In a swift, intelligence-led operation, as part of the ongoing crackdown to make Punjab a safe and secure state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted a cross-border arms smuggling network.
Four individuals were arrested in the case and seven sophisticated pistols were recovered from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, on Thursday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash (20), resident of village Daoke, Amritsar; Ramanpreet Singh (23), resident of village Bagha Kalan, Amritsar; Pratap Singh (25), resident of village Sur Singh, Ferozepur; and Sarbjit Singh alias Babbal (25), resident of Debi Wala Bazar, Amritsar.
The recovered firearms include two 9mm PX5 pistols, two 9mm Glock pistols, and three .30 bore pistols.
DGP Gaurav Yadav revealed that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and were receiving illegal weapon consignments near the Indo-Pak border. Operating from border villages, they were supplying these arms to criminal gangs across Punjab.
He added that further investigation is ongoing to uncover the forward and backward linkages in the case and to dismantle the entire network.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, while sharing further details, said in view of heightened security measures ahead of Independence Day, police teams acting on specific intelligence inputs apprehended Akash and Raman from the jurisdiction of Police Station Chheharta, recovering four pistols—two PX5 9mm and two .30 bore.
Based on their disclosures, their accomplices Pratap Singh and Sarbjit Singh alias Babbal were also arrested from the same area, and three additional pistols were recovered.
CP Bhullar noted that Akash, who resides close to the International Border, along with Raman, used to receive arms consignments from across the border. Sarbjit and Pratap coordinated and managed the downstream distribution of the weapons. He emphasized that the arrests have helped avert a major criminal incident in the region.
He further stated that the investigation is ongoing and more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.
An FIR was registered in the case on August 2 under Section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Chheharta, Amritsar.