Police seize arms, drone; arrest two Attari residents

The Amritsar rural police have arrested two persons and recovered a Glock pistol, live cartridges and a high-end drone believed to have been used for cross-border smuggling of weapons. Those arrested have been identified as Rohit and Sajan Singh, residents of Attari. The police recovered a Glock pistol, two live 9mm cartridges, a DJI Air 3S drone and a Honda Activa scooter from their possession.

The arrests were made under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police (Rural) Maninder Singh and DSP (Detective) Gurinderpal Singh.

According to police officials, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff received a tip-off that the suspects were involved in smuggling weapons from Pakistan using drones and supplying them further within Punjab. Acting on the intelligence, a police team set up a special check-point near the under-construction bridge close to Khassa Adda. The suspects were intercepted while they were travelling from Attari towards Amritsar on an Activa scooter.

During the search, the police found the Glock pistol, live cartridges and a drone concealed in their possession. Preliminary investigation indicates that the recovered drone was likely used to transport weapons across the international border.

A case has been registered against the accused at Gharinda police station under sections 25, 54 and 59 and section 25(8) of the Arms Act, read along with sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act, 1934. The investigation is being carried out to identify the forward and backward linkages of the suspects, including their possible connections with cross-border smugglers and arms suppliers.

SSP Maninder Singh stated that the Amritsar rural police have been actively working to dismantle networks engaged in the use of drones for smuggling weapons and narcotics from across the Pakistan border. He said that further investigation may reveal more individuals involved in the racket and assured that strict action will be taken against all those connected to the illegal operation.

Police officials added that such recoveries underline the ongoing threat of cross-border drone activity and reaffirm the department’s commitment to maintaining security in the border belt of Punjab.