Six arrested, 26 pistols seized as Delhi police busts 2 inter-state arms syndicates

Special Cell of the Delhi Police has busted two inter-state illegal arms supply syndicates and arrested six alleged traffickers, recovering 26 semi-automatic pistols, eight live cartridges and three vehicles used for transporting the weapons, officials said on Friday.

Police said the accused were part of a network that procured illegal firearms from suppliers based in Madhya Pradesh and supplied them to criminals and gang members operating in Delhi-NCR.

“Initial investigation suggested that weapons sourced through the syndicates were intended for members and associates of the Manjeet Mahal, Gogi and Randeep Bhati gangs,” a senior police officer said.

The accused have been identified as Ravi Kumar (38), Sunil Tanwar (33), Yogesh (32), Rajat alias Rajju (27), Saurabh (27) and Nikhil (21).

According to police, a team of the Special Cell had been tracking arms traffickers operating between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi-NCR for several months.

Acting on inputs, a team intercepted Ravi Kumar and Sunil Tanwar in Tahirpur on May 22 and recovered 15 illegal firearms from their possession.

Investigations revealed that Ravi had allegedly procured the consignment from a supplier in Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, on the instructions of Tanwar.

Subsequent raids led to the arrest of Yogesh from Dwarka on May 24. Police recovered a loaded pistol, five cartridges and three additional pistols concealed in a cavity of his vehicle.

Two more alleged receivers of illegal weapons, Rajat and Saurabh, were arrested in Laxmi Nagar on May 26 with pistols and ammunition.

“In a parallel operation, the team arrested Nikhil near a helipad in Rohini on May 22 while he was allegedly attempting to deliver a consignment of illegal firearms. Five pistols were recovered from him,” the officer said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they had been procuring and supplying firearms for several years through a network of suppliers operating in Burhanpur and Khargone districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Further investigation is underway to identify additional suppliers, receivers and criminal associates linked to the syndicates.