Punjab Police bust cross-border smuggling module; arrest one

Chandigarh: Punjab Police have busted a cross-border smuggling module with the arrest of an operative of Pakistan-based smuggler Rana Dyal, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Rajwant Singh, a.k.a Raju, a resident of Attalgarh village in Amritsar. Police teams have recovered two sophisticated 9MM Glock pistols along with two magazines from his possession.

Yadav said State Special Operation Cell of Amritsar had received an intelligence-input that Rajwant Singh has procured a consignment of smuggled weapons and narcotics and was on his way to deliver it to a party near the Attari-Amritsar road.

Acting swiftly, the police cordoned off the area and apprehended the accused and recovered weapon consignment during the search, he added.

The DGP said the accused has been in contact with Pakistan-based smuggler Rana Dyal, who was pushing huge consignments of weapons and drugs into Indian territory through drones and other means.

Sharing more details, Assistant Inspector General Sukhminder Singh Mann said during preliminary investigations it was discovered that Rajwant Singh has been receiving consignments of drugs and illegal weapons sent by Pakistan-based smuggler for quite some time. The smuggled weapons were meant for sale to local buyers, he added.

In this regard, a case was also registered under relevant sections. The accused will be produced in court to obtain police remand.

Punjab shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan which is under the vigil of BSF battalions. Besides arms, the drug network also operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route.