How Amritpal Singh got money to fund Waris Punjab De: Rs 40 crore foreign funds, farmers protest link

As Waris Punjab De chief and Khalistani leader, Amritpal Singh remains absconding, the Punjab Police and intelligence agencies are searching for a new lead to track down the money train behind his radical outfit, linking it to foreign funds.

The authorities have taken under scanner transactions over the course of seven years, exploring the money trail which led to Amritpal Singh funding his radical outfit Waris Punjab De and pushing Khalistani activity in Punjab and other cities.

According to the authorities, Amritpal Singh had received foreign funds worth crores from entities linked to the United Kingdom and other countries, allegedly for pushing Khalistani activities. These transactions ranged up to Rs 40 crore.

Reports have also stated that Amritpal's close aide Daljeet Singh Kalsi had received a sum of Rs 35 crores recently. In some cases, the money was sent in the name of promoting religious activities. The money trail linked to Amritpal’s wife Kirandeep and his father is also being explored.

Apart from foreign funds, it is also being reported that Amritpal Singh swindled funds from the farmer's protests in 2020 when people were making donations to the farmer outfits and those who passed away during the protests due to the extreme weather conditions.

Further, Amritpal Singh’s wife Kirandeep Kaur had made transactions worth Rs 4 crore over a period of time through ATMs in Punjab, which have now come under scrutiny. It is expected that Amritpal swindled around Rs 50 crores over the last 5 years.

Amritpal Singh still remains at large as the Punjab Police is attempting to nab him through an intricate manhunt, as the mobile and internet services in Punjab remain suspended for the last five days.

Amritpal changed his appearance multiple times as he was fleeing the police, and hid out in a gurdwara where he held the sarpanch at gunpoint till he changed his clothes and fled the area. He was also hiding out at a woman’s house in Haryana, who has since been arrested.

READ | DNA Explainer: How Amritpal Singh slipped away amid Punjab Police crackdown? Details of his escape revealed