Mohali, May 2 -- A key operative linked to foreign-based gangsters has been arrested and a .32-calibre pistol, along with five live cartridges, seized, police officials said on Friday. It was a joint operation carried out by the police and the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), Punjab, they said. The accused, identified as Ajay of Mauli Jagran in Chandigarh, was apprehended in connection with an investigation into a gangster module busted on April 18 when four persons were arrested and two foreign-made pistols were seized. SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said the investigation led police to Ajay, who allegedly supplied weapons to the arrested accused and provided logistical support on the directions of handlers based abroad. Officials said he had been assigned multiple targets across the tricity. Teams of the Mohali police and the AGTF traced Ajay to the Ghaggar bridge area in Mubarakpur (Dera Bassi) following which he was arrested. He attempted to flee and sustained a leg injury, police said. Officials said preliminary questioning indicates that Ajay had been working for foreign-based handlers for about a year. His arrest helped prevent possible criminal activities in the region, officials added. His arrest came on the basis of an FIR registered at the Dera Bassi police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act....