8 Held in Amritsar Heroin and Illegal Weapons Smuggling Case

In a significant development in the fight against narcotics and illegal arms, Amritsar Commissionerate Police arrested eight accused on Friday for their alleged involvement in an organised smuggling network.

The police have recovered 11 pistols, four live cartridges and 2.293 kilograms of heroin from the accused.

Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Friday that the preliminary investigation had found that the arrested accused were in contact with handlers operating from abroad. He said the handlers were using these accused to supply illegal weapons to criminal elements.

Police have registered three different FIRs against the accused in the Chheharta and A-Division police station jurisdictions of Amritsar. The probe is continuing to identify other people associated with the network and to examine its overall structure and international links.

The DGP said Punjab Police is determined to completely end networks involved in trafficking illegal arms and narcotics. He asserted that stringent measures against such individuals would remain in force to ensure the state is safe and free from drugs.

Earlier, on October 27, the Counter Intelligence wing in Amritsar had busted a weapons smuggling module and arrested three traffickers with 10 modern pistols. Commenting on that operation on Tuesday, DGP Gaurav Yadav said it formed part of sustained Punjab Police efforts to stop illegal weapons from entering through the border.

He noted that the CI Amritsar arrested three individuals along with 10 foreign ultra-modern 30 bore pistols and magazines, exposing a cross-border module smuggling illegal arms.