Member of inter-state arms syndicate arrested in Delhi, 11 pistols seized

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Police here arrested a 22-year-old member of an illegal firearms syndicate and recovered 11 semi-automatic pistols allegedly meant to be supplied to criminals in Delhi-NCR, an official said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Manpal, a resident of Morena in Madhya Pradesh, was apprehended following a tip-off about the movement of illegal weapons sourced from Madhya Pradesh-based arms dealers, he said.

Acting on specific intelligence that gangsters and hardened criminals in Delhi-NCR were procuring sophisticated firearms from suppliers in Madhya Pradesh, the police began working to identify and dismantle the network, a senior police officer said.

"After sustained efforts for over a month, the team identified members of the syndicate. On December 9, specific information was received that Manpal had procured a consignment of pistols from Sendhwa in Madhya Pradesh and was heading to Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi to deliver them," the officer added.

A trap was laid in the area, and Manpal was intercepted and overpowered late on December 9. "During a search, police recovered 11 good-quality semi-automatic pistols of .32 bore along with 11 extra magazines from his possession," the officer said.

A case was registered on December 10 under sections of the Arms Act and further investigation was taken up.

During interrogation, Manpal allegedly disclosed that the firearms were procured from an arms supplier based in Sendhwa and were to be supplied to criminals operating in Delhi and NCR. He told investigators that he had earlier transported and supplied more than 25 pistols from Madhya Pradesh to various criminals in the region, police said.

Efforts are underway to trace the source of the weapons and identify other members of the inter-state arms syndicate, including manufacturers, dealers and end receivers, the official added.

Further investigation in the case is in progress, police said. PTI SSJ RT