Punjab Police Bust Cross-Border Drone Arms Racket, Five Arrested

Punjab Police has busted an alleged cross-border arms smuggling network operating through drone routes along the India-Pakistan border , arresting five persons and recovering eight sophisticated pistols along with live cartridges, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Arshdeep Singh , Manpreet Singh alias Mann, Sukhraj Singh alias Billa, Rahul Gill alias Rahul, and Arshdeep Singh alias Gagarh. Police said the accused have prior criminal records linked to the Arms Act, NDPS Act, kidnapping, attempt to murder, and prison-related offences .

The recovered weapons include Glock pistols , a Zigana 9MM pistol , a Beretta pistol made in Italy, and a Chinese-made PX3 pistol . According to investigators, the accused were allegedly in contact with a foreign-based smuggler through virtual numbers and were receiving consignments of arms and narcotics dropped by drones from across the border.

Officials said the network reflects the growing use of drones in Punjab’s border districts , where traffickers exploit difficult terrain and surveillance gaps to smuggle weapons, drugs, and cash. Security agencies have repeatedly warned that such drone-assisted routes are fuelling a parallel border crime economy that strengthens organised gangs and extremist networks in the state.

Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrests followed intelligence-based operations and disclosures by the accused, leading police to recover additional weapons and identify suppliers within the network.

Police said further investigations are underway to trace both the domestic handlers and foreign operatives linked to the smuggling module.