army Survival Guide.
The US Army Guerilla Warfare Handbook details guerilla strategies and weapons employed by US Army in their world- wide operations. The Complete US Army Survival Guide elaborates on foraging skills, tactics and techniques. His associates were earlier seen looking for retired Sikh military trainers to train his personnel, said the source.
Meanwhile, with Singh believed to be in Nepal, top Nepal government sources said they have received a request from Indian authorities about an absconding fugitive. “We have some queries and we have asked our counterparts about that. We will do the needful, including issuing alerts on all borders and airports," the sources told CNN-News18.
LASHKAR-TYPE CADRE
CNN-News18 had earlier reported how the arrested aides of Waris Punjab De leader told investigators that he wanted to create a local militia “along the lines of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)".
Interrogation details accessed by CNN-News18 further revealed that Singh had created the Anandpur Khalsa Force (AKF) for the purpose.
The logo of AKF depicts two AK rifles, similar to the flags used by banned terrorist outfits like BKI, KLF and KCF. Each member of this militia group reportedly had a squad number. Arrested associate Harpreet Singh carried the squad number AKF06, sources said.
Sources added that a roll call was also conducted regularly in which the members answered using their AKF squad number.
The idea was to create a terrorist cadre in the name of religion and use force for extortion, land grabbing and solving disputes, said sources. His associates reportedly revealed that this was an easy way of making money and that they used religion as a shield. They were also in touch with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI for weapon support. Agencies are also investigating if they also received any drone weapons from the ISI in the recent past.
These associates also told Singh wanted to make money to settle in some European country.
CNN-News18 had also reported how Singh had applied for UK visa in February. CNN-News18 had also accessed pictures and videos from the phones of his associates giving weapon training to kids for recruitment in the AKF.
HIS NEW VIDEO
A new video of Singh with his key aide Papalpreet Singh surfaced on social media on Tuesday, showing the pro-Khalistan preacher without a turban and wearing a mask.
The undated CCTV footage, said to be from a market in Delhi, showed the fugitive walking down a street wearing dark glasses. Behind him, Papalpreet Singh could be seen walking with a bag.
There is no official word from Punjab Police on the fresh footage.
A senior Delhi Police official said they are probing whether the persons seen in the video are Singh and his aide. “So far we don’t have any such information, nor the location where the video was shot has been confirmed to be of Delhi. However, we are verifying it," the official said.
The video has emerged a day after a picture of Amritpal Singh and Papalpreet Singh was widely circulated on social media. That image showed both these men looking relaxed and Singh holding a beverage can.
Papalpreet Singh is said to be Amritpal Singh’s mentor. He was allegedly in contact with the ISI.
With PTI inputs
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