Punjab Police Busts Interstate Arms Smuggling Racket, One Held with 4 Pistols

Chandigarh, August 16: In a major crackdown on illegal arms smuggling, the Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) has arrested one person and recovered four .32 bore pistols from his possession. The accused, Vinod Kumar alias Rahul, a resident of Giyaspura in Ludhiana, has a criminal background with cases pertaining to theft and snatching registered against him.

According to Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, the SSOC had received secret information that Vinod was involved in supplying illegal arms and ammunition from Madhya Pradesh to Punjab. A police team laid a trap and apprehended Vinod near Toll Plaza in Gharuan Kharar, recovering two pistols from his possession. Further investigation led to the recovery of two more pistols from a location revealed by the accused.

The DGP said that Vinod was not only supplying illegal arms in Punjab but also providing logistical assistance to various gangs. Further investigations are underway to establish backward and forward linkages to uncover the entire network.

DIG Counter Intelligence J Elanchezian said that preliminary investigation revealed that Vinod came in contact with gangsters while in Ludhiana Jail and was working for them to retrieve weapon consignments from Madhya Pradesh. Vinod disclosed that he had smuggled two heavy illegal arms consignments in the last month, which he retrieved from Madhya Pradesh and delivered in Mohali.

A case has been registered under the Arms Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station SSOC, SAS Nagar.