In a major breakthrough amid the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, Amritsar Commissionerate Police have busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of five accused persons and the recovery of eight sophisticated pistols along with live cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Arshdeep Singh alias D (21), a resident of Guru Ki Wadali in Amritsar; Manpreet Singh alias Mann (26), a resident of village Bhaini in Amritsar; Sukhraj Singh alias Billa (29), a resident of village Naushera Dhalla in Tarn Taran; Rahul Gill alias Rahul (22), a native of Bhikhiwind and presently residing in village Drajke in Tarn Taran; and Arshdeep Singh alias Gagarh (25), a resident of village Lohke in Tarn Taran.
The accused have criminal antecedents, with cases registered against them under the Arms Act, NDPS Act, Prison Act, and for offences including attempted murder and kidnapping.
The recovered weapons include one 9MM Zigana pistol, one .30 bore PX3 pistol (Made in China), one .30 bore Beretta pistol (Made in Italy), three 9MM Glock pistols, and two .32 bore pistols.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused were in contact with a foreign-based smuggler through virtual numbers.
The module was receiving consignments of weapons and drugs via drones from across the border for further distribution to criminal elements in Punjab, he said.
The DGP added that further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in the case and identify other members associated with the network.
Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on reliable inputs, police teams apprehended accused Rahul Gill alias Rahul and recovered two pistols from his possession.
During further investigation, acting on the disclosure statement of accused Rahul, police arrested Arshdeep alias Gagarh and recovered one Glock pistol from his possession, he said.
He further said that during the course of investigation, police teams identified and arrested two more operatives — Arshdeep alias D and Manpreet alias Mann — while they were travelling on a motorcycle near Meeri Peeri Academy Road in Chheharta, Amritsar.
Police recovered two pistols from their possession, while another two pistols were recovered based on their disclosure statements.
During interrogation, both accused Arshdeep alias D and Manpreet alias Mann disclosed that the recovered weapons and ammunition had been purchased from accused Sukhraj alias Billa, said CP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Acting on their disclosure statements, police subsequently arrested Sukhraj alias Billa and recovered one .30 bore Beretta pistol from his possession.
In this regard, two separate cases — FIR No. 106 dated 18-05-2026 under Section 25 of the Arms Act and FIR No. 110 dated 21-05-2026 under Sections 25 (6, 7, 8) of the Arms Act — have been registered at Police Station Chheharta in Amritsar.