- A youth from Muzaffarpur, Bihar was also included among those arrested
- Police recovered 10 modern self-loading weapons from their possession
Punjab Newsline | Patiala
In a major breakthrough amid the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safer state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Patiala Police has busted an inter-state illegal arms supply network and arrested four individuals. The police recovered 10 modern self-loading weapons from their possession, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Saurabh Kumar, a resident of Jarang Deeh village in Muzaffarpur, Bihar; Sajan, a resident of Sohana in SAS Nagar; Abhishek alias Kaka, a resident of Gurdeep Colony, Ablowal in Patiala; and Inderjit Singh alias Rohit, a resident of Old Bishan Nagar in Patiala.
According to DGP Gaurav Yadav, preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were procuring illegal country-made weapons from Bihar and supplying them in Punjab for criminal activities. He added that further probe has indicated possible gang rivalry, with plans to target a rival criminal associated with the Goldy Dhillon gang to establish dominance in the region.
The DGP stated that further investigations are underway to uncover the entire network, including its backward and forward linkages.
Sharing operational details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Patiala Varun Sharma said that intelligence inputs suggested that Saurabh Kumar, acting on instructions from handlers based abroad, was supplying illegal self-loading pistols to notorious criminals for targeted killings and other heinous crimes in the state.
Acting under the supervision of SP (Investigation) Gurbans Singh Bains and DSP Harman Cheema, teams from the CIA Patiala unit and SHO Shambhu laid a trap and successfully apprehended the four accused involved in arms trafficking.
The SSP further revealed that Saurabh Kumar was sourcing weapons from illegal manufacturing units operating in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and using various modes of transport to smuggle them into Punjab. During initial interrogation, it also came to light that Abhishek was in contact with gangster Goldy Dhillon through social media platforms and was actively involved in gang-related activities. In this connection, an FIR has been registered at Shambhu Police Station.