An illegal firearms manufacturing and supply racket that allegedly supplied illegal weapons to gangsters and dreaded criminals operating across Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana was busted, an official said on Friday.
Five suspected criminals with charges of heinous offences, including murder, were arrested in a crackdown carried out as part of a special drive launched ahead of Republic Day celebrations to curb the circulation of illegal firearms and ensure public safety, police said.
Following their arrest, police recovered 20 sophisticated country-made pistols, 12 live cartridges and a large quantity of machinery and raw material used for manufacturing illegal firearms.
On January 4, police laid a trap in the Kapashera area and apprehended Bharat alias Bharu (35), a resident of Palam in Delhi, was apprehended. A country-made pistol along with a live cartridge was recovered from his possession, police said.
A case under relevant sections of the Arms Act was registered, following which sustained interrogation of the accused led to the unearthing of a larger firearms manufacturing racket, the officer said.
During questioning, Bharat allegedly disclosed the involvement of Ashraf Ali (50), who was operating an illegal firearms manufacturing unit in Meerut along with his associates. Acting on this information, police conducted raids at Village Kaili in Meerut, where a fully functional illegal firearms factory was busted, they said.
Meerut residents Ashraf Ali and Satish (49) as well as Upender (32) from Muzaffarnagar were arrested from the spot, and heavy machinery used for large-scale production of country-made pistols was seized.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Dwarka resident Imteyaz (28), who allegedly played a key role in procuring and supplying illegal firearms to criminals and gangsters, police said.
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Investigators said the accused were running a well-organised manufacturing unit from a secluded farm land area, using heavy machinery and raw materials to produce sophisticated country-made pistols. The weapons were supplied strictly on demand to criminals for monetary gain, they said.
Police said all the accused had previous criminal records. Upender, Ashraf Ali and Satish are allegedly involved in murder and gangster-related cases, while Bharat faces multiple cases of attempt to murder and robbery. Imteyaz is allegedly involved in several cases of robbery, snatching and Arms Act violations.
Further investigation into the network and its linkages is underway, police said.
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