Two gunrunners held in Delhi, 31 pistols seized

Two gunrunners were arrested and 31 countrymade pistols seized from them, which they intended to supply to criminals in the National Capital Region-Delhi, police said on Friday.

Mohammad Azam Saifi, 52, and his accomplice Akbar, 28, are natives of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, and were arrested during raids in Delhi and Meerut on Tuesday and Thursday.

"Akbar was arrested on a tip-off on Tuesday when he visited east Delhi's Loni flyover area to deliver a consignment of illegal firearms to a contact Akram. Akbar was asked to surrender but he pulled out a pistol in a bid to escape but was overpowered," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.

As many as 24 more pistols concealed in a cloth were seized from him.

"Akbar told police that he worked as a courier for a gang led by Saifi who, he said, was a blacksmith and manufactured illegal firearms at his Meerut residence. Police raided Azam's residence and arrested him," Yadav said.

Six countrymade pistols along with a drilling machine and tools used in the manufacture of illegal firearms were seized from Saifi.

--IANS

sp/tsb/bg