New Delhi: Pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, who was on the run for over a month, was arrested from Punjab's Moga, police said on Sunday. Punjab Police, which launched a massive crackdown against Amritpal and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De' on March 18, said he would be sent to Assam's Dibrugarh jail. The cops also urged citizens to maintain peace and harmony.


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"Amritpal Singh arrested in Moga, Punjab. Further details will be shared by Punjab Police. Urge citizens to maintain peace and harmony, don't share any fake news, always verify and share," Punjab Police said on its official Twitter account.



Amritpal and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempting to murder, attacking police personnel, and creating obstructions in public servants' lawful discharge of duty. The stringent National Security Act (NSA) was also invoked against Singh and some of his aides.


"He is an NSA subject and will be taken to Dibrugarh," a senior police official told the news agency PTI.



Nine of Amritpal's aides -- Daljit Singh Kalsi, Papalpreet Singh, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Varinder Singh Johal, Gurmeet Singh Bukkanwala, Harjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Basant Singh and Gurinderpal Singh Aujla -- are currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail.


Despite being sighted in several CCTV footage and photos with changed appearances at many places, including Patiala, Kurukshetra and Delhi, Amritpal Singh managed to remain elusive for over a month.


While on the run, two videos and one audio clip of Amritpal surfaced on social media. In one of his two videos, which surfaced on March 30, he had asserted that he was not a fugitive and would soon appear.


The pro-Khalistan preacher had claimed that he was not like those who would flee the country.


In February this year, Amritpal Singh and his supporters -- some of them brandishing swords and guns --  broke through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city, clashing with police for the release of one of Amritpal's aides.


After the incident, in which six policemen including a Superintendent of Police rank officer had suffered injuries, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government faced severe flak and was accused of kowtowing to extremists.


Earlier this week, Amritpal's wife Kirandeep Kaur was stopped from boarding a flight to London at the Sri Guru Ram Dass International Airport in Amritsar. She was questioned by the immigration authorities and some other officials for more than three hours and thereafter, asked to return along with some relatives who had come to see her off at the airport.


According to reports, she was stopped at the airport as there was a lookout circular (LoC) issued against her, however, there was no official word on it.


Amritpal married Kaur, a UK-based Non-Resident Indian, on February 10.