Gangster with Pakistan link among seven held with cache of arms in Kapurthala

Accused Billa Mandiala was associated with now dead Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harmeet Singh Happy

In a major breakthrough, the Punjab Police have arrested most wanted gangster and drug smuggler Baljinder Singh Billa Mandiala and his six accomplices from Kapurthala district with a large consignment of highly sophisticated weapons smuggled from Pakistan.

Billa Mandiala had close links with the now dead Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harmeet Singh Happy.

The police also recovered Rs 3 lakh drug money from the gang that reportedly smuggled consignments from Pakistan at different times through several modes, including drones.

Director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said the arrests were made in a joint operation by the Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU) team from Chandigarh, counter-intelligence Jalandhar unit and Kapurthala police on Thursday evening. The accused were nabbed in Dadwindi and Mothanwala area under Sultanpur Lodhi police station.

Billa, who hails from Mandiala village of Gurdaspur, has been a notorious drug smuggler, but it has now emerged that he had been involved in supply of arms for past few years.

During preliminary investigations, Billa Mandiala has revealed that he was in contact with various Pakistan-based weapon and drug smugglers, including Mirza and Ahmdeen, and had already received many consignments of weapons and drugs from them, mostly in the Ferozepur area.

Mirza was allegedly working as courier on Indo-Pak border for operatives of KLF.

Others arrested in the operation included Sukhjinder Singh from Kamoke village of Amritsar, Kapurthala-based Mohit Sharma, Lovepreet Singh, Mangal Singh, Maninderjeet Singh Happy and Lovepreet Lovely of Amarkot village in Tarn Taran.

Billa Mandiala was wanted in more than 18 criminal cases, including those of murder, attempt to murder and smuggling of weapons/drugs.

All the accused have been kept separately as they are being tested for Covid-19 by a special team of doctors, police said.

THE RECOVERY

The DGP said the police have recovered highly sophisticated arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan, from the accused.

These include two 30-bore drum machine guns, three pistols (Sig Sauer made in Germany), two Glock pistols (made in Austria), two 30 bore pistols, one 32 bore pistol, one .315 bore rifle and 341 live cartridges. Besides, over Rs 3 lakh and 100 Australian dollars were recovered from them.

Terming it as one of the biggest caches of highly sophisticated weapons from a criminal gang, Gupta said Sig Suaer pistols are used by members of US Secret Service.

The police are investigating the role of militants in the supply chain of illegal weapons from Pakistan.

A case has been registered against all the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act at police station Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala.