Arms supply module busted; two arrested in Amritsar

With the arrest of two Tarn Taran residents, the Amritsar police claimed to have busted an illegal arms supply network.

Eight .30-bore pistols and 103 live cartridges were also recovered, they said.

The accused have been identified as Ranjit Singh, alias Jeeta (24), a resident of Bainka village in Tarn Taran, and Gurbir Singh, alias Gora (32), a resident of Tara Singh village.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with foreign-based smugglers through social media applications and were receiving and supplying consignments of foreign-made illegal weapons to criminal elements in Punjab.

The police said Ranjit had a criminal history, with cases registered against him under the Arms Act, NDPS Act and Explosives Act.

Gurbir, meanwhile, had returned from Dubai around six months ago, Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said.

Sharing details, he said, the arrests followed a tip-off, after which a police team laid a naka near Gurdwara Bohri Sahib Road.

Ranjit was arrested with a .30-bore pistol and three live cartridges. During further investigation, four more pistols and 100 cartridges were recovered from him, he said.

His interrogation led the police to Gurbir, who was subsequently arrested. Three .30-bore pistols were recovered from his possession.

The police are now probing the backward and forward linkages of the network to ascertain its cross-border connections and identify other persons involved in the illegal arms trade.

A case under Sections 25(6), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act has been registered at the Islamabad police station.