Punjab Newsline | Amritsar
Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled six illegal arms supply networks with the arrest of eight individuals and the recovery of 13 illegal pistols along with 23 live cartridges.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gurdeep Singh alias Deep (24) and Dharminder Singh alias Bhinda (34), both residents of Rangarh village in Amritsar Rural; Amit (23) of Guru Ki Wadali, Amritsar; Harpreet Singh alias Happy Niana (26) of Narayangarh, Amritsar; Chamkaur Singh (30) of Waan Tara Singh village in Tarn Taran; Karanpreet Singh (22) of Noordi village in Tarn Taran; Gaurav (26) of Katra Karam Singh, Amritsar; and Varun Kumar alias Vicky Gill (33) of Bhai Manj Singh Road, Amritsar.
According to the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, the recovered weapons include two .30 bore Zigana pistols made in Turkey, two .30 bore pistols made in China, one 9mm pistol and eight .30 bore pistols. Police teams also impounded an Activa scooter allegedly being used for smuggling activities.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested individuals were allegedly connected to foreign-based smugglers and were procuring illegal weapons for further distribution and use in criminal activities. He added that police have established links between the accused and other associates involved in the illegal arms supply network.
He said further investigations are underway to uncover the complete backward and forward linkages of the network, identify other individuals involved and dismantle the broader arms trafficking chain.
Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Harmanbir Singh Gill said police teams arrested Gurdeep Singh alias Deep and Dharminder Singh alias Bhinda, recovering two pistols and seven live cartridges from their possession.
In three separate operations, police arrested Amit, Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Chamkaur Singh, recovering three pistols along with live cartridges from their possession.
In another operation conducted during routine naka checking, police apprehended Karanpreet Singh and recovered one pistol along with six live cartridges. Police also arrested Varun Kumar alias Vicky Gill and Gaurav, recovering one pistol and four live cartridges from them.
Six separate cases under the Arms Act have been registered at various police stations in Amritsar, including Chheharta, Gate Hakima, Sultanwind and D-Division police stations. Further investigations are in progress
