The Amritsar Police has busted an illegal arms smuggling module with links across the international border and arrested five persons in connection with the case.
Police also recovered eight sophisticated pistols along with live cartridges from their possession, exposing the continuing threat of drone-assisted smuggling operations in Punjab.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with a foreign-based smuggler through virtual numbers and encrypted communication platforms.
Police suspect the module was receiving consignments of weapons and narcotics dropped via drones from across the border, which were intended for distribution among criminal networks in Punjab.
Two separate FIRs have been registered at Chheharta police station, and further investigations have been launched to trace both the forward and backward linkages of the network.
The latest bust comes at a time when Punjab’s border districts are witnessing a shift in organised crime patterns, where drugs, illegal arms and gang networks are increasingly operating in tandem.
Security agencies have repeatedly warned that Pakistan-based handlers are using drones not only to push heroin consignments but also drone-dropped weapons consignments meant to fuel terror activities, gang rivalries, targeted killings and extortion rackets.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the recovery of eight pistols is significant as it underlines the scale at which such smuggling networks continue to operate despite heightened border surveillance.
Over the past couple of years, the Border Security Force, Punjab Police and other agencies in the state have recovered a large number of drone-dropped consignments containing pistols, grenades, IED components and narcotics, indicating that traffickers are rapidly adapting to technology and communication methods.
Investigators are also examining whether the seized weapons were intended for gangsters active in Punjab and neighbouring states.
The use of virtual numbers and encrypted applications has emerged as a major challenge for investigators, as such platforms allow handlers operating from abroad to coordinate deliveries, finances and logistics while concealing their identities and locations.
