Chandigarh, April 20 : In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police have busted a major inter-state, foreign-linked narcotics and illegal arms module with the arrest of four operatives and recovered 9.925 kg of heroin, two .30 bore foreign-made pistols along with eight magazines and 40 cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.

Those arrested have been identified as Manjinder Singh, alias Sonu, a resident of Pathralian village in Hoshiarpur; Shivam Bhandari, a resident of Dhina in Jalandhar; Sahil Masih, alias Monu, of Pakhoke Tahli village in Gurdaspur; and Ramel Roger of Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur.

DGP Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were in direct contact with foreign-based gangsters and were acting as their local handlers, facilitating drug trafficking and the supply of illegal weapons in the region.

He said further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case to dismantle the entire network.

Sharing operational details, Senior Superintendent of Police (Hoshiarpur), Sandeep Kumar Malik, said that following a reliable input, police teams have set up a special checkpoint in the jurisdiction of Garhshankar.

During the operation, a car was intercepted on suspicion basis, leading to the apprehension of the four accused and the subsequent recovery of the heroin and weapons consignment from their vehicle, he said.

The SSP further said that one of the arrested accused, Sahil Masih, is a habitual offender and is also part of a firing case involving a police party in Batala district of the state.

More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days as the investigation progresses, he added. In this regard, a First Information Report was registered on April 19 under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the police station in Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur.

/IANS