Chandigarh/Amritsar, July 16:  Delivering yet another blow to the Interstate Weapons Smuggling networks amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar has arrested three arm smugglers and recovered three .32 bore pistols from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

Police Arrest Three in Amritsar and Recover Weapons

Police identified those arrested as Sukhdev Singh alias Mattu of Chhota Haripura in Amritsar, Sahil Kumar alias Mast of Chhota Haripura in Amritsar, and Prabhjot Singh alias Prabh of Guru Nanak Pura in Amritsar.  Apart from recovering three pistols, Police teams have also recovered three magazines and six live cartridges from their possession.

          The development came a day after the SSOC Amritsar busted a weapon smuggling module backed by foreign-based terrorist Lakhbir alias Landa with the arrest of two operatives after recovering six .32 bore sophisticated pistols along with magazines and ammunition from their possession.

     DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that SSOC Amritsar received secret information about individuals from Amritsar involved in interstate weapons smuggling. They had procured a weapon consignment from illegal weapon dealers in Madhya Pradesh to deliver to criminal elements in Guru Tegh Bahadur Market, Vallah area.

          Acting swiftly on the intel-inputs, Police teams from SSOC Amritsar launched an operation and apprehended the trio accused persons when they were waiting in Vallah area to deliver the consignment and recovered three pistols from their possession, he added.

          The DGP said that preliminary investigations have revealed that two of the arrested accused persons including Sukhdev Singh alias Mattu and Sahil Kumar alias Mast have a criminal history including involvement in a murder case. Further investigation to establish backward and forward linkages are going on, he added.

     AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann shared more details, stating that investigations are ongoing to identify the weapon dealer in Madhya Pradesh and the individuals to whom the weapon consignment was to be delivered.

In this regard, Police Station SSOC Amritsar has registered a case FIR No. 42 dated 15.07.2024 under section 25 of the Arms Act and 61 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act.