Two linked to Kaushal-Bambiha gang held in Punjab, weapons recovered

Chandigarh, Nov 7 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, Jalandhar Commissionerate Police have apprehended two associates linked to the Kaushal-Bambiha gang after a hot chase and cross-firing in which both were critically injured, Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.

The two arrested men were involved in multiple heinous crimes and many other criminal activities in many districts of Punjab, he said. They were also providing logistical assistance and supplying weapons to gangs in Punjab and Haryana. Two pistols and five cartridges were recovered.

A day earlier, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling racket with the arrest of three drug smugglers.

One kg of ‘ice’ (methamphetamine) and one kg of heroin have been recovered from their possession. Those arrested were identified as Karandeep Singh, 22, a resident of Bhakna Kala village in Amritsar district, Jeewan Singh, 19, and Manjinder Singh, 21, both residents of Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran.

DGP Yadav has said preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused Karandeep Singh had been living in Dubai and Moscow before returning to Punjab after six years. After returning, he had established contacts with the Pakistan-based drug smugglers using various social media apps and started smuggling narcotics from across the border to further supply them in Amritsar and neighbouring districts, he has said, adding drones were being used by Pakistan-based smugglers to send narcotics into the territory of the state.

The DGP has said the probe has also found that the accused Karandeep Singh was also in touch with foreign-based gangster Gurdev, alias Jaisal. A first information report (FIR) has been registered under the NDPS Act in Amristar and investigations are going on to establish backwards and forward linkages. Jaisal is a key operative of Canada-based terrorists Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa, and Satbir Singh, alias Satta, who were behind the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the police station in Sarhali and numerous plots to commit targeted killings in Punjab.

–IANS

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