In a major breakthrough amid the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police have busted a cross-border drug and arms smuggling module with the arrest of three accused.
The police have recovered 915 grams of ICE (methamphetamine) and five sophisticated pistols from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, here on Thursday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha (21), Sola Singh alias Sonu (29), and Karan Singh (22), all residents of village Sahanke in Ferozepur. The recovered weapons include two 9mm Glock pistols and three .30 bore pistols, along with two live cartridges.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms and were receiving contraband via drones from across the border. The accused were acting as local handlers for the distribution of drugs and illegal arms, he added.
He further stated that investigations are underway to trace both forward and backward linkages in order to dismantle the entire network.
Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said that in a targeted operation based on specific intelligence inputs, police teams arrested the suspects—Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, Sola Singh alias Sonu, and Karan Singh.
During the operation, one .30 bore pistol was initially recovered. Subsequently, based on their disclosure, 915 grams of ICE and four additional pistols were recovered from their possession.
The CP further said that the probe has revealed that consignments of drugs and weapons were dropped in densely forested areas of the Ferozepur sector. The accused would retrieve these consignments from such locations and supply them to different areas.
An FIR has been registered in the case under Section 22-C of the NDPS Act and Sections 25 (6, 7(iii), and 8) of the Arms Act at Police Station Gate Hakima in Amritsar.