Punjab Police bust illegal arms network in Jalandhar, probe broader criminal links

Punjab Police on Saturday cracked a significant illegal arms smuggling network in Jalandhar with the arrest of a key suspect, seizing multiple firearms and prompting investigators to probe broader inter‑state and organised crime links . Suraj Kumar, a resident of Shekhewal village in Jalandhar district, was taken into custody during routine police checking at a checkpost near Patara on Friday evening, Jalandhar SSP (Rural) Harvinder Singh Virk said. Officers recovered five pistols and four cartridges from him. Early investigation revealed that Kumar, along with his associate Davinderpal Singh alias Deepu and other gang members, was involved in procuring illegal arms from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura region and supplying them across Jalandhar and neighbouring areas , the official said.

Punjab Police said further questioning aims to map the full supply chain, identify facilitators and buyers , and trace the network’s operational routes. “Preliminary inquiries indicate organised methods of acquisition and distribution,” Virk said, adding that multiple raids are underway to apprehend absconding associates . The action comes amid a heightened law‑enforcement focus after other recent operations saw Punjab police break up similar supply networks and inter‑state modules moving weapons into the state for criminal use . In an operation in Patiala earlier this week, state police arrested four men and seized 10 sophisticated self‑loading firearms sourced from Bihar’s illegal manufacturing hubs ; officials also noted indications of planned gang rivalries and targeted violence linked to these arms, with suspects allegedly directed by foreign‑based handlers via social media platforms.

Separately, counter‑intelligence teams in Amritsar and rural districts have intercepted other consignments of illegal weapons and sub‑machine guns tied to organised crime figures , as part of sustained crackdowns that tie arms trafficking to gang wars and cross‑border networks. These operations have hinted at foreign and cross‑state connections influencing the illicit supply chains.

Punjab’s Director General of Police has linked the increased availability of unlicensed firearms to escalating crime patterns in the state and emphasised that coordinated intelligence and enforcement efforts are ongoing to dismantle the smuggling infrastructure and curb its contribution to violent offences . The arrested accused in the Jalandhar case is being interrogated as investigators work to piece together backward and forward linkages in the smuggling network, while searches continue for arrested men’s accomplices.