Five gangster aides nabbed with illegal arms near BSF HQs

In a major breakthrough, local CIA staff of the Punjab Police arrested five individuals, including a juvenile, on Sunday night for their involvement in extortion and illegal arms smuggling. The arrests were made near the BSF headquarters along the Khemkaran-Amritsar highway.

Addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravjot Grewal said the arrested suspects were working under the direction of notorious gangsters Lakhbir Singh Landa of Harike, Satnam Singh Satta of Naushera Pannuan, Gurdev Singh Jaisal of Chambal, and Gurjant Singh Janta of Jatta village.

The accused have been identified as Gurwinder Singh, alias Palli, or Raja and Jashanpreet Singh, alias Tori, both residents of Chela Colony, Bhikhiwind; Amritpal Singh, alias Amrit, of Johal Dhaewala, and Jaswinder Singh, alias Ashu, of Jamarai. The fifth suspect is a juvenile whose identity has not been disclosed by the police due to legal restrictions.

The SSP stated that the group was engaged in smuggling weapons from across the border using drones and were also involved in planned target killings. During the arrest, police recovered three pistols, two magazines and five cartridges from their possession.

Initial investigations revealed that four of the arrested individuals were new to criminal activity and all are below the age of 24. They were reportedly coerced into gang operations under threats — facing consequences such as shootings at their homes or business establishments if they refused to comply.

A case has been registered under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25, 26(6), 25(7)(1), and 25(8) of the Arms Act by the Bhikhiwind police. The police are currently gathering more details about the extortion and other criminal activities carried out by the group.

The police say the gang had created an atmosphere of fear in the region through their operations, and further arrests and leads are expected as the investigation continues.