— ARRESTED ACCUSED WERE IN CONTACT WITH FOREIGN-BASED HANDLERS; RECEIVING ARMS AND DRUGS CONSIGNMENTS FOR FURTHER SUPPLY: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— MORE ARRESTS AND RECOVERIES ARE LIKELY IN COMING DAYS, SAYS CP ASR HARMANBIR GILL
CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, August 24:
In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled three illegal arms and drug trafficking networks with the arrest of five individuals including one juvenile, and recovered nine illegal pistols and 6.311 kg heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.
Those arrested have been identified as Armaandeep Singh (20) and Teerath Singh (20), both residents of village Sheikhmanga in Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala; Shamsher Singh alias Shera (21), a resident of village Hetampura in Amritsar Rural; Kamlesh Rani (65), a resident of Indira Colony in Amritsar; and one juvenile.
The recovered pistols include three .30 bore Zigana and one 9MM Zigana (Made in Turkey), three .30 bore (Made in China), one 9MM Glock (Made in Austria) and one 9MM Beretta (Made in Italy). Apart from recovering contraband, police teams have also impounded their three motorcycles being used to carry out smuggling activities.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were allegedly in contact with foreign-based handlers and were receiving consignments of illegal arms and drug, to further supply them as directed by their handlers.
The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish the complete forward and backward linkages in this case to identify other persons involved, and dismantle the wider illegal arms and drug trafficking networks.
Sharing details of first operation, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Harmanbir Singh Gill said that acting on reliable inputs police teams arrested Armaandeep Singh and Teerth Singh. During the operation, six illegal pistols were recovered from their possession, he said.
In second operation, the CP said that police teams arrested a juvenile in connection with the recovery of 6.090 kg heroin. During further investigation, another accused, Kamlesh Rani, was arrested and 211 gm heroin was recovered from her possession, he said.
He said that probe has revealed that both accused were allegedly working on the directions of the juvenile’s cousin. Kamlesh Rani was also found to have a previous case registered against her under the NDPS Act, he said.
In another operation, CP Harmanbir Gill said that police arrested Shamsher alias Shera and recovered three illegal pistols from his possession. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days as investigation progresses, he added.
In this regard, three separate cases— FIR No. 151 dated 19.08.2026 under section 25(8) of the Arms Act at Police Station Cantonment; FIR No. 194 dated 20.08.2026 under sections 21-C and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station Chheharta; and FIR No. 154 dated 22.08.2026 under section 25(8) of the Arms Act at Police Station Cantonment— have been registered.
