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

Fazilka, Nov 25 (PTI) Punjab Police has busted a cross-border weapon smuggling module with the arrest of two men and the recovery of two hand grenades and a 9 mm Glock pistol from them, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) Fazilka conducted a covert operation in the Jalalabad area and apprehended the suspects identified as Vikram Singh of Chak Balochan Wala village and Prabhjot Singh alias Prabh of Chak Bazida village in Fazilka.

Yadav said initial investigations indicate the weapons were sourced from Pakistan and delivered into Indian territory using drones for planned criminal activities in Punjab. A probe is underway to establish forward and backward linkages and to determine the broader network involved in the smuggling, he said.

Assistant Inspector General of SSOC Fazilka, Gursewak Singh Brar, said the arrests were made following specific intelligence inputs.

The accused were arrested while they were on their way to deliver a consignment of weapons to a party. Efforts are underway to identify the intended receivers, Brar said, adding more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.

An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act at the SSOC Police Station, Fazilka, an officer said. PTI VSD RHL