A five-fold surge has been witnessed in smuggling of arms from Pakistan through the Punjab border, with 362 weapons, including AK-47 rifles, grenades and improvised explosive devices, seized so far this year compared to just 81 last year.

A security expert attributed the sharp rise to the precision strikes carried out by India during Operation Sindoor on terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The expert said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) appeared to have launched a retaliatory campaign by stepping up arms smuggling in an attempt to destabilise Punjab. Nearly one-third of the seizures have occurred after Operation Sindoor.

Over 50 persons had been arrested, some caught collecting weapons dropped via drones while others were the intended recipients tasked

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