Cross-border arms smuggling racket busted, 1 held

The arrested person has been identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Kaka, a native of Havellian village in Tarn Taran and currently residing at village Saidpur in Amritsar Rural. Police teams have also recovered three sophisticated pistols— two 9MM Glock and one .30 bore China Made Pistol— along with four cartridges, besides, impounding his Honda Activa.

The Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, has busted a Pakistan-backed weapon smuggling racket being operated by absconding smuggler Manjot Singh alias Mannu from Dubai with the arrest of its one operative a, said director general of police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.

The Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, has busted a Pakistan-backed weapon smuggling racket being operated by absconding smuggler Manjot Singh alias Mannu from Dubai with the arrest of its one operative a, said director general of police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday. (HT Photo)

The arrested person has been identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Kaka, a native of Havellian village in Tarn Taran and currently residing at village Saidpur in Amritsar Rural. Police teams have also recovered three sophisticated pistols— two 9MM Glock and one .30 bore China Made Pistol— along with four cartridges, besides, impounding his Honda Activa.

Yadav said that following an input that a foreign-based Indian individual Manjot Singh alias Mannu has been operating a weapon smuggling racket through Pakistan with the help of his India-based individuals, the CI Amritsar launched an intel-based operation and arrested the accused Gurpreet Singh at a special naka at Khurmanian village, Amritsar, on link road from Ram Tirath village, when he was going to deliver the weapon consignment.

He said that preliminary investigation has revealed that Manjot is the kingpin of this network and was using encrypted apps to contact his Pakistan-based weapon smugglers. The arrested accused used to retrieve weapon consignment dropped using drones from across the border and further supply it to the gangsters in various cities of Punjab on the directions of accused Manjot, he added.

Manjot is wanted by the Punjab Police in NDPS case registered against him in Tarn Taran in 2022. Moreover, the arrested accused Gurpreet has also been facing criminal case under the NDPS Act.

An FIR has been registered under sections 25 and 25(1) (a) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the BNS Act at Police Station State Special Operations Cell, Amritsar.