Chandigarh, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Police have arrested five people, including a father and son, and recovered an assault rifle, two hand grenades and 13 pistols in a crackdown on an alleged cross-border arms and explosives smuggling network in Amritsar district.
The operation was carried out by the Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, following specific intelligence inputs. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the accused were allegedly linked to a foreign-based smuggler who coordinated the movement of weapons and explosives through encrypted communication platforms to evade police detection.
Those arrested have been identified as Gurpreet Singh and his son Jaskaran Singh, residents of Ballarwal village in Ajnala; Veenu, a resident of Sagarpur in Batala; Amritpal Singh, from Rasulpur village in Batala; and Gaurav Masih, a resident of Gounspura village in Batala.
According to the DGP, preliminary investigations indicated that Gurpreet and Jaskaran were in regular contact with a foreign-based smuggler and allegedly retrieved consignments of arms, ammunition and explosives dropped by drones across the international border. The weapons were then intended to be distributed through their alleged associates, Veenu, Amritpal Singh and Gaurav Masih.
Police received information that the father-son duo was scheduled to meet the three other accused near Teri village in Ajnala to hand over a consignment. Acting on the intelligence, CI Amritsar teams raided the identified location and arrested all five suspects, recovering the weapons and explosives, Yadav said.
The seized weapons include one .30-bore assault rifle, four 9mm Glock pistols and nine .30-bore pistols. Police also recovered two hand grenades and 25 live cartridges.
Two motorcycles allegedly used to transport the consignments — a Honda Livo and a Hero Splendor — have also been impounded.
Investigation into smuggling network underway
The DGP said investigators were working to establish the network’s forward and backward linkages, trace the movement of the consignments and identify other people involved in the alleged smuggling operation.
A case has been registered as FIR No. 66 dated October 15, 2026, at the Police Station, State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar. The charges include Sections 25 and 25(1-A) of the Arms Act, Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The operation is part of the Punjab government’s ongoing drive, under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, to strengthen security and curb illegal arms and explosives networks in the state.
Further investigation is continuing.
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