Punjab: Police bust gang of MP-based weapon smugglers, arrest two, seize arms

According to Gupta, the intelligence-led operation was carried out under the supervision of Amritsar (Rural) SSP Dhruv Dahiya. The suspects, Mahesh Selotia and Jaggu, were nabbed from their native villages in Khargone, MP, by a team led by DSP Gurinder Nagra, Gupta said, adding that the raids at Khargone were conducted after investigations into the recent seizure of four illegal .32 bore country-made pistols by Amritsar rural police revealed the involvement of the MP-based gang led by one Rahul.

The DGP said investigations conducted so far had revealed that “this gang has been involved in smuggling several major weapons consignments for Punjab-based gangsters”.

He said that “this very gang was also the source of a weapons consignment of six .32 bore pistols that were intercepted and seized by the Patiala police in September 2020. Besides, the involvement of this gang had also figured in a case of seizure of illegal weapons at l Chattiwind police station in Amritsar (rural) police district.

Gupta said that “possibilities of this gang having links with Punjab terrorists cannot be ruled out as investigations indicate that the kingpin, Rahul, was in contact with several gangsters and hardliners lodged in Punjab’s jails and had been actively supplying them illegal weapons”.

“Significantly,” Gupta said, “he (Rahul) was also in close contact with Akashdeep Singh – the prime accused in the drone module busted by the Punjab Police in 2019- who is at present in Amritsar Jail”.

The DGP said “besides Rahul, the name of another associate of his, Gopal Singh Sikligar of Satipura, had been revealed during interrogation by the arrested suspects Mahesh and Jaggu”. He said efforts were on to nab Rahul and Gopal.