Why did fugitive preacher Amritpal Singh decide to surrender?

For over a month, Amritpal Singh had given a tough time to the Punjab cops as they found it difficult to nab him.

On Sunday, Amritpal Singh was arrested in Rode village in Punjab's Moga district. While the Punjab IGP Sukhchain Singh claimed that the radical preacher was arrested at 6.45 am, former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode claimed that fugitive Amritpal Singh surrendered before the police.

This left many wondering why the fugitive preacher finally decided to surrender.

Well, he decided to surrender fearing the safety of his wife Kirandeep Kaur, a British national, India Today reported citing sources in the Punjab Government. He was under pressure as his wife came under surveillance. He feared that the cops might implicate her for assisting him to escape, the report said.

She wanted to leave India before her visa expires in July and the fugitive preacher could not flee the country as he wanted his wife to get out of the country, sources added.

According to Punjab's Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill, a joint operation was launched by Amritsar Police and the Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. "He was located in village Rode based on inputs from the Punjab police. He was surrounded by all sides by the Punjab police," the IGP said.

However, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann monitored the entire operation throughout the night and around 4 am it was confirmed that the radical preacher was surrounded from all sides, sources further said.

On Thursday, Kirandeep Kaur 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.

Amritpal Singh had tied the knot to Kirandeep Kaur in February this year. She was going to the UK for the first time after her marriage.

Amritpal and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants. The cops had launched the crackdown against him on March 18.