Punjab Newsline : Amritsar
Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar unit has busted an alleged cross-border arms smuggling network with the arrest of two men and the recovery of 10 sophisticated pistols, magazines and 10 live cartridges. According to police, the preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with a foreign-based handler and had received an illegal arms consignment through drones from across the border.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, son of Iqbal Singh, and Gurpreet Singh, son of Gulzar Singh, both residents of Hawellian village in Tarn Taran district. The recovered weapons include nine 9mm pistols and one .30-bore pistol. Police also seized a grey Bajaj Platina motorcycle, allegedly used to transport the arms consignment from one location to another.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday that CI Amritsar had received reliable information regarding the two accused. According to the information, the accused had allegedly received a large consignment of weapons through drones near the India-Pakistan border fencing in the Hawellian area. They were subsequently instructed by their foreign-based handler to deliver the weapons and ammunition to another party.
Acting swiftly on the intelligence input, police teams laid a trap and intercepted the accused near Khasa village on the Amritsar-Attari GT Road. During the search, the police recovered the weapons, magazines and live cartridges from their possession.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said investigators are now working to uncover the complete network behind the arms smuggling operation. Police teams are tracing the forward and backward linkages of the accused, while efforts are underway to identify the foreign-based handler, other accomplices and individuals involved in distributing the weapons in Punjab.
A case has been registered at the State Special Operation Cell police station in Amritsar. FIR No. 51 dated August 22, 2026, has been registered under Sections 25, 25(1)(A) and 25(8) of the Arms Act and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The investigation is underway, with police focusing on identifying the wider cross-border network and determining whether the arrested accused were involved in supplying similar consignments elsewhere in the state.
