Punjab Police Busts Cross-Border Arms, Heroin and Hawala Network; 7 Held Including Afghan National
The Voice of Chandigarh News
In a major breakthrough in Punjab’s ongoing campaign against organized crime and drug trafficking, the Punjab Police’s Amritsar Commissionerate, in a joint operation with a central agency, has dismantled a cross-border illegal arms, narcotics and hawala network. Seven individuals, including an Afghan national and a juvenile, have been apprehended.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, police teams recovered 10 sophisticated weapons, 5.048 kilograms of heroin and ₹30.38 lakh in hawala money during the operation. A motorcycle used by the accused has also been impounded.
Arrested Accused
The arrested individuals have been identified as:
- Jaspreet Singh (21), resident of village Khurmanian, Amritsar
- Jagjit Singh (40), originally from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, currently residing in Tilak Nagar, New Delhi
- Gopal Sharma (21), Islamabad area, Amritsar
- Aniket Sahota (21)
- Prabhjeet Singh (26)
- Rajbir Singh (22)
- One juvenile
Massive Recovery of Arms
The recovered weapons include:
- One 9mm UZI Sub-Machine Gun (Made in Italy)
- One 9mm Ghaffar Sub-Machine Security Gun
- Four 9mm Glock pistols (Made in Austria)
- One 9mm Zigana Sport pistol
- One Cold King Commando semi-automatic pistol (.30 bore)
- One Scorpion Zigana Tisas Türkiye pistol (.30 bore)
- One .30 bore pistol
Investigation Uncovers International Links
DGP Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations indicate that the accused were working under the direction of foreign-based handlers who operated through social media platforms. The network allegedly facilitated the delivery of narcotics and illegal arms to criminal elements while using hawala channels to move funds across multiple locations.
Police are now probing both backward and forward linkages to identify additional associates and uncover the broader international network behind the operation.
Operation Began with Intelligence-Based Arrest
Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the operation began after specific intelligence inputs led to the arrest of Jaspreet Singh alias Kalu and a juvenile, from whom 220 grams of heroin was recovered.
Subsequent investigations resulted in the arrest of Gopal Sharma alias Gaurav and Aniket Sahota, leading to the recovery of an additional 4.8 kg of heroin. Further interrogation led police to Afghan national Jagjit Singh alias Jaggi, who allegedly managed hawala transactions linked to the syndicate.
Based on disclosures made during questioning, police arrested Prabhjeet Singh alias Prabh and Rajbir Singh alias Aryan. Searches conducted thereafter led to the recovery of the sophisticated weapons cache and ₹30.38 lakh in hawala funds.
Previous Criminal History
CP Gurpreet Bhullar stated that Jagjit Singh alias Jaggi has previous criminal involvement, with cases already registered against him under relevant legal provisions. He added that more arrests and recoveries are expected as the investigation progresses.
FIR Registered
A case has been registered under FIR No. 177 dated June 13, 2026, at Police Station Islamabad, Amritsar, under Sections 21-B, 21-C, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act, along with Sections 25(6), 25(7) and 25(8) of the Arms Act.
The operation is being seen as one of the most significant crackdowns in recent months against cross-border criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, illegal arms smuggling and hawala financing in Punjab.
