Amritsar : In a significant blow to trans-border arms trafficking, the Amritsar Rural Police, acting on specific intelligence inputs, seized eight illegal weapons in two separate operations with the Border Security Force (BSF Punjab).
The recoveries include eight pistols, five of .30 caliber pistols and three 9mm pistols, along with magazines, from four individuals allegedly involved in cross-border arms trafficking networks.
FIRs have been registered at Police Station Gharinda, Amritsar, and authorities confirmed that further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the network and its international linkages.
The arrested accused have been identified as: Lakhwinder Singh, resident of Dande, Amritsar; Harpreet Singh, resident of Dande, Amritsar; Akashdeep Singh, resident of Chabbal, Tarn Taran; and Gurpreet Singh, resident of Kasel, Tarn Taran.
The Director General of Punjab Police emphasised their ongoing commitment to combating organised crime and ensuring the safety and security of citizens on his X account.
He shared on X, "@PunjabPoliceInd remains firmly committed to cracking down on organized crime and safeguarding the safety and security of our citizens."
In another successful operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted and recovered two narcotics-laden drones in Punjab's Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon. In a press release, the BSF stated that technical countermeasures deployed on the border intercepted and neutralised two drones on the Amritsar border, which were subsequently recovered by BSF troops.
The recovery of 02 DJI Mavic 3 Classic drones along with 02 packets of heroin (Gross weight- 1.130 Kgs) took place from an area adjacent to the village, Dhanoe Kalan, as per the release.
The release further stated, "These successful recoveries of drones with narcotics highlight the perfect combination of robust technical countermeasures and alert BSF troops deployed on borders, who are committed to decimate nefarious designs of cross-border Pakistani drug syndicate."
On Sunday, the BSF recovered the upper body of a pistol, four magazines and a drone in two significant operations with a large heroin packet in Punjab's Tarn Taran. According to the release, "On Sunday early morning, the BSF troops carried out a search operation, which culminated in the recovery of one packet containing the upper body of a pistol and four magazines wrapped in yellow adhesive tape with an iron ring and a torch attached to it. This recovery took place from a waterlogged paddy field adjacent to the village of Wan."
In another incident in the morning hours, acting on specific information, a joint search operation was conducted by the BSF and Punjab Police, which led to the recovery of one DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone carrying 01 large packet of heroin (Gross Weight- 3.700 Kgs) from a farming field adjacent to village- Shekhpura of district Tarn Taran. The narcotics packet, wrapped in yellow colour adhesive tape, was found attached to the drone with the help of a metal ring.
Reliable input and keen observation, followed by swift action of BSF troops, once again thwarted these nefarious attempts of Pakistan-based smugglers trying to pump drugs and arms in Punjab from across the border.