Punjab Police busts cross-border arms smuggling module, 2 held

Chandigarh, Sep 11 (PTI) Punjab Police on Thursday busted a cross-border organised arms smuggling module near the India-Pakistan frontier in Fazilka district and apprehended two persons with 27 sophisticated pistols and 470 live cartridges, officials said.

The operation was conducted by the Counter Intelligence (CI), Ferozepur, and the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Fazilka, they said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the accused have been identified as Mangal Singh alias Mangali, a resident of Tejha Rahela in Fazilka, and Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Muhar Jamsher village in Fazilka.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the huge weapon consignment was sourced from Pakistan through a foreign-based entity and was intended for use by criminal gangs in the state. The accused were attempting to deliver these arms to ground operatives of criminal groups on the directions of their foreign handlers, he said.

Further investigation is being conducted to establish forward and backward linkages to identify other members involved in this module and track the origins of the smuggled weapons.

Sharing operation details, Assistant Inspector General, CI Ferozepur, Gursewak Singh Brar, said that acting on reliable inputs, police teams of CI Ferozepur and SSOC Fazilka jointly launched a secret operation in Fazilka.

During the operation, two suspected individuals were apprehended near Muhar Jamsher village, close to the India-Pakistan international fencing, and a huge cache of 27 illegal firearms of .30 bore along with 470 live cartridges were recovered from their possession, he said.

The identity and role of the foreign entity, along with its broader network, are under comprehensive investigation. A case has been registered in the matter, the AIG said. PTI CHS DIV DIV