CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, April 27:
Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has dismantled a Pak-backed illegal weapon smuggling module with the arrest of one operative, who was supplying weapons to anti-social elements on the instructions of his Australia-based handler identified as Jassa.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has identified the arrested accused as Abhishek Kumar, a resident of Village Meerankot Kalan in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered seven pistols— including five .30 bore and two sophisticated 9MM Glock— along with four cartridges and Rs 1.5 lakh from his possession, besides, impounding his Mahindra Thar vehicle being used for weapon smuggling, he said.
The DGP revealed that CI Amritsar received credible intelligence indicating that Australia-based Jassa, in collusion with Pakistan-based smugglers, was orchestrating the smuggling of illegal arms/ammunition through the Indo-Pak border with the help of his local associates Abhishek Kumar, and his accomplice identified as Jodhbir Singh alias Jodha. The input further revealed that the latter were actively involved in receiving and distributing these weapon consignments to anti-social elements across the state, he added.
Acting swiftly on the tip-off about accused Abhishek and Jodhbir alias Jodha have recently retrieved a huge consignment of arms and ammunition, teams from CI Amritsar conducted a raid near Morh Village Fatehgarh Shukarchak on Amritsar-Pathankot Bypass GT Road and arrested accused Abhishek, when he was going to deliver the illegal weapon consignment to another party in his Thar vehicle.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that further investigation is pointing that both Abhishek Kumar and Jodhbir Singh are actively involved in Hawala transactions, indicating their possible connection to a broader network engaged in criminal activities. Further investigations are on to establish backward and forward linkages in this case, he said, while adding that police teams are on manhunt to nab accused Jodhbir alias Jodha.
A case FIR No. 23 dated 26.04.2025 has been registered under sections 25, 25(1)(A) and 25(1)(B) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station SSOC, Amritsar.
