Continuing its campaign against narco-terrorism, the Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, on Thursday busted a module by arresting seven persons, including an Afghan national, and recovered narcotics, weapons, and hawala money.
During the last 25 days, the Punjab Police, along with central agencies, have busted as many as 10 narco-terror modules and arrested 39 narco-terrorists, including three Afghan nationals.
As many as 72 pistols, one AK-47 rifle, and two submachine guns have been recovered from the possession of the arrested narco-terrorists.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gourav Yadav, said that in a major breakthrough, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, busted a cross-border illegal arms, narcotics, and hawala network.
Seven persons, including one Afghan national and one juvenile, were arrested, and 10 sophisticated weapons, including two sub-machine guns and eight pistols, 5.048 kilograms of heroin, and Rs 30.38 lakh in hawala money were recovered from their possession.
According to the DGP, preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were allegedly linked to foreign-based handlers operating through social media platforms. They received consignments and further distributed narcotics and illegal arms to criminal elements. The network also used hawala channels for financial transactions across various locations.
An FIR has been registered at Police Station Islamabad, Amritsar. Further investigation is underway to establish backward and forward linkages, identify additional associates connected with the foreign-based network, and ascertain further recoveries and arrests.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrests had exposed a well-organised network involved in trafficking drugs, illegal arms, and illicit funds.
- Six pistols were recovered on June 3.
- Five pistols and hawala money worth Rs 5 lakh were recovered on June 5.
- One pistol was recovered on June 7.
- Eight pistols were recovered on June 8.
- Two pistols were recovered on June 13.
- Eleven pistols were recovered on June 18.
- Twenty-five pistols, one AK-47 rifle, and a bulletproof jacket were recovered on June 19.
- Three pistols were recovered on June 20.
- Three pistols were recovered on June 21.
- Eight pistols, two sub-machine guns, and Rs 30.38 lakh in hawala money were recovered.
He added that the involvement of foreign-based operatives highlights the growing challenge posed by transnational criminal syndicates using digital platforms to coordinate their activities.
Two cross-border narco-terror modules busted on June 5 and 8
Earlier, on June 5, the Punjab Police dismantled a major cross-border network involved in illegal weapons, narcotics, and hawala operations by arresting six individuals, including an Afghan national and two juveniles.
Security forces recovered 1.035 kg of heroin and five sophisticated pistols—comprising three Austrian-made 9 mm Glock pistols, one .30-bore Zigana pistol, and another .30-bore pistol—along with two live cartridges and Rs 5 lakh in drug money.
The accused were identified as Baz Mohammad, 62, an Afghan national who had been living in Sonepat, Haryana, before recently shifting to Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi; Ankush Barthwal, 33, of Guru Angad Dev Colony, Nawanshahr; Des Raj alias Vicky, 32, of Bhattian village in Jalandhar; and Rajandeep Singh alias Raja, 26, originally from Raniyan village in Lopoke and currently residing in Sunny Enclave, Amritsar.
Similarly, on June 8, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling and hawala network, apprehended four accused, including an Afghan national, and recovered eight sophisticated pistols and seven live cartridges.
72 pistols, one AK-47, two sub-machine guns, and a bulletproof jacket recovered
Since June 3, the Punjab Police, along with central agencies, have recovered as many as 72 pistols, one AK-47 rifle, two submachine guns, a huge quantity of narcotics, hawala money, and a bulletproof jacket from the possession of arrested narco-terrorists.
A major haul of arms was recovered on June 19 when the Punjab Police, in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), recovered one AK-47 rifle, 25 pistols, and 368 live cartridges and arrested one accused near the Indo-Pak International Border.
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