Amritsar, Punjab: In a major breakthrough against organized crime, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, dismantled a cross-border network involved in illegal arms smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and hawala transactions.
During the operation, police apprehended seven accused, including an Afghan national and a juvenile. The action led to the seizure of a significant cache of illegal weapons and contraband, including 10 sophisticated firearms, among them two sub-machine guns, 5.048 kilograms of heroin, and ₹30.38 lakh in suspected hawala money.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly operating under the direction of foreign-based handlers who used social media platforms to coordinate illegal activities. The network is suspected to have facilitated the receipt and distribution of narcotics and illegal weapons to criminal elements while also managing financial transactions through hawala channels across multiple locations.
A criminal case has been registered at Police Station Islamabad, and investigators are pursuing further leads to uncover the full extent of the network. Efforts are underway to establish backward and forward linkages, identify additional associates, trace international connections, and recover more contraband and illegal assets.
The successful operation represents a significant achievement in the fight against transnational organized crime and demonstrates the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and inter-agency coordination. It also reinforces the commitment of the Punjab Police to a zero-tolerance approach against drug trafficking, illegal arms smuggling, hawala operations, and other activities that threaten public safety and national security.
The crackdown sends a strong message that criminal networks operating across borders will be identified, disrupted, and brought to justice through sustained and coordinated enforcement efforts.
