Amritsar Police Bust Cross-Border Arms Network; AK-47, Grenades Seizedਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਨੇ ਸਰਹੱਦ ਪਾਰ ਹਥਿਆਰ ਨੈਟਵਰਕ ਤੋੜਿਆ; AK-47 ਅਤੇ ਦੋ ਹੱਥ ਗੋਲੇ ਬਰਾਮਦ

Amritsar Rural Police have dismantled a cross-border arms and explosives supply network with the arrest of a 28-year-old truck driver, recovering an AK-47 assault rifle along with a magazine and nine live cartridges and two live hand grenades, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday.

The arrest and the recovery

The arrested accused has been identified as Navjot Singh, a truck driver by profession and a resident of Cheema in Tarn Taran district. Acting on precise intelligence inputs, special teams of the Amritsar Rural Police launched a targeted operation and intercepted him while he was riding a motorcycle. A search of his person led to the recovery of the AK-47 rifle with its magazine, nine live cartridges and the two grenades.

Police have also impounded the motorcycle the accused was using to transport the consignment. Sharing operational details, Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the interception followed specific intelligence about the movement of the consignment through the border belt.

Foreign-handler links under probe

DGP Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused was allegedly linked to foreign-based smugglers and was procuring illegal weapons on their directions. Police believe the consignment may have been meant to be supplied further within the state, and investigators are now working to establish the backward and forward linkages of the network.

Intelligence agencies have been informed about the seizure, and further questioning of the accused is under way to identify others involved in the supply chain. A case has been registered and the investigation is continuing.

A string of recent border busts

The seizure comes days after a series of major recoveries by the Amritsar Rural Police in the border belt. On September 29, police arrested three people — a woman, her husband and her brother — and recovered 10.03 kg of heroin along with an AK-47 and an AK-56 rifle. A day later, hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jalandhar, police announced the dismantling of three drug and arms networks in Amritsar, seizing 13 pistols and 3.267 kg of heroin.

Sunday’s recovery of an assault rifle and live grenades has once again underlined the continuing flow of weapons and explosives through cross-border smuggling channels in Punjab, a concern the state police have flagged repeatedly in recent months as drone-dropped consignments are intercepted along the international border.

Who was arrested in the Amritsar arms bust?

Navjot Singh, 28, a truck driver and resident of Cheema village in Tarn Taran district, was arrested by special teams of the Amritsar Rural Police while riding a motorcycle carrying the consignment.

What weapons were recovered?

Police recovered one AK-47 assault rifle along with a magazine and nine live cartridges, and two live hand grenades. The motorcycle used to transport the weapons was also impounded.

What happens next in the investigation?

The DGP said further investigation is under way to uncover the complete network and establish its backward and forward linkages, including the role of foreign-based smugglers. Intelligence agencies have been kept in the loop.