Interstate firearm supplier held in Delhi with 27 pistols

A 23-year-old man, who was a part of an interstate firearm supply gang, has been arrested here with a cache of 27 semi-automatic pistols which he intended to supply in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, police said on Saturday.

Salamuddin alias Salamu, a resident of Mathura in UP, was arrested near Sarai Kale Khan Inter State Bus Terminus in south Delhi on Friday night when he went there to deliver the weapons, manufactured in Madhya Pradesh.

The investigators found that the gang has been supplying these weapons in Delhi, NCR, Mewat in Haryana and Mathura for several years.

"Salamuddin was assigned to provide the 27 pistols to a person in Delhi. Nine of the pistols were to be delivered to Dwarka-based Sonu and remaining 18 pistols to someone in UP through Mushtaq for which he has been working for several years," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P.S. Kushwah.

He informed police that Mushtaq, a resident of Chhata in Mathura, is the main receiver of firearms who supplied it in Delhi, NCR and other parts of the country.

Salamuddin, who works as labourer in the local market, was earlier arrested by the Special Cell in December 2014 along with his two associates and 10 sophisticated semi automatic pistols were recovered from their possession.

After being released from jail, Salamuddin joined hands with Mushtaq, who gave him Rs. 5,000 for per trip of weapon delivery, the officer said.

The DCP said Salamuddin was lured into this illegal trade by his friend Ishtaq, a carrier of such weapons, and his brother Ibbar, main receiver of illegal weapons from Madhya Pradesh. Both are brothers of Mushtaq.

Citing last few years study of the investigators, he said these sophisticated firearms are manufactured in Khargone, Barwani and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh and smuggled to Delhi and NCR for the purpose to commit robbery, extortion and other henious crimes.

A police team led by two Special Cell inspectors-- Manoj Dixit and Shiv Kumar-- was specially entrusted to prevent this menace, said Kushwah.

"In the whole operation, the data about gangs of Delhi and NCR was collected and the team visited at UP's West and East areas along with Rajasthan and MP The modus operandi and area of operation of each gang was also established."

--IANS

rak/vd