New Delhi: Amritpal Singh Bath, 33, alias Harpreet Singh, a fugitive wanted in nearly two dozen criminal cases in Punjab, including murder, has been arrested by Surrey Police in Canada and handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Authorities are preparing the formalities required to send him back to India.
India had sought Interpol’s assistance to trace and arrest Bath. After information emerged that he was in Canada, Surrey Police were alerted, according to the account of the investigation.
Punjab police have linked Bath, a native of Tarn Taran district, to several alleged crimes, including conspiring in the murders of an elderly sarpanch from Lalu Ghuman village and another village sarpanch, Goldy Cheema.
The cases against him also include alleged extortion and drug trafficking, as well as alleged links with the banned Khalistan Zindabad Force, district police chief Surinder Lamba has said.
An Indian police official confirmed the arrest and said the necessary immigration documents would be prepared and sent to Canadian authorities to facilitate Bath’s return to India.
Surrey Police also confirmed the arrest, stating that extradition falls outside their jurisdiction. Bath was therefore handed over to the RCMP, which is handling the process related to his return to India.
The allegations against Bath remain subject to legal proceedings.
