In a major blow to illegal arms smuggling networks, the Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has apprehended two operatives of Portugal-based gangster Manpreet Singh alias Mannu Ghanshampuria, further uncovering their links to major USA-based criminals Balwinder Singh alias Doni Bal and Prabhdeep Singh alias Prabh Dasuwal, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.

Those arrested have been identified as Aditya Kapoor alias Makhan, a resident of Lahori Gate in Amritsar and Ravinder Singh, a resident of village Akarpura in Gurdaspur. Police teams have also recovered four weapons including one sophisticated 9MM Glock pistol, two foreign-made .30 bore pistols and one .32 bore pistol along with five magazines and 14 live cartridges from their possession.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that in an intel-led operation, teams from CI Amritsar laid a special naka at Mehta Road near cattle market, Amritsar and both the individuals when they were travelling on their black colour Splendor Motorcycle bearing registration number PB18Z5033. Police teams have also impounded their motorcycle, he added.

He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused Aditya Kapoor is having 12 criminal cases registered against him and was operating on the directions of USA-based criminals Doni Bal and Prabh Dasuwal. The latter are close associates of Gangster Mannu Ghanshampuria, who is brother of Gangster Gopi Ghanshampuria, he said.

The DGP said that these crime syndicates are rivals of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organised crime syndicate. Probe has also found that the arrested persons have received the weapon consignment arranged by Doni Bal and Mannu Ghanshampuria and were hatching a conspiracy to commit some heinous crimes in the state on their directions, he said.

He said that further investigations are underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case. In this regard, an FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act at the Police Station State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, according to an official statement .