Inter-state gun-running racket busted in Amritsar; 2 arrested      

The Punjab Police busted an inter-state gun-running racket backed by a US-based handler with the arrest of two members, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday.

The police seized 10 country-made pistols along with 20 magazines and ammunition from the pair, he added.

The arrested accused have been identified as Satnam Singh alias Prince of Buttar Kalan and Manjit Singh of Bhagi Nangal in Batala of Gurdaspur district.

Investigations revealed that Satnam was primarily in touch with his US-based handler, Sunny Masih alias Gulli, wanted in multiple heroin smuggling cases.

For his convenience, Satnam involved his relative Manjit in peddling drugs and transporting illegal weapons, Yadav said.

The investigations also revealed that the accused procured illegal weapons from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand on the directions of Masih to supply them to Punjab-based gangsters.

Further investigations are under way to unearth the network, the police chief said.

Assistant Inspector General of Police (State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar) Sukhminder Singh Mann said the cops received a tip-off that Masih, a native of Dhianpur village in Gurdaspur district, was running an inter-state weapons smuggling module with the help of his associates.

Acting on the input, State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, arrested two members of the module after seizing a weapons consignment from them, he said.

During questioning, Satnam revealed that Masih paid him courier charges per delivery.

He also revealed that he smuggled four weapons from Madhya Pradesh to Punjab about a month ago, for which he was paid Rs 10,000. Masih had promised Rs 20,000 for the latest delivery.

Mann said Satnam had a criminal history with at least three drugs cases registered against him.