In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a Pak-backed illegal arms smuggling racket with the arrest of two operatives— who were further supplying weapons to associates of foreign-based Gangsters Lakhbir Landa and Satta Naushera.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has identified the arrested persons as Fateh Singh and Gurpreet Singh, both residents of village Dhalla in Tarn Taran.
Police teams have also recovered five sophisticated pistols— two .30 bore PX5 pistols and three .30 bore star marked pistols— from their possession.
The DGP said that the team of CI Amritsar's Tarn Taran wing has received a reliable input that accused Fateh Singh and Gurpreet Singh have established relations with Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Amar of Gharak in Pakistan, who is using drones to deliver the weapons/ammunition consignments from across the border.
The input further revealed that accused Fateh and Gurpreet have recently retrieved a huge consignment of illegal arms/ammunition and are expected to deliver it near Government school of Eminence at Naraingarh in Amritsar, he said, while adding that acting swiftly, police teams from CI wing Tarn Taran launched an intel-based operation and managed to arrest both of the them with five pistols.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that Pak-based weapon smuggler Amar along with his associates was working in connivance with Gangsters Lakhbir Singh Landa and Satta Naushera of district Tarn Taran and supplying illegal weapons to their Indian associates with the help of drones. It was further revealed that both the arrested accused persons were constantly in touch with Pak-based smuggler Amar, he said.
He said that further investigation is being carried out to uncover deeper connections within this network and unveil backward and forward linkages.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 16 dated 27-03-25 has been registered under sections 25, 25(1)(A), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.