Amritsar/Chandigarh: Punjab Police have busted two alleged cross-border drug and illegal arms supply networks in Amritsar, arresting seven people and recovering 10 illegal pistols, 1.054 kg of heroin, a drone and live ammunition, police said on Monday.
The arrests were made during an ongoing drive to strengthen security in the state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said.
The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh alias Bhullar, 28, Husanpreet Singh, 21, Ahmed Raja, 21, Jagseer Singh alias Bobby, 26, Navideep Singh, 20, Anmoldeep Singh, 19, and Manjinder Singh alias Manga, 37.
According to DGP Yadav, preliminary investigations indicate that the accused were in contact with foreign-based smugglers allegedly facilitating the supply of illegal arms and heroin across the International Border. Police are now probing the wider network and its forward and backward linkages.
The recovered weapons include pistols identified as a Turkish-made .30-bore Zigana, an Austrian-made 9mm Glock, a 9mm PX5, two .30-bore pistols made in China, two .30-bore Star Mark pistols, a .30-bore pistol, another Glock 9mm and a .30-bore PX3, besides five live cartridges.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill said the operation began with the arrest of Kuldeep Singh and Husanpreet Singh, from whom two pistols and two live cartridges were recovered. Their interrogation allegedly led police to Ahmed Raja and Jagseer Singh, resulting in the recovery of five more pistols and three live cartridges.
Police said the weapons were allegedly intended to target a rival gang member over an old rivalry. Ahmed Raja was also found to have been previously involved in cases relating to murder, the Arms Act and theft, according to the police.
In a separate operation, police arrested Navideep Singh and Anmoldeep Singh and recovered 1.054 kg of heroin. Further investigation led to the recovery of three sophisticated pistols and a drone allegedly used for sorties across the border. Manjinder Singh alias Manga was subsequently arrested.
Police said two separate FIRs have been registered at Amritsar’s Cantonment and D-Division police stations under provisions of the Arms Act, NDPS Act and Aircraft Act.
The investigation remains underway to identify additional suspects, establish the complete chain of supply and uncover the alleged foreign-based links behind the networks.
