Arms smuggling module busted, two nabbed with five pistols

The city police on Wednesday busted an arms trafficking module with the arrest of two accused and recovery of five sophisticated pistols here. The arrested accused have been identified as Rohit Arora (25), a resident of Gilwali Gate here, and Harpreet Singh, alias Happy (24), a resident of Meerakot Kalan village.

The police recovered three 9mm Glock pistols and two .30 bore pistols from their possession. DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms. Illegal consignments of arms were allegedly sent via drones from across the border, and the accused further supplied these weapons on the directions of their handlers.

He said that further investigations are underway to establish both forward and backward linkages of the illegal arms network and identify other associates involved in the racket.

Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said police teams acted on specific and reliable intelligence inputs and conducted a well-planned operation leading to the arrest of Rohit Arora, who is stated to be an associate of gangster Sonu Kangla. During his search, three pistols, including one Glock and two .30 bore weapons, were recovered.

On the basis of Rohit’s statement, the police arrested Harpreet Singh and recovered two additional Glock pistols from his possession.

The Commissioner of Police said both accused are habitual offenders with previous cases registered against them under the Arms Act, NDPS Act and Prisons Act and for snatching at gunpoint. They were allegedly involved in narco-arms smuggling to make easy money.

An FIR has been registered against them under Sections 25, 6, 7 and 8 of the Arms Act at the Gate Hakima police station.