The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday cracked down on a well-organized and internationally operated arms trafficking network. Preliminary investigation has indicated possible links of the network with Pakistan and its intelligence agency, ISI. Four smugglers associated with the module have been arrested, and 10 sophisticated pistols manufactured in Turkey and China along with 92 live cartridges have been seized from their possession.
According to officials, the Crime Branch had received inputs that certain traffickers were planning to deliver a consignment of weapons in Delhi. Acting on this intelligence, a team laid a trap in the Rohini area and apprehended the suspects red-handed. Police said that the quality of the recovered weapons and the structural sophistication of the network suggest that it was functioning as a highly organized, well-funded, and technologically updated module.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the entire network was being controlled from Pakistan. Weapons were first smuggled from Turkey and China to Pakistan and later dropped in Punjab using drones. From there, traffickers based in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab facilitated the supply of weapons to Delhi and other states. Payments were routed to Pakistan through the hawala network.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mandeep, Ajay, Dalvinder, and Rohan — all residents of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. They had allegedly been working as suppliers for various gangs for a long time. According to police, the traffickers were supplying weapons to several notorious crime syndicates, including the Lawrence, Bambiha, Gogi, and Himanshu Bhau gangs.
Police are now trying to determine how many consignments have entered India through this network so far and which criminal groups have received weapons. Investigators are examining mobile phone locations, bank transactions, social media activities, and international links. Officials said more arrests are likely in the coming days.
Security agencies across the country have already been on high alert since the car blast in Delhi on November 10. In such a situation, the exposure of this network makes the investigation even more significant. However, police clarified that no direct link between this weapons trafficking module and any terrorist outfit has been established so far, though its connections with gangster networks are evident.
The Crime Branch stated that once the mastermind and the Pakistan connection are firmly established, the scope of the investigation will be further expanded.
