Amritsar: For the second time in less than a fortnight, the Punjab Police have seized Austrian, Turkish and Chinese-made pistols sent across the border by Pakistan to be distributed among members of terrorist outfits like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and criminal gangs in the state. A kilogram of heroin and Rs 2.9 lakh have also been seized. Three persons have been arrested in this connection.
“In a major intelligence-based operation, Counter Intelligence Amritsar busts a cross-border narcotics and illegal arms smuggling module with Pakistan links and apprehends three operatives. Eight sophisticated weapons (including Glock and Chinese-made weapons), 1 kg heroin, Rs 2.9 lakh drug money and a currency counting machine were seized,” Gaurav Yadav, DG, Punjab Police, posted on X.
Of the eight pistols seized, three are Austrian-made Glocks of 9mm calibre, two Turkish-made PX-5s of .30 bore and the remaining three Chinese-made weapons of .30 bore. The three persons arrested are Sarabjit Singh and Kulwinder Singh of Ferozepur and Ashmandeep Singh of Tarn Taran.
On June 21, the Punjab Police had arrested one Onkar Singh alias Nawab, a resident of Amritsar with four Glocks and two PX-5s. The guns had been sent across the border by drones. Yadav had then said that the operations are being run by foreign-based handler Dharam Singh, a close associate of Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda.
According to the police, Rinda was involved in the latest operation as well. The pistols were to be distributed among gang members to carry out targeted killings. The money was also to be distributed among them. The heroin was for sale among the youth of the state. Every kg of heroin is worth Rs 5-7 crore, hence the need for a counting machine.
