Punjab: Arms smuggling module busted, 6 held with 10 pistols in Amritsar

The arrested accused have been in contact with a foreign-based smuggler, who has been pushing huge consignments of weapons into the Indian territory via drones and other means

Amritsar commissionerate police on Friday busted a trans-border arms smuggling module backed by foreign-based handlers with the arrest of six persons.

The weapons seized by police in Amritsar on Friday. (HT Photo)

The police recovered 10 pistols, including three sophisticated 9mm Glock pistols, along with 10 cartridges from their possession, said director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.

Those arrested have been identified as Vinod Kumar, alias Rangeela, of Putlighar, Yuvraj Singh of Roriwala in Amritsar, Surkhap Singh of Roriwala in Amritsar, Jugraj Singh, alias Jaggu, of Plah Sahib Road in Amritsar, Amritpal Singh of Sherpur in Batala and Prabhdeep Singh, alias Harman, of Mumrai in Batala.

The DGP said preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused have been in contact with a foreign-based smuggler, who has been pushing huge consignments of weapons into the Indian territory via drones and other means.

Sharing more details, Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that following reliable inputs about the involvement of accused Amritpal in smuggling of weapons, police teams from CIA Amritsar laid a trap and arrested him along with Prabhdeep from Batala Road in Amritsar. On their disclosure, police teams recovered two 9mm Glock pistols and five .32-bore pistols along with six cartridges from the location revealed by them near Verka bypass.

In another operation based on intel inputs about illegal weapon smuggling, Bhullar said that police teams nabbed one Jugraj Singh along with his three accomplices from near Khalsa College and on their disclosure, recovered a Glock pistol and two .32-bore pistols along with four cartridges concealed at an isolated location near Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.

Two separate cases under Sections 25 of the Arms Act and Section 111(1)(2)(3)(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been registered.