NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police's Special Cell has busted an interstate illegal firearms syndicate, with the arrest of two Haryana-based arms suppliers, officials said on Tuesday. The police seized 15 semi-automatic pistols and 30 live cartridges from them.
Shakir (28) and Zunaid Khan (21), both residents of Nuh district in Haryana, were arrested on Monday evening.
Both of them procured firearms and ammunition from arms manufacturers-cum-suppliers of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh and supplied it to criminals in Delhi NCR, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh for the last three years, the police said.
They have supplied more than 400 firearms in Delhi-NCR during the last three years, according to the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Jasmeet Singh said, "Our team had information about firearms trafficking by one such syndicate in Delhi NCR being run by Mewat-based Shakir in association with others."
"With source-based information and manual surveillance, the members of the syndicate were subsequently identified and on Monday, SI Devender Bhati got a tip off that Shakir would come in the evening near Surajkund Turning MB Road, to deliver the firearms and ammunition to one of his contacts Zunaid Khan," the DCP said.
A trap was laid near the spot and Shakir and his associate Zunaid Khan were arrested, Singh said.
The police have recovered 15 semi-automatic pistols of .32 and 30 live cartridges from the duo.
When interrogated, Shakir disclosed that he had procured the pistols and cartridges from an illegal firearms manufacturer in Khargone in MP.
He had joined the arms trafficking syndicate around seven years ago, the officer said.
Initially, Shakir worked as a carrier for someone for three years but subsequently he developed his own network, the DCP said.
Meanwhile, Khan told police that Shakir had asked him to join the syndicate and help him in arms trafficking, Singh said.
Shakir used to get a pistol from MP at a lower price and sell it to Khan on little profit. Khan further sold the same pistol at a higher price to the criminals in Delhi NCR and adjoining states of UP and Haryana, the police said.
Shakir was arrested in 2013 in a case under the arms act, the police said, adding that efforts were being made to identify the remaining members of this syndicate.
