Punjab Police has unearthed a cross-border illegal arms and narcotics network with the arrest of seven people, including an Afghan national, a top police officer said on Thursday.
Over five kg heroin and 10 sophisticated weapons, including two sub-machine guns, were recovered from them.
In the joint operation with a central agency, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police also recovered Rs 30.38 lakh from them, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly linked to foreign-based handlers operating through social media platforms, Yadav said in a post on X.
They received consignments and further distributed narcotics and illegal arms to criminal elements, he said, adding the network also used hawala channels for financial transactions across various locations.
An FIR has been registered at Islamabad police station in Amritsar.
Further investigation is underway to establish backward and forward linkages, identify additional associates connected with the foreign-based network, and ascertain further recoveries and arrests, he added.