Amritsar: Punjab Police have dismantled three illegal arms supply networks with the arrest of eight people, including a 17-year-old juvenile, and recovered 15 sophisticated pistols and 15 live cartridges, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.
The arrests were made by the Amritsar Commissionerate Police 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 Satnam Singh alias Sukha, 20, and Bhalla Singh, 26, both from Moga; Gautam Singh alias Billa, 23, Manvir Singh alias Gurvir Singh, 24, and Jaskarandeep Singh alias Jassa, 23; Simranjit Sandhu alias Billa, 27; Abhi alias Bawa, 25; and a 17-year-old juvenile.
The seized weapons include three .30 bore Beretta pistols made in Italy, one .30 bore PX-5 Storm, one .30 bore pistol made in China, eight other .30 bore pistols and two .32 bore pistols. Police also seized 15 live cartridges and impounded two cars allegedly used in criminal activities.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations indicated that the accused were allegedly linked to foreign-based arms smugglers and were procuring illegal firearms for further distribution among criminal elements in the region.
He said investigators had also identified links with other associates allegedly involved in the illegal arms supply network. Further investigation is underway to establish the complete backward and forward linkages and identify additional persons involved.
Giving details of the operations, Amritsar Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill said police first acted on specific information and arrested Satnam Singh alias Sukha and Bhalla Singh while they were travelling in a car. Five pistols and five live cartridges were recovered from their possession.
In the second operation, police arrested Gautam Singh alias Billa, Manvir Singh alias Gurvir Singh and Jaskarandeep Singh alias Jassa, recovering seven illegal pistols and 10 live cartridges. Their car was also impounded.
In the third operation, police arrested Simranjit Sandhu alias Billa. His associates Abhi alias Bawa and the juvenile were subsequently apprehended. Three pistols were recovered during the investigation.
CP Gill said the probe had revealed that the accused were allegedly procuring illegal firearms from a common source and supplying them at different locations.
Three separate cases have been registered in Amritsar under the Arms Act at Cantonment, Islamabad and Chheharta police stations. The investigations are continuing to trace the wider network behind the illegal arms supply.
