Two suspected shooters were injured during a gunfight with Punjab Police in Tarn Taran district, officials confirmed on Friday. The encounter took place after police received intelligence about the suspects’ location, following the arrest of an associate during a joint operation between Punjab Police and the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on April 17.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tarn Taran, Abhimanyu Rana, told ANI that the shooters had been involved in a March 21 incident where they opened fire on a man named Gurpreet in Naushehra Pannuan. Acting on a tip from the arrested associate, police attempted to intercept the suspects, who opened fire. In the ensuing exchange, both were injured and hit by multiple bullets.
“One of the shooters, identified as Mehak, is affiliated with the Satta Naushera gang and was also wanted in connection with a hand grenade recovery case from January,” SSP Rana said. He added that two sophisticated pistols of Pakistani origin were seized from the suspects.
In a related development, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered arms, ammunition, and narcotics in two separate incidents along the Tarn Taran border on April 16. Acting on intelligence, BSF troops searched a harvested field near Rajatal village and recovered a packet containing three pistols, six magazines, 97 live rounds, and three fired cartridge cases.
The back-to-back developments highlight ongoing concerns over cross-border smuggling and gang violence in the region. Investigations are currently underway.
