CHANDIGARH: Counter Intelligence wing of the Punjab police has busted a Pakistan-backed weapons smuggling racket.
The weapons racket was being operated from Dubai by an absconding smuggler Manjot Singh alias Mannu.
An operative of the racket, Gurpreet Singh alias Kaka, was arrested and three sophisticated pistols were seized from him.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday that Gurpreet Singh is a native of Havellian village in Tarn Taran. He currently resides at Saidpur in Amritsar Rural.
The pistols seized from Kaka are two 9MM Glock and one .30 bore China Made Pistol. Besides, 4 cartridges, a grey coloured Honda Activa bike which he was riding has been impounded.
Yadav said that police received reliable information about a foreign-based Indian individual Manjot Singh has been operating a weapon smuggling racket via Pakistan with the help of some individuals based in India.
The CI Amritsar launched an intel-based operation and arrested the accused Gurpreet Singh at a Special Naka at village Khurmanian Amritsar on link road from village Ram Tirath, when he was going to deliver the weapon consignment.
He said that preliminary investigation has revealed that Manjot Singh is the kingpin of this network and was using encrypted apps to contact his Pakistan-based weapon smugglers.
The arrested accused used to retrieve weapon consignment dropped using drones from across the border and further supply it to the gangsters in various cities of Punjab on the directions of accused Manjot, he added.
Pertinently, accused Manjot is wanted by the Punjab Police in NDPS case registered against him at Police Station Sarai Amanant Khan in Tarn Taran in 2022.
Moreover, Gurpreet Singh has also been facing criminal case under the NDPS Act at Police Station Sarai Amanant Khan.
Yadav said that police teams have also identified his accomplice and raids are being conducted to nab him. Further investigations are ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he added.
In this regard, a case has been registered under sections 25 and 25(1) (a) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act at Police Station State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.