Chandigarh, June 5 (IANS) Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a cross-border illegal arms, drugs, and hawala network with the arrest of six individuals, including an Afghan national and two juveniles, and recovered 1.035 kg heroin, five sophisticated pistols, and Rs 5 lakh in drug money from their possession, Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Friday.

Those arrested have been identified as Baz Mohammad, 62, a resident of Afghanistan and residing at Haryana’s Sonipat but recently shifted to New Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, Ankush Barthwal, 33, a resident of Guru Angad Dev Colony in Nawanshahr, Des Raj, 32, a resident of Bhattian village in Jalandhar, Rajandeep Singh, a native of Amritsar, and two juveniles.

Mohammad, Barthwal, and Des Raj have previous criminal involvement.

The recovered pistols include three 9mm Glocks (made in Austria), a .30-bore Zigana, and a .30-bore pistol, along with two cartridges.

DGP Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused, in connivance with their foreign-based associates, were allegedly procuring consignments of illegal arms and narcotics through contacts established via different social media platforms and were distributing them on the directions of their overseas handlers.

The network was actively operating in the Majha and Doaba regions.

Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said that initially, police teams apprehended two juveniles and recovered a Glock pistol along with two cartridges from their possession, while one more pistol along with 500 grams of heroin was recovered later on their disclosures.

Continuing the investigation, police teams arrested accused Mohammad, Ankush Barthwal and Des Raj and recovered three pistols, 535 grams of heroin and Rs 5 lakh drug money from their possession, he said, adding further interrogation of the accused led to the arrest of their other associate, Rajandeep Singh.

He said the probe has further revealed that Barthwal had recently returned to India from Uganda, where he was employed. During his stay abroad, a co-worker introduced him to Mohammad, and after returning to India, he allegedly joined hands with Mohammad and started engaging in the illegal supply of narcotics and weapons.

–IANS

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