CHANDIGARH: 2,300 illegal weapons have been seized by Punjab Police in the past three years, 800 of which were reportedly smuggled from Khyber Pass region of Pakistan into India.
In the latest incident, Amritsar Commissionerate Police seized two 9mm sub-machine guns and one empty magazine.
Director General of Police, Punjab Gaurav Yadav said here on Sunday that the recovered weapons were found marked with “GHAFFAR SECURITY”. He said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the recovered consignment was linked to notorious gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon.
The weapons were being supplied through his network for carrying out anti national and criminal activities in the state. Yadav that further investigation is underway to identify the absconding accused and dismantle the entire network.
Sharing operational details, Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on specific intelligence, police teams laid a strong naka in the area of Guru Ki Wadali in Chheharta, and attempted to intercept two unidentified youth riding a motorcycle.
On spotting police, the suspects panicked and attempted to flee, he said, while adding that during their escape, they dropped a kit bag containing the seized arms.
DGP Yadav said that Gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon is involved in multiple serious crimes including murder, robbery, attempt to murder, kidnapping, rioting, extortion and illegal arms supply.
Police teams have booked Gurpreet and his three associates and raids are being conducted to nab the absconding bike-borne persons, he added.
In this regard, a case has been registered under section 25(I-A) of the Arms Act at Police Station Chheharta in Amritsar.
Two days back, 10 pistols were seized: one Turkey-made Zigana pistol, one Austria-made Glock pistol, one China-made Norinco pistol, two US-made Beretta pistols, and five PX5 pistols.
In another recent incident, two police personnel were shot dead in Gurdaspur with smuggled weapons.
Data compiled by the state police revealed that more than 500 pistols smuggled from across the border have been seized from January last year alone.
Sources said the weapons were being smuggled via drones into Punjab by Pakistan-based smugglers sending drug consignments with illegal weapons. These smuggling networks are reportedly concentrated in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Batala districts of the state and the local handlers retrieve these consignments.
The pistols received as such are sold in the illegal market between Rs 1 to 2 lakh.
"As per investigations, gangsters operating from the US, Canada and other countries were not only arming the operatives of terror outfits like the Babbar Khalsa International, but also fuelling organised crime. In cases involving specific terror assignments, the consignments of these weapons are directly routed to designated modules," said a senior police official on condition of anonymity.
The official added that gangsters based in Punjab have now developed links with Pakistan based smugglers and the ISI handlers. He added that the weapons manufactured and smuggled from Madhya Pradesh were cheaper but lacked accuracy and reliability.
Deputy inspector general of Anti Gangster Task Force Gurmeet Chauhan said that the gangsters and criminals have shifted away from the from Madhya Pradesh-made weapons to these smuggled from Pakistan due to the superior quality as these are closely match with the precision and performance of original Glock weapons.