Chandigarh, Nov 3 Punjab Police has busted three illegal arms and drug supply networks, apprehending 11 individuals and recovering 12 pistols and two hand grenades in Amritsar, an official said on Tuesday.
The Amritsar Police Commissionerate also recovered 310.10 gm of heroin and 33 live cartridges from them.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said those held included two juveniles.
Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with foreign-based handlers and gangsters who facilitated the supply of illegal weapons and narcotics through drone-based consignments for further distribution among criminal elements.
The arrested accused were using the weapons to open fire at houses and shops to intimidate people in connection with extortion demands, he said.
The DGP said that further investigation was underway to establish linkages in this case, identify other associates and dismantle the wider illegal arms and drug supply networks.
Sharing details of the first operation, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Harmanbir Singh Gill said that teams from Police Station Ranjit Avenue apprehended Bobby, Samayal Singh, and Satmol Singh alias Thekedar, initially recovering four illegal pistols along with 10 live cartridges from their possession.
On their disclosure, three more pistols were recovered, taking the total to seven, he said.
In the second operation, he said police initially apprehended Harpreet alias Bhundi along with a juvenile, recovering two pistols and four live cartridges.
Another juvenile was held and associates Akashdeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh alias Akash were arrested, resulting in the seizure of two live hand grenades and 15 live cartridges, he said.
In the third operation, the CP said that teams from Police Station Sultanwind arrested Shamsher Singh alias Shera, Vishal Singh alias Kalu, and Gurbir Singh alias Billa, recovering three pistols, four live cartridges, and 310.10 grams of heroin.
(PTI News)
