Punjab Police bust MP-based illegal arms smuggling ring, four smugglers arrested

Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 31

A major illegal arms smuggling ring based in Madhya Pradesh was busted and four smugglers were arrested, Punjab Police officials said on Sunday.

Officials said the accused have been identified as Gurmanjot Singh of Chakkar in Ludhiana, Kuldeep Singh alias Manak of village Lehra in Ludhiana, Sukhchain Singh of village Moom in Barnala and Sandeep Singh of village Bhaini Gujran in Ludhiana.

Police recovered nine .32 bore country-made pistols along with eight live cartridges from their possession.

Both the accused Kuldeep Singh alias Manak and Gurmanjot Singh, who came in contact while at Ludhiana jail in 2016, have several cases of attempt to murder, Arms Act, snatching and theft registered against them and were out on bail.

Officials said Gurmanjot was in contact with Madhya Pradesh based illegal arms smugglers after he met them at Ludhiana jail in 2022.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said following reliable inputs about the movement of arms smugglers possessing consignment of illegal arms and ammunition brought by them from Sendhwan in district Barwani of Madhya Pradesh with the intention to carry out criminal activity in the state, State Special Operating Cell (SSOC) Mohali laid a naka at Patran- Khanauri road in Patiala.

“Teams have apprehended all the accused, who were travelling in a white car and recovered nine pistols, bearing distinctive ‘Star’ mark from their possession,” he said, while adding that a car was also impounded.

Some of the weapons were to be used by the accused to execute some targeted organised crime, while, the remaining weapons were meant for distribution to the members of other gangs, said the DGP.

He said all the accused persons were involved in supplying weapons to criminal gangs in Punjab as well as neighbouring states. 

A case was registered under sections 25 and 25(7) of the Arms Act and section 120B of the Indian Penal Code at SSOC police station in Mohali.

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