Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough against organised crime, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a Pakistan-linked cross-border arms smuggling network with the arrest of two key operatives. The operation, carried out under the directive of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to strengthen state security, led to the recovery of seven sophisticated pistols, including three PX5 and four .30-bore weapons, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Balwinder Singh (32) of Bhindi Nain village and Jugraj Singh alias Jagga (29) of Mulla Behram village in Amritsar. Police said Jugraj has a criminal record, with past cases involving murder, violations of the Arms Act, and offences under the NDPS Act.
According to DGP Yadav, initial investigations indicate that both accused were receiving instructions from a Pakistan-based handler who communicated through WhatsApp. The handler allegedly provided them with specific pickup points and delivery routes for the circulation of illegal weapons across Punjab.
Providing further details, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on intelligence inputs, a police team intercepted Balwinder Singh during a naka operation in the Cantonment area and recovered five illegal pistols. His subsequent disclosures led to the arrest of Jugraj Singh, from whom two more .30-bore pistols were seized. Police are now probing the module’s wider network and possible links to other operatives.
