Punjab Police Arrest Five in Amritsar Drone Arms Smuggling Bust, Seize Assault Rifle, Pistols and Grenades
Amritsar police have busted a cross-border arms and explosives smuggling module, arresting five people, including a father and son, and recovering a sizeable cache of weapons, grenades and ammunition in a swift intelligence-led operation on October 15, 2026.
The Counter Intelligence wing of Amritsar Police intercepted the suspected network after receiving specific information about a group operating through drone drops from across the international border. The recovered material included one .30-bore assault rifle, two hand grenades, 13 foreign-made pistols — four 9mm Glocks and nine .30-bore pistols — and 25 live cartridges. Police also impounded two motorcycles allegedly used to move the consignments.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh and his son Jaskaran Singh, both residents of Ballarwal village in Ajnala in Amritsar district; Veenu of Sagarpur in Batala; Amritpal Singh of Rasulpur village in Batala; and Gaurav Masih of Gounspura village in Batala.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the investigation began after intelligence suggested that Gurpreet Singh and Jaskaran Singh were in regular touch with a foreign-based smuggler. According to the information received by the police, the pair would collect weapons, ammunition and explosives dropped by drones and then pass the material on to the other three accused for further distribution.
The tip-off also indicated that Gurpreet Singh and Jaskaran Singh were due to meet Veenu, Amritpal Singh and Gaurav Masih near Teri village in Ajnala to hand over the contraband. Police teams moved quickly on the basis of this input and raided the location, arresting all five accused on the spot along with the recovered consignment.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the foreign-based smuggler used encrypted communication platforms to coordinate the movement of the recovered items and avoid detection. Police are now trying to determine the full extent of the network and identify other people connected to the operation.
An FIR, numbered 66 and dated October 15, 2026, has been registered at the State Special Operations Cell police station in Amritsar under Sections 25 and 25(1-A) of the Arms Act, Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
DGP Yadav said further investigation is continuing to trace the module’s backward and forward linkages and establish everyone involved in the smuggling chain. He added that the operation is part of Punjab Police’s ongoing efforts to counter cross-border trafficking of arms and explosives, particularly consignments being sent through drone drops from across the border.
The seizure comes amid sustained vigilance by security agencies against drone-enabled smuggling into Punjab. Officials said the weapons recovered in this operation were taken out of circulation before they could reach criminal or anti-national elements.
