Comprehensive Anti-Smuggling Operation

In a major crackdown on national security threats along the international border, the Punjab Police have successfully dismantled four distinct smuggling modules involved in cross-border narcotics and illicit weapons trafficking. The sweeping multi-agency operation led to the arrest of seven individuals, including an active-duty Indian Army soldier, and resulted in the seizure of a substantial cache of modern weaponry and narcotics.

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav confirmed the developments during a press briefing, highlighting that the network was operating in tandem with overseas handlers to funnel illegal arms and drugs into local criminal syndicates.

Breakdown of the Operations

The coordinated crackdown was executed across multiple jurisdictions in the border districts, spearheaded by senior police officials:

* Gharinda Sector Interception: Acting on actionable intelligence, Gharinda police intercepted two suspects—identified as 19-year-olds Uday and Patras—while they were en route to Khemkaran. Law enforcement recovered a consignment of 10 modern pistols, which investigators revealed had been dropped across the international border via unmanned aerial drones. Preliminary interrogations indicated the duo had previously facilitated the delivery of roughly 25 weapon consignments. * Army Personnel Arrest: In a second operation, a joint team from the Amritsar Rural CIA and Gharinda police apprehended active-duty Indian Army jawan Yudhvir Singh (22). Stationed at his home village on leave, Singh was found in possession of a .30-bore pistol. Authorities noted that Singh has a prior history of involvement under the Arms Act. Senior police officials confirmed that a detailed dossier regarding his complicity is being forwarded to military command for administrative and legal action. * Narcotics Seizure: A separate raid by the Gharinda police team resulted in the arrest of Sajan Singh (19) and Sahilpreet (20). Security forces recovered over 20 kilograms of high-grade heroin from their possession, pointing to a deep nexus between arms traffickers and drug cartels. * Kathunangal Sweep: A specialized team from the Amritsar Rural Special Cell and the Kathunangal Station House Officer arrested Germanjot Singh and Sahibnoor Singh, seizing two additional firearms.

Ongoing Investigations and Backward Linkages

Investigators have registered four separate criminal cases under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across multiple police stations in Amritsar Rural.

According to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Border Range Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, specialized investigative teams are currently mapping the backward and forward linkages of the syndicate. Law enforcement agencies are intensifying surveillance along the international border to intercept further drone-dropped payloads and track down overseas handlers orchestrating the network.