Punjab Newsline | Amritsar
Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted three separate networks with the arrest of eight accused and recovered 11 pistols, four live cartridges and 2.293 kg of heroin from their possession.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav announced the breakthrough on Friday, stating that the action was part of the ongoing campaign to make Punjab a safe and secure state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The arrested accused have been identified as Karandeep Singh alias Babbu (24), a resident of Bhalla Colony, Amritsar; Karan Singh alias Vansh (19) and Karandeep Singh alias Karan (20), both residents of Naushehra Dhalla village in Tarn Taran; Angraj Singh alias Shanki (28) and Rahul alias Shaani (30), residents of Ghanupur Kale village in Amritsar; Manpreet Singh alias Karan (22) of Attari village; Kapil alias Papal (31) of Gowal Mandi; and Nikhil Gill alias Saap (27) of Sadar Bazar Cantt, Amritsar.
Police said that three of the arrested accused—Angraj Singh, Kapil alias Papal and Nikhil Gill—have criminal backgrounds, with cases registered against them under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act.
The seized weapons include three 9mm Glock pistols, two .30-bore Star pistols, one .30-bore Beretta, one .30-bore PX-5, three other .30-bore pistols and one country-made .32-bore pistol. Four live cartridges were also recovered.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations had revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with foreign-based handlers who facilitated the supply of illegal weapons for further distribution among criminal elements. He said further investigation was underway to establish the backward and forward linkages and identify other people involved in the network.
Sharing details of the operations, Amritsar Commissioner of Police (CP) Harmanbir Singh Gill said that in the first operation, acting on specific intelligence inputs, police teams arrested Karandeep Singh alias Babbu from the jurisdiction of Chheharta police station and recovered two pistols from his possession.
In the second operation, police arrested six accused—Karan Singh alias Vansh, Angraj Singh alias Shanki, Manpreet Singh alias Karan, Rahul alias Shaani, Kapil alias Papal and Nikhil Gill alias Saap—on the basis of reliable intelligence inputs. Seven pistols were recovered from them.
In the third operation, police arrested Karandeep Singh alias Karan from the jurisdiction of Chheharta police station and recovered two pistols along with 2.293 kg of heroin from his possession.
CP said further investigation was underway to uncover the entire network and establish the involvement of other suspects.
Three separate FIRs have been registered in connection with the operations. These include FIR No. 251 dated October 17, 2026, under Section 25 of the Arms Act at Chheharta police station; FIR No. 155 dated October 24, 2026, under Sections 25(6), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act at A-Division police station; and FIR No. 268 dated October 28, 2026, under Sections 25(6), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act and Section 21-C of the NDPS Act at Chheharta police station.
