Amritpal aide Joga Singh who helped him hide in Pilibhit arrested

Police have arrested a key aide of radical preacher Amritpal Singh for allegedly providing shelter and other assistance to the absconding Khalistan sympathiser in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.

Joga Singh, who is a resident of Ludhiana and is managing a 'dera' in Pilibhit, was coming to Punjab from Haryana, a senior police official said on Saturday, adding the police were on his trail.

"Joga Singh was in direct contact with Amritpal Singh. He arranged shelter and vehicles for Amritpal Singh. He arranged for him to stay in Pilibhit and then return to Punjab," Deputy Inspector General (Border Range) Narinder Bhargav said at a press conference.

Earlier, police said two more men have been arrested for allegedly harbouring Amritpal Singh, who has been on the run after police launched a crackdown against him last month.

The arrested men were identified as Rajdeep Singh of Babak village in Hoshiarpur district and Sarbjit Singh of Jalandhar district, the police said.

Both Rajdeep Singh and Sarbjit Singh were produced before the duty magistrate on Friday night and sent to one-day police remand.

The police launched a major crackdown against Amritpal Singh and members of his 'Waris Punjab De' outfit last month.

The Khalistan sympathiser, who is yet to be nabbed, escaped the police's net in Jalandhar district on March 18, switching vehicles and changing his appearance.