Amritsar police swooped on a convoy of smugglers on Tuesday, taking a jawan, Yudhvir Singh, into custody and confiscating a .30‑bore pistol in his possession.
The raid was part of a larger sting that uncovered four distinct smuggling cells, yielding 14 modern pistols and more than 20 kilograms of heroin hidden in rural villages across Tarn Taran and Batala.
Yudhvir Singh, 22, had previously been booked under an Arms Act violation and was caught on leave at his home, the IG of Border Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said. “The intelligence link traced him to an overseas handler who ferried weapon consignments by drone into the region,” Bhullar added.
The operation also hauled up six civilians: Uday, Patras, Sajan, Sahilpreet, Germanjot and Sahibnoor, all aged 19 to 21, who were tied to the same syndicate. Each arrest triggered a separate case file – two under Section 25 of the Arms Act, one under Section 21 of the NDPS Act, and another under Section 25, all slated for court action in the respective districts.
The prosecution will now present the evidence at the Punjab High Court, where a hearing is scheduled for early July, according to the court clerk, Rajesh Kumar. The case outcome could set a precedent for how armed forces personnel are monitored for illicit trade.