Amritsar, April 14: The Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled an illegal weapons smuggling module with the arrest of three individuals suspected of sourcing arms from across the border. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav announced on Tuesday that the operation resulted in the recovery of six high-end pistols, including two Chinese-made .30 bore and one Zigana .30 bore weapon.
The suspects have been identified as Mangal Singh, 30, of Tarn Taran, alongside Pranav Sharma, 24, and Gaurav Rana, 25, both residents of Amritsar. According to the DGP, preliminary inquiries suggest the trio used social media platforms to coordinate with Pakistan-based smugglers. These handlers allegedly utilized drones to drop weapon consignments across the border for the accused to retrieve and distribute to local criminal elements.
“The illegal weapons were being sent through drones from across the border, and the accused used to pick up consignments and supply them to criminal elements,” Yadav stated. He affirmed that further investigations are active to map out the network’s forward and backward linkages.
The arrests followed a targeted intelligence-led operation. Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar declared that the initial apprehension of Mangal Singh led to a disclosure that enabled the capture of his accomplices. Police noted that both Pranav Sharma and Gaurav Rana carry previous criminal records and were already wanted in connection with a gun-point robbery case registered at the Ranjit Avenue station.
Authorities confirmed that a case has been registered at the Amritsar Cantonment Police Station under the Arms Act. Officials maintained that the crackdown is part of a broader state-wide initiative to enhance security and eliminate the influence of cross-border smuggling syndicates within the region.
