Delhi Police bust ISI-linked drone arms network, arrest 4 suspects

An international arms trafficking network allegedly linked to Pakistan's ISI-backed suppliers has been busted with the arrest of four key operatives involved in supplying high-end foreign-made weapons to organised crime groups across north India, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the network sourced foreign-made weapons smuggled from Pakistan using drones and supplied them to gangsters in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Investigations revealed that weapons were being smuggled from Pakistan using customised drones capable of low-altitude flights to evade radar.

Traffickers based across the border allegedly dropped consignments at pre-marked GPS locations along vulnerable stretches of the international border in Punjab late at night.

Local receivers retrieved the packages, transported them to safe houses, and supplied them to crime networks across India. The module used encrypted communication and changed drop locations frequently to avoid surveillance, police said.

The traffickers wrapped weapons in carbon-coated material to evade scanning, and payments were made through hawala and proxy accounts.

Ten sophisticated pistols, including Turkiye-made PX-5.7 models used only by special forces, along with 92 live cartridges, were seized in the operation, police said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mandeep Singh (38) and Dalvinder Kumar (34), both from Punjab, and Rohan Tomar (30) and Ajay alias Monu (37), residents of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh.

Intelligence was received on November 19 about an ISI-backed supply chain linked to the gang of Punjab-origin gangster Sonu Khatri alias Rajesh Kumar, who is currently based in the United States and is wanted in over 45 criminal cases, police said.

A trap was laid near Khatu Shyam Temple on the Bawana Road stretch in Rohini. A white car arrived at the spot as indicated by the input, and two suspects were intercepted.

A duffel bag concealed inside the vehicle's speaker box was found containing eight foreign-made pistols and 84 live cartridges, officials said. The two men, Mandeep and Dalvinder, were arrested at the spot.

Their interrogation led police to two more associates, Rohan Tomar and Ajay alias Monu, from whose possession two additional pistols and eight cartridges were recovered.

Police informed that Mandeep and Dalvinder were childhood friends and joined the arms syndicate through Jaspreet alias Jas, a close associate of gangster Sonu Khatri. Jas, currently abroad, is suspected of being connected with ISI-linked suppliers who arranged drone-based deliveries.

Rohan and Ajay were long associated with gangs in Delhi-NCR, including the Gogi gang, Bhau gang and Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, and were involved in distributing sophisticated arms to contract killers and extortion modules.

A total of 10 pistols, including three Turkiye-made PX-5.7 pistols and five China-made PX-3 pistols, have been seized, along with 92 live cartridges and a white car.

Police said Mandeep, also known as Pita or Manpreet, has an extensive criminal history involving murder, attempted murder, the Gangsters Act and NDPS Act cases. He frequently used fake identities to evade the law.

Dalvinder, who once worked in Dubai, resorted to criminal activities due to financial distress, officials noted.

Rohan and Ajay were allegedly close to the Anil Baliyan-Sanjeev Jeeva syndicate and previously supplied large quantities of weapons to multiple gangs in the region.

Meanwhile, a Red Corner Notice has been issued against foreign-based gangster Sonu Khatri, who police believe is coordinating with ISI-linked arms suppliers.

A senior police officer said the recovery of Turkiye-made PX-5.7 pistols, typically used only by special forces, indicates a "highly sophisticated and well-organised cross-border supply chain."  Further investigation is underway to identify more modules involved in the network, the officer added.