CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has dismantled an interstate arms-smuggling racket with the arrest of four individuals, including three from Uttarakhand, and recovered seven sophisticated pistols from their possession.
Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, said here on Thursday that those arrested have been identified as Lovepreet Singh (26), Lovepreet Singh (25) and Jashandeep Singh (25), all residents of Sitarganj in Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, and Harjinder Singh (23), a resident of Lakhan Kalan in Kalanaur, Gurdaspur.
The recovered weapons include one Glock (made in Austria), four .30-bore pistols (made in China) and two .30-bore pistols, along with eight magazines. Apart from the weapons, police teams have also impounded their silver Maruti Swift car (UK 16 C 0040), which they were allegedly using for criminal activities.
Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused had alleged backward linkages with an individual based in Dubai and forward linkages with an individual in the USA, who allegedly directed them to collect the illegal weapons.
Sharing operational details, Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Gurdaspur Police had received specific input that suspects had retrieved a weapon consignment and were expected to deliver it to another party.
He said that, acting swiftly, police teams laid a nakabandi and arrested all four accused, who were travelling in their car, after recovering seven illegal pistols along with eight magazines from their possession.
Bhullar added that the operation was conducted under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gurdaspur, Aditya. Further investigation is underway to uncover the complete network and establish the backward and forward linkages, he added.
In this regard, a case under Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered at Police Station Kalanaur in Gurdaspur.