Major Breakthrough by Amritsar Police Commissionerate
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police has achieved a major breakthrough in combating cross-border terrorism and organized crime by dismantling two major illegal arms supply networks. Law enforcement agencies successfully apprehended four individuals, including two juveniles, who were directly linked to trans-border criminal syndicates. According to statements released by Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the operation resulted in the massive recovery of 16 illegal pistols and several live cartridges. This decisive action underscores the ongoing vigilance of state security forces against networks attempting to destabilize peace in the region.
Modus Operandi and Cross-Border Handlers
Preliminary investigations into the syndicate revealed that the accused individuals were in constant touch with foreign-based handlers, predominantly operating from across the border in Pakistan. These handlers utilized covert communication channels to coordinate drone drops and clandestine consignments of sophisticated weaponry. The arrested youth and their juvenile associates were tasked with receiving these illegal shipments and distributing them to local gangsters, criminal elements, and anti-social groups throughout Punjab. The network’s primary objective was to fuel violent crimes and create a sense of terror using lethal foreign-made arms.
Details of Seizures and Arrested Accused
The targeted operations were executed based on precise intelligence inputs. The police first intercepted a juvenile suspect operating within the Cantonment police station jurisdiction, seizing six pistols and live cartridges from an Activa scooter. Subsequent intelligence-led raids led to the identification and arrest of Anmol Singh alias Mohla (19) and Hardeep Singh alias Shiv (18), both residents of Tarn Taran district, alongside another juvenile associate. A thorough search yielded an inventory of sophisticated weapons, including three 9mm Glock pistols, a Chinese-made .30-bore pistol, .30-bore X-Shot and PX-5 Storm pistols, multiple standard .30-bore pistols, and a country-made .32-bore firearm.
Ongoing Crackdown and Forward-Backward Linkages
Authorities have registered two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) under relevant sections of the Arms Act at the Cantonment and Gate Hakima police stations. Senior police officials, including Amritsar Commissioner of Police Harmanbir Singh Gill, noted that extensive interrogation of the suspects is currently underway. The focus of the ongoing investigation is to trace the complete forward and backward linkages of the supply chain, identify other local sleeper cells, and apprehend remaining conspirators connected to the trans-border smuggling network.
