Delhi Police busts interstate arms racket, cartridge factory unearthed in UP; 3 held

New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI) The Special Cell of Delhi Police has busted an illegal arms and ammunition racket operating in the national capital region and unearthed a cartridge manufacturing factory linked to it in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Wednesday.

Three men -- Fazil (50), Jameer (57), and Illiyas (65) -- have been arrested in the case. Two semi-automatic pistols, five single-shot pistols and 210 live cartridges were recovered from their possession during an operation on Monday.

The police also busted an arms factory in Moradabad, seizing a lathe machine, grinding machine, cartridge-making equipment, 257 empty cartridges, 354 bullet leads, 350 empty shells, gunpowder, solid brass rods, and other incriminating material.

The raw material could have been used to produce nearly 1,000 cartridges, an officer said.

"The operation was carried out by a team on September 22, after police received specific inputs that Fazil, an illicit arms supplier, would deliver weapons near Ghazipur flyover in Delhi. A trap was laid and Fazil was apprehended at the spot.

"A search led to the recovery of four single-shot pistols and 166 live cartridges," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said.

Following his interrogation, police raided Rampur the next day and arrested Jameer, recovering 20 more live cartridges from him. Jameer, in turn, revealed that he had sourced the ammunition from Illiyas, a resident of Moradabad.

The team then conducted another raid in Moradabad, apprehending Illiyas and recovering two semi-automatic pistols and one single-shot pistol from his possession.

"During questioning, Illiyas disclosed the existence of a covert ammunition-making unit operating out of a house near his residence. A raid at the location, carried out with the assistance of local police, led to the seizure of large quantities of raw material and equipment used to manufacture cartridges," said the DCP.

Police said Fazil, a farmer from Moradabad, came into contact with Jameer around five to six years ago through relatives and began supplying arms in Delhi-NCR.

Jameer, who studied till class five before taking up menial jobs, allegedly entered illegal arms trade after meeting Illiyas. Since then, he acted as a conduit between suppliers and buyers.

"The alleged mastermind, Illiyas, 65, hails from a family traditionally engaged in brass utensil manufacturing. He learned ammunition-making techniques from locals and turned to the illegal trade nearly two decades ago," he added.

He was first arrested in 2022 in connection with an Arms Act case in Moradabad's Mugalpura area and has since been implicated in multiple cases, including charges under the Gangster Act and attempt to murder.

Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network they were part of and establish possible links with criminal gangs operating in Delhi-NCR. PTI BM BM SKY SKY