Punjab Police busted five smuggling rings in Amritsar, arresting 10 people including an army soldier on Tuesday. Officers recovered 24 pistols and 20kg of heroin from the suspects. DGP Gaurav Yadav said, "The accused were in contact with a foreign-based handler." Police are now investigating the group's cross-border links further.
Punjab Police have busted multiple illegal arms and narcotics smuggling networks in separate operations in Amritsar district, arresting 10 people, including an army soldier, and recovering 24 sophisticated pistols and more than 20kg of heroin, officials said on Tuesday.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said rural police dismantled four illegal arms and narcotics supply networks, leading to the arrest of seven individuals. In a separate operation, the counter intelligence (CI), Amritsar, busted a cross-border arms smuggling module and arrested three more suspects.
The seven arrested by Amritsar rural police have been identified as Uday (19) and Patras (19), both residents of Mastgarh in Tarn Taran; Army soldier Yudhvir Singh (22), a resident of Ranike village; Sajan Singh (19) and Sahilpreet (20), both residents of Naraingarh; Jarmanjot Singh (20), a resident of Sialka; and Sahibnoor Singh (21), a resident of Jujhar Singh Nagar in Batala.
According to the DGP, preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with a foreign-based handler who facilitated illegal arms consignments for distribution among criminal elements through an organised network. Further investigations are underway to identify other members and establish the network's cross-border links, he said.
Inspector general of police (IGP), border range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said in the first operation, Gharinda police intercepted Uday and Patras while they were travelling towards Khemkaran after retrieving a drone-dropped consignment of 10 pistols, including one 9mm and nine .30-bore weapons. Investigations revealed that the duo had allegedly retrieved and supplied at least 20-25 consignments of weapons previously.
In the second operation, a joint team of the crime investigation agency (CIA), Amritsar rural, and Gharinda police arrested Yudhvir Singh, who was home on leave from the army, and recovered a .30-bore pistol from him. Police said he had previously been arrested in an Arms Act case. A detailed report on his alleged involvement in cross-border smuggling is being sent to senior army authorities, police said.
In the third operation, police arrested Sajan Singh and Sahilpreet and recovered more than 20kg of heroin. In another operation, a joint team of the special cell and Kathunangal police arrested Jarmanjot Singh and Sahibnoor Singh and recovered two pistols.
In another operation, the CI Amritsar arrested three men -- Daljit Singh and Gurjant Singh, both residents of Singhoki village, and Arshdeep Singh of Nisoke village -- and recovered 10 foreign-made .30-bore pistols and magazines. Their motorcycle, allegedly used to transport the weapons, was also impounded.
Police said the suspects had allegedly retrieved a fresh drone-dropped consignment in the Ramdas sector and were heading towards Verka Bypass to deliver the weapons. They were intercepted near the Fatehgarh Shukarchak underpass.
Cases under the Arms Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been registered in the respective cases.