Chandigarh, May 2 (IANS) In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has busted an arms smuggling module with the arrest of three accused and recovered five .32-bore pistols along with nine magazines and 22 cartridges from their possession, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said here on Friday.

Those arrested have been identified as Manjot Singh, a resident of Dhesian village in Gurdaspur; Sandeep Singh, a resident of Jagowal village in Gurdaspur; and Amandeep Singh, alias Aman, a resident of Bhaini Paswal village in Gurdaspur.

DGP Yadav said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that the module is involved in illegal arms smuggling within Punjab.

Further investigation is underway to establish both backward and forward linkages and completely dismantle the entire illegal arms network, he said.

Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur said that acting on reliable inputs, a police team has apprehended Manjot Singh from near the bus stand in Jalandhar and recovered a .32-bore pistol from his possession.

In his disclosure statement, Manjot Singh revealed the involvement of his two accomplices, Sandeep and Amandeep, in this module, she said, adding that acting swiftly, police teams have arrested the duo from Bhaini Paswal village in Gurdaspur.

The Commissioner of Police said that further to the disclosure of the accused Amandeep Singh, police teams have recovered four more .32-bore pistols along with eight magazines and 18 cartridges concealed near Dhusi Bundh at Bhaini Paswal village.

More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days as the investigation progresses, she added.

–IANS

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