Drug and illegal arms smuggling module busted in Amritsar; one held with 2.1kg heroin, 7 pistols

CHANDIGARH: In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled a drug and illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of one accused person and recovered 2.1 kg heroin along with seven sophisticated pistols from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.

The arrested accused person has been identified as Khush Kumar alias Bholu (26), a resident of Gurwali Gate in Amritsar. The accused has a criminal history with cases pertaining to NDPS Act, Arms Act and snatching cases registered against him.

The recovered pistols include one 9MM Gladiator (made in Turkey), one 9MM Zigana X-SHOT, one .30 bore Bretta (made in Italy), one .30 bore Zigana (made in China), one .30 Bore (made in Austria), one .30 Bore (made in China) and one .30 Bore.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused was in contact with foreign-based smuggler through virtual numbers. Illegal consignments of heroin and weapons were being delivered through drones from across the border, which were further supplied to criminal elements by the accused, he said.

The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages of this network and to identify other associates involved.

Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that in a planned and intelligence-based operation, police teams have arrested accused Khush alias Bholu and recovered 2.1 kg heroin from his possession. Further investigation and sustained interrogation of the accused led to the recovery of seven pistols, he said.