Chandigarh: Punjab gangster Amritpal Singh Bath, wanted in nearly two dozen criminal cases, has been detained in Canada following a routine traffic stop in Surrey, British Columbia.Bath, a resident of Mianpur village in Tarn Taran district and husband of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s Tarn Taran constituency in-charge Kanchanpreet Kaur, was arrested Oct 8 in Surrey’s Whalley neighbourhood. Surrey Police Service spokesperson Ian MacDonald said an officer pulled over an erratically driven vehicle to check for impairment.Bath, travelling as a passenger, allegedly presented fake identification under the name, Harpreet Singh. Further checks revealed an Interpol Red Notice for homicide in India. “The ID did not look genuine,” MacDonald said, explaining why the officer investigated further. Canadian authorities were previously unaware of his presence in the country, MacDonald added.The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) took Bath into custody, while Punjab Police has initiated paperwork to bring him back to India.Tarn Taran SSP Surendra Lamba said, “We have initiated the documentation to secure his extradition. Bath is wanted in about two dozen cases, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, NDPS Act and the Arms Act.“Bath is married to Kanchanpreet Kaur, the SAD constituency in-charge for Tarn Taran, having been appointed to the post by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal in March 2026.Kanchanpreet came into political spotlight during the Nov 2025 Tarn Taran assembly bypoll, while campaigning for her mother, Principal Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, (SAD candidate), who polled 30,558 votes against AAP’s Harmeet Singh Sandhu, who won with 42,649 votes.Kanchanpreet was arrested in Nov 2025 in connection with four cases registered during the election period. SAD leaders called the charges politically motivated.In the early hours of Dec 1, 2025, a court ordered Kanchanpreet’s release after proceedings that lasted through the night. The order followed Punjab and Haryana High Court questioning the legality of her arrest.The controversy also became part of a wider dispute over the conduct of the police during the Tarn Taran bypoll. Election Commission ordered a review of complaints alleging wrongful registration of cases and arrests during the Model Code of Conduct period.
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