Hanumangarh police seize illegal weapons, 10 arrested

In a major crackdown in Hanumangarh, located 60 km from Sriganganagar, the police arrested 10 miscreants and seized a significant cache of illegal weapons. The seized arsenal included two pistols, two countrymade pistols, two revolvers, three rifles, 130 live cartridges, and 10 empty cartridges. Additionally, a minor accomplice involved in the operation was detained. The operation was a part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal weapon trafficking in the region.

Hanumangarh SP Arshad Ali said Veer Singh, Jaskaran Singh Jassi, Manjinder Singh Mani, Balwant Singh Bantu, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, Nirmal Singh Nimma, Navjot Singh, Lucky Nayak, Gurdev Kaur and Chhinda Singh were arrested on Sunday.

The SP stated that on November 17, 5-6 unidentified individuals assaulted an electrician with sticks in Jandwala village.

Following an investigation, the police arrested Jaskaran Singh on November 25 for possession of an illegal pistol.

During questioning and a review of his social media accounts, they discovered photos and videos of the accused’s associates along with additional weapons.

It was revealed that the suspects were operating a criminal gang with a large arsenal of illegal firearms. The gang was involved in several criminal activities, including assault, extortion, theft, gambling, and land grabbing, with multiple cases registered against them.

Under the leadership of Circle Officer Meenakshi, a special team comprising officers from four police stations was formed to raid suspicious places.

During a confidential investigation, it was revealed that the accused Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi and Balwant Singh Bantu, who absconded after assaulting Hanumangarh police staff recently, were members of a criminal gang.

The police subsequently raided the houses of the accused and detained them. Four pistols, two live cartridges and 10 empty cartridges were recovered from them.

During interrogation, it was found that the members of their gang took training in firing arms. They spread fear among people through their audio and video posts on social media.

The SP said the invagination would continue to uncover the inner workings of the gang and the crimes it had committed.