Chandigarh/Amritsar, September 16: Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border narcotics and illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of four persons and the recovery of 27 kg of heroin, a foreign-made .30 bore PX5 pistol and three cartridges, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

The action was carried out as part of the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vishal Singh alias Shalu, Manpreet Singh alias Sunny and Smartpreet Singh, all residents of Bhalla Colony in Chheharta, Amritsar, and Karan Singh, a resident of village Bhusse in Tarn Taran.

Police also impounded a black-coloured Splendor motorcycle, bearing registration number PB02-CW-6647, and a grey-coloured Honda Activa, bearing registration number PB02-EX-4503, allegedly being used for smuggling activities.

According to DGP Gaurav Yadav, preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were operating in coordination with a Dubai-based operative and cross-border smugglers. After receiving consignments of drugs and illegal arms, they were allegedly instructed by their handlers to further distribute the material.

The DGP said investigators also found that the accused were using encrypted communication platforms to contact their handlers, apparently to evade detection by law enforcement agencies.

Sharing details of the operation, Yadav said CI Amritsar teams had received specific information that Vishal, Manpreet, Smartpreet and Karan had obtained a large drone-dropped consignment of heroin and arms from the Indo-Pak border area near Attari. They were allegedly preparing to deliver the consignment to another party near Adda Khasa in Amritsar.

Acting swiftly on the intelligence input, CI teams conducted a raid and intercepted the suspects near the Bus Shelter at Khasa. During the search, police recovered 27 kg of heroin, one sophisticated foreign-made .30 bore PX5 pistol and three cartridges.

DGP Yadav said further investigation was underway to establish the complete backward and forward linkages of the network and identify all individuals involved in the alleged smuggling operation.

A case, FIR No. 58 dated September 15, 2026, has been registered at Police Station State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, under Sections 21, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act.