Chandigarh Police bust Pak-linked arms smuggling module; Gurugram extortion plot foiled
4 held, including cross-border weapon supplier who received drone consignment on his farmland in Amritsar
The Chandigarh Police have busted an inter-state module supplying illegal weapons to a foreign-based gangster network, arresting four persons, including a Pakistan-linked arms smuggler, and foiling what investigators say was a planned extortion-cum-firing incident in Gurugram.
Police said the breakthrough came when a patrol party deployed as part of Independence Day security arrangements, stopped three youths—Ajay (19), Rohit (18) and Dev (18), all residents of Jind district in Haryana—on suspicion. A search recovered two foreign-made pistols, a Zigana and a China-made PX3, along with a magazine and 11 live cartridges. An FIR was registered under Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act at Police Station 31, Chandigarh.
Interrogation led police to Nishan Singh (32), a dairy farmer from Kakar village in border district Amritsar, who allegedly ran the drone drop-off point on his own agricultural land after establishing contact with a Pakistan-based supplier. A PX3 pistol with eight live cartridges was recovered from him.
Gang trail leads abroad
Investigators said all three Haryana youths were recruited by foreign-based gangster Deepak Nandal, who lured them with the promise of large sums of money. The contact between Nandal and the trio was allegedly facilitated by Arun, a Sonipat resident currently based in the UAE.
Police said the accused had already conducted a recce of a target in Gurugram and were preparing to carry out a firing incident as part of an extortion plan before the module was dismantled.
Recoveries from the accused included one Zigana pistol and one PX3 pistol, two magazines, and 19 live .30-bore cartridges in total.
Zero tolerance, says DGP
DGP Dr Sagar Preet Hooda said Chandigarh Police would continue to pursue a zero-tolerance approach to illegal arms and organised crime, with the case now being probed for wider inter-state and cross-border linkages.
Know the accused
Ajay, Jind (Haryana), 19, primary link to gang; conducted recce
Rohit, Jind (Haryana), 18, recce, execution team
Dev, Jind (Haryana), 18, recce, execution team
Nishan Singh, Amritsar (Punjab), 32, received drone consignment from Pakistan, onward supply
