Cross-border arms smuggling module busted in Tarn Taran, one arrested

The recovered weapons include four .30 bore pistols along with magazines and one 9MM pistol along with magazine, said Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav

The Punjab Police on Sunday busted a cross-border arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan following an arrest of one person. Five pistols were recovered from the arrested individual, director general of police Gaurav Yadav said in a statement.

The five pistols recovered by Punjab Police. (HT)

The arrested person has been identified as Sandeep Singh, a resident of Khalra village in Tarn Taran. The recovered weapons include four .30 bore pistols along with magazines and one 9MM pistol along with magazine. Police teams have also impounded his Royal Enfield (Bullet) motorcycle being used for transporting the consignments.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused, along with wanted associate Saifli Singh, had been retrieving weapon consignments on the directions of a Pakistan-based handler and supplying them to criminals and gangsters in Punjab, said DGP Yadav. The latter has been using drones to drop the consignments from across the border, he added.

Sharing operation details, the DGP said the counterintelligence wing of Amritsar police had received a specific input about movement of a huge consignment of illegal weapons from Indo-Pak border area near Khalra village. Acting swiftly, police team of CI-Amritsar intercepted accused Sandeep near village Thatha in Tarn Taran when he was going to deliver the consignment to some party.

Further investigation is underway to identify forward and backward linkages and dismantle the entire network, the DGP said.