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Khyber-made guns’ power Punjab’s crime surge
Of the 2,000-plus illegal pistols seized in the past three years, over 800 were traced to Khyber Pass region, highlighting a surge in smuggling and growing use of advanced weapons in major crimes, according to data compiled by the state police.
The rising influx of Pakistan’s Khyber Pass-manufactured Glock-style pistols has become a fresh challenge for Punjab Police, with gangsters moving away from country-made ‘desi katas’ once sourced from Madhya Pradesh.
Of the 2,000-plus illegal pistols seized in the past three years, over 800 were traced to Khyber Pass region, highlighting a surge in smuggling and growing use of advanced weapons in major crimes, according to data compiled by the state police.
The trend has seen a sharp uptick over the past year. Since January 2025 alone, more than 500 Khyber-made pistols have been seized. On Friday, the counter- intelligence (CI) wing in Amritsar busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of two accused and recovered 10 foreign-made pistols manufactured in Khyber Pass.
Police sources said the weapons are primarily smuggled into Punjab from across the international border via drones. The modus operandi involves Pakistan-based smugglers sending consignments, often of heroin, along with at least one pistol. These drops are then retrieved by local handlers and distributed further based on demand. In the illegal market, these pistols are priced between ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh, a senior police officer privy to development said.
The increasing influx of such firearms has raised serious concerns among security agencies, with the convergence of organised crime and cross-border terror networks posing a growing threat to law and order in the region, the police said.
Deputy inspector general (DIG), anti-gangster task force (AGTF), Gurmeet Chauhan, said the shift away from Madhya Pradesh-made weapons is largely due to the superior quality of Khyber-made pistols.
“Country-made desi pistols are outdated now. Khyber-made pistols closely match the precision and performance of original Glock weapons. With demand rising, smugglers are making desperate attempts to push more pistols from across the border into Punjab,” he said.
A senior police officer posted in the field also had a similar assessment, noting that while MP-made firearms were cheaper, they lacked accuracy and reliability.
“In contrast, Khyber-made pistols offer performance comparable to original sophisticated weapons, making them more attractive to organised crime groups,” the SSP-rank officer said, requesting anonymity.
Another senior officer posted in border areas pointed to a deeper nexus.
“Punjab-based gangs have established links with Pakistan-based smugglers and their ISI handlers. Weapons are dropped via drones, picked up by local operatives, and supplied to gangsters. In cases involving specific terror assignments, these consignments are directly routed to designated modules,” the officer, who didn’t wish to be named, said.
According to AGTF officials, “foreign-made” pistols are now being used in almost every major organised crime case in the state. In a recent incident involving the killing of two police personnel in Gurdaspur district, Khyber-made weapons were reportedly used.
Why Khyber-made pistols?
These pistols are locally manufactured in and around the Khyber Pass in Pakistan and are essentially handmade replicas of popular international models such as Glock, Beretta and Russian Tokarev. Produced in small, informal workshops using basic machinery, these weapons are crafted by skilled artisans who specialise in reverse engineering branded firearms. In many cases, fake markings—such as “Made in Austria”—are stamped to mimic original Glock pistols.
The region has a long tradition of gun-making and historically has witnessed weak state control. Demand for such weapons surged during prolonged conflicts, including the Soviet–Afghan War, and continued through subsequent insurgencies.
Key recoveries
March 27 CI wing, Amritsar, arrests two with 10 sophisticated pistols
March 19 Six persons, including a juvenile, arrested, seven pistols seized in Amritsar
March 14 Police recover two Glock pistols and a AK-47 rifle in Gharinda in Amritsar (rural)
March 6 CI seizes 10 pistols, including Austria-made Glock and Pakistan-made PX5 models in Amritsar
June 1, 2025 Amritsar police seize eight pistols
