Amritsar, Aug 8 — Four members of an arms smuggling gang with links to Pakistan-based operatives were arrested in Amritsar, and seven sophisticated pistols were seized from their possession, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.
Those arrested were identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash (20) of Daoke village, Ramanpreet Singh (23) of Bagha Kalan, Pratap Singh (25) of Sur Singh in Ferozepur, and Sarbjit Singh alias Babbal (25) of Debi Wala Bazar village in Amritsar. Police recovered two PX5 9mm pistols, two Glock 9mm pistols, and three .30-bore pistols from them.
Yadav said the accused were in regular contact with smugglers across the Indo-Pak border and had been receiving arms consignments, which they supplied to gangsters operating within Punjab.
Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrests were made following specific intelligence inputs during security checks ahead of Independence Day. Akash and Raman were arrested from the Chheharta police station area with four pistols, while Pratap and Sarbjit were later held from the same locality, with three more pistols seized.
Police said Akash, who resides near the border, along with Raman, was responsible for receiving the weapons, while Pratap and Sarbjit handled further distribution.
A case under Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered at Chheharta police station. Bhullar added that further investigation is underway and more arrests and recoveries are expected.
