Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Aug 10: Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled two major cross-border drug and illegal arms supply networks with the arrest of seven persons and recovery of 10 pistols, 1.054 kg heroin and a drone, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.
The arrested have been identified as Kuldeep Singh alias Bhullar (28), Husanpreet Singh (21), Ahmed Raja (21), Jagseer Singh alias Bobby (26), Navideep Singh (20), Anmoldeep Singh (19), and Manjinder Singh alias Manga (37).
The recovered weapons include one .30-bore Zigana pistol made in Turkiye, one 9mm Glock made in Austria, one 9mm PX5, two .30-bore pistols made in China, two .30-bore Star Mark pistols, one .30-bore pistol, one Glock 9mm and one .30-bore PX3, along with five cartridges.
DGP Yadav said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were in contact with foreign-based smugglers who were facilitating the supply of illegal arms and heroin from across the international border.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill said police teams initially arrested Kuldeep Singh and Husanpreet Singh following a tip-off and recovered two pistols and two cartridges from their possession.
During interrogation and further investigation, the arrested accused disclosed details about their associates allegedly involved in the illegal arms supply network.
Acting on their disclosures, police arrested Ahmed Raja and Jagseer Singh and recovered five more illegal pistols and three cartridges from their possession, Gill said.
He said the weapons were allegedly intended to be used to target a member of an opposite gang in connection with an old rivalry.
The investigation also revealed that Ahmed Raja had previously been involved in criminal cases, including cases related to murder, the Arms Act and theft, the Commissioner of Police said.
Sharing details of the second operation, Gill said police initially arrested Navideep Singh and Anmoldeep Singh and recovered 1.054 kg of heroin from their possession.
During further investigation and sustained interrogation, police recovered three sophisticated pistols and a drone allegedly used to carry out sorties across the international border.
Another accused, Manjinder Singh, was subsequently arrested, he said.
Further investigation into both networks is underway.