Punjab Newsline | Amritsar
Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled an internationally operated illegal arms smuggling and hawala network, arresting four accused, including an Afghan national. During the operation, police recovered eight sophisticated pistols and seven live cartridges.
According to preliminary investigations, the accused were linked to a foreign-based network involved in the trafficking of illegal weapons. The network allegedly smuggled arms into India through designated drop locations in border areas before supplying them to local criminals for use in unlawful and criminal activities.
Police officials said the syndicate also used hawala channels for financial transactions, making the operation highly organized and difficult to trace. The recovered weapons were reportedly intended for distribution among criminal elements, posing a serious threat to law and order in the region.
Two separate FIRs have been registered in the case at PS Islamabad and PS Gate Hakima. Investigators are now examining both the backward and forward links of the network to identify other individuals involved and determine the extent of its international connections.
The arrests and recoveries are being viewed as a significant breakthrough in efforts to curb cross-border arms trafficking and organized crime in Punjab.
