In a significant breakthrough amid ongoing efforts to make Punjab a safe and secure state, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police have successfully dismantled an inter-state organized crime syndicate. The operation led to the arrest of the syndicate’s kingpin and four accomplices from a flat in Kharar, said the state Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Monday.

The kingpin, identified as Jai Sharma alias Sukha Pistol Ambarsarya from Prem Nagar, Amritsar, was apprehended along with Nikhil Sharma alias Lala of Sandhu Colony, Moni of Kot Khalsa, and Arpit Thakur and Karan Sharma, both from Sri Naina Devi in district Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. Sukha Pistol has a criminal history with seven cases under the Arms Act, and charges of snatching and theft registered against him.

Police teams recovered two .32 bore pistols, three magazines, and eight live cartridges from the arrested individuals.

DGP Yadav stated that police teams had been monitoring the movements of Sukha Pistol and his accomplices based on reliable inputs indicating their trip to Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, to procure illicit weapons. Upon their return, the police pinpointed their location in Kharar and swiftly conducted a raid under the supervision of ADCP City-2 Abhimanyu Rana, leading to the successful arrest of all accused and the recovery of the firearms.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate members were planning an imminent attack on a rival gang. The accused have been booked under the newly-introduced section 111 (Organized Crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant sections of the Arms Act.

Amritsar Commissioner of Police (CP) Ranjit Singh Dhillon provided further details, indicating that the criminal syndicate was involved in various criminal activities including theft, snatching, and arms trafficking. He emphasized that investigations are ongoing to trace the forward and backward linkages of the syndicate and identify the Madhya Pradesh-based arms smugglers. More arrests and recoveries are anticipated as the investigation progresses.

A case has been registered, dated July 7, 2024, under section 111 of the BNS and 25(7) of the Arms Act at Police Station Civil Line Amritsar.