Austrian and Chinese Pistols Smuggled via Drones Recovered in Punjab; Four Youths Arrested

Amritsar, Punjab: In a significant breakthrough, the Amritsar Police have recovered seven sophisticated foreign-made pistols smuggled into Indian territory via drones and arrested four accused individuals, including a repeat offender with links to drug smuggling.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar stated that the operation has thwarted potential major crimes, as the weapons, highly lethal Austrian and Chinese-made pistols, are typically sought after by terrorist outfits and gangster syndicates.

The arrested individuals are described as educated youngsters working in private companies. One of them, Satnam Satta from Tarn Taran, is a previously convicted accused in an 8 kg heroin seizure case, said the senior police official. According to the police, Satta developed connections with jail inmates during his earlier stint and allegedly motivated the other three first-time offenders to join the racket.

“The accused were involved in facilitating the smuggling of these advanced weapons across the border using drones,” Commissioner Bhullar said.

“Their arrest is crucial because these pistols are preferred by anti-national and criminal elements for carrying out heinous crimes. This operation has successfully prevented a major threat,” he added.

The police are now intensifying investigations into the international network behind the smuggling operation.

In a post on X, DGP Punjab Police said, “In a major breakthrough, Amritsar Commissionerate Police dismantles a cross-border arms smuggling module, apprehends 4 accused, and recovers 7 sophisticated pistols, including 2 Glock 9mm pistols (Made in Austria), 4 .30 bore pistols (Made in China), and 1 additional .30 bore pistol. Preliminary investigation reveals that the arrested accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms and were receiving consignments of illegal arms for further distribution among criminal elements in Punjab.”

“An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act at PS Cantonment, Amritsar, and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages of this network and identify other associates involved,” the post added.

Punjab Police remains firmly committed to a zero-tolerance policy against illegal arms, cross-border smuggling, and organised crime, the post further read. 

This seizure highlights the growing use of drone technology by cross-border smugglers to push arms and narcotics into Punjab, prompting heightened vigilance by security forces along the border.

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