Amritsar: Pak-linked arms smuggling racket busted; 2 arrested

The Amritsar police have busted an alleged Pakistan-linked cross-border smuggling module involved in the trafficking of illegal weapons and narcotics. Two alleged operatives were arrested and the police recovered six sophisticated pistols, over 1 kg of heroin, opium, suspected drug money and a motorcycle from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Joga Singh (45), a resident of Dal village in Khalra, Tarn Taran, and Manpreet Singh (28) of Kalla village in Tarn Taran. Separate cases under the Arms Act and the NDPS Act have been registered at the Chheharta and Cantonment police stations.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Joga Singh was initially arrested on the basis of specific intelligence, leading to the recovery of four .30 bore pistols. During sustained interrogation, two more pistols were recovered on his disclosure, taking the total seizure to six firearms — two .30 bore X Shot pistols, two China-made Star .30 bore pistols, one Turkish-made Zigana .30 bore pistol and one .30 bore PX Storm pistol.

Bhullar said Joga Singh was in direct contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler identified as “Manna” through a social media platform. The handler allegedly used drones to drop consignments of illegal weapons across the International Border, which were then collected and supplied to criminal elements in Punjab.

The investigation subsequently led to the arrest of Manpreet Singh, from whose possession the police recovered 1 kg of heroin. Based on his disclosure, the police also recovered 1 kg of opium and Rs 10,000, suspected to be drug money.

According to the police, the investigation revealed that while Joga Singh was operating an illegal arms supply network, Manpreet Singh was allegedly involved in cross-border narcotics smuggling under the directions of the same Pakistan-based handler.

The police described Joga Singh as a habitual offender with 21 previous criminal cases registered against him in Tarn Taran, Amritsar Rural, Kapurthala and Ludhiana Rural. His criminal record includes cases related to murder, offences under the Arms Act and the NDPS Act, robbery, dacoity and theft.

Officials said one of the earlier cases against him dates back to 2019 in Khalra, Tarn Taran, when he and an associate allegedly attempted to retrieve a cross-border drug consignment from the Ravi river. During the operation, his associate drowned while attempting to cross the river. Joga Singh was last released on bail on July 20, 2022, and has allegedly continued to engage in criminal activities.

The police said further investigation is underway to trace the module’s backward and forward linkages, identify other members of the network and uncover its cross-border connections.