Amritsar police seize 2 grenades, 12 pistols; 11 held, two of them minors

Chandigarh.  Weapons sent by drone from handlers based abroad were being used to fire at homes and shops in Amritsar to scare people into paying extortion money, Punjab Police said on Tuesday, after arresting 11 people, two of them juveniles.

The Amritsar Commissionerate Police broke up three illegal arms and drug supply networks and recovered two live hand grenades, 12 pistols, 33 live cartridges and 310.10 grams of heroin, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. Police also impounded a motorcycle.

Most of those arrested are barely out of school. Apart from the two minors, three are just 18 to 20 years old. The oldest is 24.

According to the DGP, the accused fired shots at houses and shops to frighten people who had received extortion calls. Preliminary investigation shows they were in touch with gangsters and handlers based abroad. These handlers arranged drone drops of weapons and drugs, which were then passed on to criminals in the region.

The DGP said police are now tracing the full backward and forward links of the case to identify other associates and dismantle the wider networks.

The arrested accused are:

– Bobby (21) of Nirankari Colony

– Samayal Singh (18) of Cheema Khurd village, Tarn Taran

– Satmol Singh alias Thekedar (20) of Rattan Singh Chowk

– Harpreet Singh alias Happy alias Bhundi (23), Akashdeep Singh (22) and Akashdeep Singh alias Akash (20), all of Naraingarh, Chheharta

– Shamsher Singh alias Shera (20) and Gurbir Singh alias Billa (18), both of Bainka village, Tarn Taran

– Vishal Singh alias Kalu (24) of Jandiala Guru, Amritsar Rural

– Two juveniles

Three raids, three gangs

Commissioner of Police (CP) Harmanbir Singh Gill said the arrests came in three separate operations.

In the first, a team from Ranjit Avenue police station caught Bobby, Samayal Singh and Satmol Singh. Police first found four pistols and 10 live cartridges on them. Their questioning led to three more pistols, taking the count to seven.

In the second, Chheharta police first held Harpreet alias Bhundi along with a juvenile and seized two pistols and four cartridges. The follow-up led to the arrest of the second juvenile and the two Akashdeeps. Police then recovered two live hand grenades and 15 cartridges.

In the third, Sultanwind police arrested Shamsher Singh, Vishal Singh and Gurbir Singh and seized three pistols, four cartridges and 310.10 grams of heroin.

Foreign-made pistols in the haul

The 12 pistols include three Chinese-made .30 bore pistols, two .30 bore PX5 Storm pistols, a 9mm Zigana, a 9mm Glock, three other .30 bore pistols, a .32 bore pistol and a .315 bore country-made weapon.

The operations are part of the state government’s drive to make Punjab safe and secure, carried out on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, police said.