Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) made a desperate bid on the intervening night of January 27 and 28 to push huge quantities of arms and ammunition into Punjab through its operatives who physically crossed the international border, but this was detected ahead of time by the Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Punjab Police, senior officials revealed.
The Indian Express reported the large recovery of automatic arms and ammunition from the Indo-Pak border in Fazilka on Thursday after Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav made a statement in this regard. Senior officials of the Punjab Police have now revealed the inside story of how the cache of arms was a desperate ploy by the ISI to ratchet up the violence in Punjab, and the CI wing busted this plan through technical intelligence.
The recovered arms and ammunition include 11 Glock pistols and 22 magazines, one Beretta pistol and one magazine, five Zigana pistols and 10 magazines, three Norinco pistols and five magazines, one Ghaffar Security pistol (MP-5 type) with one magazine, and 310 live cartridges (9MM). Two kg heroin was also recovered along with the arms and ammunition. The cache was recovered from Border Outpost (BOP) GG-3 at Teja Rahela village in Fazilka district.
“The ISI has been pushing arms and ammunition into Punjab regularly through drones and riverine routes in the recent past, especially after Operation Sindoor. However, this time an audacious attempt was made by crossing the International Border and reaching close to the border fencing to drop off the consignment of arms which was to be picked up by Indian agents of ISI,” a senior counter-intelligence officer said.
Taking advantage of the heavy fog, ISI operatives entered Indian territory where a Punjab Police team and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel already lay waiting as technical intelligence had given away the Pakistani plans, the officer added. “The BSF personnel fired on the Pakistanis, upon which they fled and left behind a large number of weapons,” the officer further said.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that Pakistan-based smugglers crossed the zero line and operated close to the border fence, attempting to exploit night conditions and dense fog to push arms and narcotics into Indian territory. Alert BSF troops fired several rounds to prevent the breach, followed by a thorough joint search operation leading to the recovery,” said DGP Yadav.
Senior Punjab Police officials said the consignment of weapons was meant to be supplied to various gang members who resort to extortion and killings in Punjab on the behest of gangsters who live in foreign countries. “The ongoing police crackdown on gangsters has disrupted their supply chain of weapons, and therefore the physical bid to push in the arms and ammunition was a clear bid to help out these criminal elements and vitiate the atmosphere in the state,” an intelligence officer said.
Recent weapons seizures on the Indo-Pak border
The Indo-Pak border in Punjab remains a key area for cross-border smuggling of arms, ammunition, and narcotics from Pakistan. These activities commonly involve drones dropping consignments into districts such as Amritsar, Pathankot, Tarn Taran, and Fazilka. Punjab Police, working closely with the Border Security Force (BSF) and central intelligence agencies, has stepped up operations to address these threats.
From mid-2025 to early 2026, several major seizures have occurred, often linked to Pakistan-based handlers, including operatives associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and elements linked to the ISI.
Here’s a detailed overview of key incidents from mid-2025:
January 29, 2026: Major narco-arms bust in Amritsar Rural
The Amritsar Rural police recovered a large consignment, including 42.983 kg of heroin, four hand grenades, one Star Mark pistol, 46 live .30 bore cartridges, and an abandoned motorcycle. Two individuals from Amritsar were arrested. Investigations point to connections with a cross-border smuggling network, with drones suspected as the delivery method.
Significance: This ranks among the largest combined heroin and arms recoveries in early 2026, highlighting the close link between drug and weapon trafficking.
January 28, 2026: Cross-border narco-arms module dismantled in Amritsar
Amritsar police arrested four operatives from Ranian village, dismantling a narco-arms smuggling module. The recovery included 1.5 kg of heroin, Rs 1.98 lakh in drug proceeds, one 9mm pistol, one .30-bore pistol, and 34 cartridges manufactured by Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF). The accused, aged 19-33 and related to each other, were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers via social media. Drones were implicated in the transport.
Significance: The presence of POF-marked ammunition suggests involvement of Pakistani state-linked entities, raising concerns over state-sponsored smuggling.
January 18–19, 2026: Arms cache recovery in Pathankot’s Narot Jaimal Singh area
Pathankot police recovered a substantial arms cache near the India-Pakistan border in Narot Jaimal Singh. The consignment included three AK-47 rifles, five magazines, two pistols (one Turkish-made, one Chinese-made), two pistol magazines, and 98 live cartridges. The weapons were linked to a Pakistan-based BKI operative, Harvinder Singh alias Rinda, with alleged ISI support.
Significance: The presence of assault rifles like AK-47s signals an escalation toward terror-related activities, with direct ties to external networks.
November 4, 2025: AK-47 cache seized in Amritsar
Punjab Police seized two AK-47 rifles near the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar as part of efforts targeting drone-dropped consignments.
Significance: This reflects the ongoing interception of heavy automatic weapons intended for destabilisation.
September 12, 2025: Large arms haul along Indo-Pak border
Punjab Police arrested two individuals and seized 16 pistols, 38 magazines, 1,847 rounds of ammunition, and one motorcycle near the border.
Significance: The large quantity of ammunition indicates preparation for prolonged militant or criminal operations.
A pattern emerging: police
Punjab Police officials say these seizures show a consistent pattern: drone-based delivery, foreign-manufactured weapons (such as Glock, Zigana, Beretta, Norinco, and AK-47s), and narcotics often accompanying arms as a funding source for trafficking. Links to Pakistan-based handlers and operatives like Rinda suggest attempts to support insurgency or crime in Punjab.
“Punjab Police’s approach—relying on intelligence-led actions, community involvement through Village Defence Committees, and coordination with BSF—has resulted in substantial recoveries of heroin and weapons in 2025–2026,” DGP Yadav said. The continued incidents emphasise the need for stronger border measures, including advanced anti-drone systems.
Punjab Police and the BSF foiled a rare cross-border intrusion by ISI operatives attempting to physically push a large arms and heroin consignment into Fazilka district. (Express Photo) 
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