Punjab Newsline | Amritsar
Amritsar Commissionerate Police has achieved a major breakthrough by busting an illegal arms smuggling module operating in Punjab with alleged cross-border links to Pakistan. In a coordinated operation based on a tip-off in the Cantonment area, police arrested five accused, including a minor, and recovered six modern pistols along with 14 live cartridges.
Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar informed that the main accused has been identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash, who was ранее booked under the NDPS Act and had spent time in jail. After his release, he allegedly re-established contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms.
Investigations revealed that the accused network was operating under instructions from handlers based in Pakistan. The group allegedly used drones in the Attari sector to receive arms consignments, which were later distributed to criminals in Punjab.
Police first arrested Akashdeep Singh and Harmandeep Singh, recovering two pistols and six cartridges from their possession. Based on interrogation leads, one more pistol was recovered. Further investigation led to the arrest of Manish Singh, Kishan Singh, and a juvenile, from whom three additional foreign-made pistols and six cartridges were seized.
Officials said the recovered weapons include Glock 9mm pistols manufactured in Austria and Croatia, a .32 bore pistol made in Italy, and a .30 bore pistol manufactured in the United States.
Police also revealed that the accused were targeting unemployed youth in villages, luring them with money to expand their smuggling and distribution network.
