Police recover four illegal pistols and live cartridges during operation; two more suspects named as investigation widens
Police in Amritsar have busted an illegal arms smuggling module and arrested four people allegedly involved in the supply and distribution of illegal weapons, officials said on Monday.
Police recovered four illegal pistols and several live cartridges during the operation, which was carried out by a team as part of an ongoing crackdown on organised crime and illegal arms networks.
The arrested accused
The arrested accused have been identified as:
- Nirvail Singh (30) – resident of Hargobindpura, Amritsar
- Gursewak Singh (20) – resident of Chheharta
- Jashanpreet Singh (20) – resident of Rangarh village
- Gurwinder Singh (25) – resident of Guruwali village
According to police, acting on specific intelligence during patrolling, officers first arrested Nirvail Singh alias Navi and Gursewak Singh. A .32 bore pistol and three live cartridges were recovered from Nirvail Singh, while two .32 bore cartridges and one .30 bore cartridge were seized from Gursewak Singh.
Further arrests and recoveries
During sustained questioning, police obtained leads that led to the arrest of two more accused – Jashanpreet Singh alias Jashan and Gurwinder Singh alias Ginda. A .30 bore pistol was recovered from Jashanpreet Singh’s possession.
Further questioning of Nirvail Singh led police to recover two more .30 bore pistols along with magazines, taking the total seizure in the case to four illegal firearms.
Criminal records of the accused
During verification of criminal records, police found:
- Nirvail Singh was previously booked in a narcotics case in 2024 in which 8.21 kg of heroin was allegedly recovered from his possession. He was also wanted in another 2026 case registered under the Arms Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with a firing incident in the Chheharta area.
- Gursewak Singh was also wanted in the same 2026 arms case.
- Jashanpreet Singh had earlier been arrested in a 2024 NDPS case involving the recovery of 2 kg of heroin.
Wider network under investigation
Police said the investigation also led to the naming of two additional accused, Ahsaas Kumar and Ranjit Singh, who are suspected of being involved in the supply and distribution of weapons received by the module.
Officials said efforts are underway to trace the source of the weapons and identify the network’s forward and backward linkages. Further recoveries and disclosures are expected during police remand.
A case has been registered against all the accused under relevant sections of the Arms Act.
