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Punjab: 6 linked to arms supply networks held in Amritsar, 14 pistols seized
The recovered pistols include one .30-bore TISAS Zigana, one .30-bore Zigana Eagle, seven .30-bore firearms, one .30-bore China-made pistol, two 9mm and two .32-bore pistols
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Busting two illegal arms supply networks, the Amritsar police arrested six individuals and seized 14 sophisticated pistols from their possession, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday.
Those arrested have been identified as Bobby Singh and Ravinder Singh alias Manna, both residents of Talwandi Shoba Singh village in Tarn Taran; Gurpreet Singh alias Preet, a native of Kohala village and currently residing at Max City Jandpeer Colony in Amritsar; Kamal of Sandhu Colony in Amritsar; Ajay Singh alias Kaka of Essma Estate in Amritsar; and Swaran Singh of Sector 17 in Panchkula, Haryana.
The recovered pistols include one .30-bore TISAS Zigana, one .30-bore Zigana Eagle, seven .30-bore firearms, one .30-bore China-made pistol, two 9mm and two .32-bore pistols.
According to the DGP, a preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were in contact with foreign-based handlers through social media platforms, who facilitated the supply of illegal weapons through drone-based consignments. The accused allegedly collected these consignments and further supplied the weapons to individuals involved in criminal activities, he said.
The DGP said that further investigation is underway to identify other associates to establish the complete backward and forward linkages in this case to dismantle the wider illegal arms supply networks.
Sharing operational details, Amritsar police commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said that in the first operation, police teams, acting on reliable inputs, arrested five men — Bobby Singh, Ravinder alias Manna, Gurpreet alias Preet, Kamal and Ajay alias Kaka — and recovered six illegal pistols.
In the second operation, Swaran Singh was caught with eight illegal pistols, he said.
The Chheharta police station registered an FIR under Sections 25(6,7,8) of the Arms Act while the Civil Lines police invoked Sections 25 (6,7,8) of the Arms Act, officials added.
