Indo-Pak Border: Turkish, Chinese pistols ‘delivered via drone’ seized with 2 kg drugs in Amritsar
Amritsar: For the first time, Turkish pistols were recovered in Punjab’s border district. It was a case of “Narco-Terrorism” wherein a known smuggler was apprehended in connection with contraband comprising a cache of drugs, but also foreign-made pistols and ammunition.
Punjab Police’s special task force (STF) arrested notorious smuggler, Paramjit Singh alias Pamma, recovering eight hi-tech pistols with a whopping 2 kilograms of heroin. These were suspected to be delivered through a drone from Pakistan. Pamma resident of Hawelian village of border Tarn Taran district was arrested from the Meerakot-Kherbad road following intelligence inputs.
According to STF, the illegal consignment was collected from the border by another smuggler and then handed over to Pamma. Among the Hi-Tech pistols, including two of the ‘Glock brand’ manufactured in Turkey. Six of the eight pistols recovered are Chinese-made, dropped on the intervening night of November 25-26, via drones.
DSP Amritsar Vavinder Mahajan claimed, “It is for the first time Turkish ‘Glock brand’ pistols were seized from Punjab’s border belt. These hi-tech pistols have the capability of firing a 30-bullet burst in nanoseconds, causing extensive damage.”
According to STF, Pamma was on his way to deliver the heroin consignment to a contact when he was pounced upon at the Meerakot road near Amritsar Airport and arrested.
While investigations are underway to identify cross-border smugglers who delivered the contraband to Pamma, the seized mobile phones sent for forensic examination will provide vital clues about the cross-border links of smugglers from Pakistan.
Pamma, a notorious smuggler has been remanded to four days police custody. Pamma already has two criminal cases related to the smuggling of weapons and fake currency pending against him in Haryana. Over a year ago, he was released on bail from Hisar jail. Another tarnished smuggler Kuldeep Singh of Haryana, met him in the Hisar jail, about seven years ago and is now settled in Dubai, is suspected to be a part of the operation.
Pamma is also a cousin of Iqbal Shera, the prime suspect in the 532-kg heroin and other narcotics seizure, hidden in a rock-salt consignment imported from Lahore, Pakistan in 2020.
The consignment of a 532 kg heroine from Lahore-based firm Global Vision Impex was seized in Feb-2020 and was meant for Amritsar importer Gurpinder Singh Babbar.
Kashmiri smugglers and political and bureaucratic linked smugglers in Pakistan were involved in this mega seizure from Wagah–Attari border in Amritsar two years back.
NIA investigations then established that an international conspiracy involving nationals of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India were linked with Punjab, J&K, and Delhi gangs, to bring consignments of narcotics to India.
These gangs appeared to be carrying out a vast network of hawala and terror-funding activities. It may be mentioned that Turkey is increasingly exposing itself as a close ally of Pakistan along with China, on the international horizon.
Rashmi Talwar, an Independent writer, can be emailed at: [email protected]
