Punjab police bust cross-border weapon smuggling and gangster-terror network

Punjab Police on Tuesday announced the successful dismantling of a cross-border weapon smuggling and gangster-terror network following multiple arrests across the state.

In Ferozepur, police arrested two men Gurpreet Singh alias Gori, a resident of Ruhela Hazi village, and Vikramjeet Singh alias Vicky from Jalalabad, Fazilka and recovered four 9MM Glock pistols, four magazines, and four live cartridges from their possession.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations revealed that Vikramjeet maintained direct links with a Pakistan-based smuggler involved in illegal arms trafficking. Acting under his handler’s directions, Vikramjeet allegedly supplied weapons to local contacts. His arrest has also helped trace an earlier case involving the recovery of an AK-47 assault rifle linked to the same network.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ferozepur Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said both accused were apprehended from Basti Boote Wala. Based on their disclosure, police teams later recovered two additional Glock pistols. He added that a technical analysis of digital devices is underway to uncover the entire supply chain, including foreign handlers and local collaborators.

In a separate operation, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, in coordination with Counter Intelligence (CI) Pathankot, arrested two individuals linked to a gangster-terror module operating across Punjab. The accused, identified as Harpreet Singh of Baupur Afgana (Gurdaspur) and Navpreet Singh of Machhiwal (Amritsar), were found with a 9MM Glock pistol, three magazines, and five live cartridges.

Investigations revealed the duo was working under a UK-based handler who had arranged the weapon and instructed them to conduct reconnaissance of specific targets in Gurdaspur, Batala, and Amritsar. They were allegedly planning targeted killings to create panic and disturb communal harmony in the state.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) SSOC Sukhminder Singh Mann said the latest arrests followed leads from an earlier operation in which two members of the same module were caught with a hand grenade and a pistol. He added that further investigations are ongoing to expose and dismantle the entire network, tracing its backward and forward linkages.