Punjab Police bust cross-border arms smuggling module linked to Pakistan

Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan.

One operative has been arrested with 10 sophisticated .30 bore pistols along with magazines, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.

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The arrested individual has been identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of village Dall in Tarn Taran. He is a notorious narcotics smuggler with two cases registered against him under the NDPS Act and was recently released on bail.

This development comes a fortnight after CI Amritsar had busted a similar cross-border narcotics and arms smuggling module, arresting three operatives – Sarabjit Singh and Kulwinder Singh, both residents of Ferozepur, and Ashmandeep Singh of Tarn Taran – and recovering eight sophisticated weapons, 1 kg heroin, and ₹2.9 lakh in drug money from their possession.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused was working in collusion with a Pakistan-based smuggler who used drones to drop arms consignments across the border.

The arrested accused was further distributing these weapons to criminals and gangsters across Punjab with the intention of fueling criminal activities in the state, he added.

Sharing details of the operation, the DGP said that teams of CI Amritsar had received specific intelligence about the retrieval of a weapon consignment from the Indo-Pak border area near village Dall in Tarn Taran.

Acting swiftly, police teams intercepted suspect Harjinder Singh near Bohru Pul on the Amritsar-Jhabal road while he was en route to deliver the consignment. Illegal weapons were recovered from his possession.

Further investigations are underway to establish both backward and forward linkages in the case and to identify the individual who was supposed to receive the consignment.

An  FIR has been filed in the case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Police Station State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar.