Amritsar (Punjab) [India], June 8 (ANI): In a major crackdown on cross-border arms smuggling networks, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police arrested three associates of notorious smuggler Jugraj Singh and seized six sophisticated foreign-made weapons, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by the ANTF’s Border Range unit based in Amritsar. According to DGP Yadav, preliminary investigation has revealed that Jugraj Singh, the kingpin of the smuggling racket, orchestrated the arms trafficking from inside Goindwal Jail. He is alleged to have operated the illegal syndicate through his advocate’s *Munshi* (clerk).
A case has been registered under the Arms Act at Police Station ANTF, SAS Nagar. The arrested individuals are believed to be key aides of Jugraj Singh and were actively involved in receiving and distributing the smuggled firearms within the state.
Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the network, said the police.
In a separate incident earlier today, Amritsar Rural Police arrested two key traffickers near Village Bhakna and seized 6 kilograms of high-grade heroin.
Based on specific intelligence inputs, police intercepted two individuals–Gurditta alias Kalu and Captain–while they were transporting a heroin consignment on a motorcycle.
According to the officials on Sunday, the heroin consignment had been smuggled into India by Pakistan-based handlers and was further meant for distribution across Punjab.
An FIR has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Police Station Gharinda.
The DGP said that preliminary investigations are still ongoing to unravel the full extent of the drug supply chain, including cross-border linkages.
Earlier on Friday, the Punjab Police Counter-Intelligence (CI) unit in Amritsar successfully identified and dismantled a cross-border illegal arms smuggling network with connections to Pakistan.
As a result of this operation, two operatives involved in the smuggling activities have been arrested, Punjab Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, said.
According to a release, those arrested are Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Daoke in Amritsar, and Jugraj Singh, a resident of Bhakna Kalan in Amritsar. The police teams also recovered eight sophisticated pistols–three 9MM Glocks, four Px5s, and one .30-bore pistol–from their possession and impounded their black motorcycle, which was used for transporting the consignments.
The DGP said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting under the directions of a Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Noor, a resident of Manihala in Pakistan, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border.
The arrested accused were further distributing the arms to gangsters across Punjab, intending to fuel criminal activities in the state, he said.
Sharing operation details, the DGP said that CI Amritsar received specific intelligence about the retrieval of a weapon consignment from the village of Bhaini Rajputtan in the jurisdiction of Gharinda in Amritsar. (ANI)
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