Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 10

In a major inter-state operation, the Punjab Police today busted another Madhya Pradesh-based illicit arms network with the arrest of its main supplier, Baljit Singh, alias Sweety Singh, of Barwani district in MP.

Lured clients via social media

Sweety Singh, a resident of Umarti village, had been found indulging in manufacture and supply of high-quality illicit weapons to Punjab and other northern states, said DGP Dinkar Gupta here.

The Kapurthala police also recovered three .32 pistols, along with three magazines from his possession, he added. This is the third such MP-based illegal weapon manufacturing and supply module busted by the Punjab Police within the past eight months.

The DGP said the arrest came 10 days after the Kapurthala police, in the follow-up operations led by SSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh, arrested four suspected robbers with 10 pistols and a rifle along with ammunition.

He said the suspects revealed they were sourcing the weapons from MP-based smuggler Sweety and were hatching a conspiracy to carry out robberies and dacoities at petrol pumps as well as targeting farmers.

DGP Gupta said following the inputs, the Kapurthala police procured arrest warrants for Sweety and a special team was dispatched to Barwani district to arrest him in coordination

with the MP Police.

On June 30, an FIR was registered under Sections 399 and 402 of the Indian Penal Code and 25 of the Arms Act at the Fattudhinga police station in Kapurthala.

“Our team, while working closely with MP Police, arrested Sweety, who unsuccessfully attempted to evade arrest by crossing the Narmada to enter the Maharashtra border,” the DGP said.

SSP Khakh said Sweety had disclosed that he and his elder brother, Sumer Singh, were into the illegal manufacture and sale of arms for several years and used to upload videos of arms on social media platforms to lure customers. The arrested robbers had established contact with them after seeing the videos.