Delhi cops bust illegal arms unit in Meerut, five arrested
NEW DELHI : Delhi Police on Tuesday said they busted an illegal firearms manufacturing and assembling unit in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut that was being run by an interstate syndicate of gunrunners.
Five members of the gang, including its alleged kingpin, were arrested and 84 sophisticated, semi-automatic pistols with 40 spare magazines and five cartridges were seized from them. Police said the arrested men supplied thousands of illegal firearms to criminals in Delhi and adjoining states in the past 10 years.
Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said two of the five were arrested late Monday night after a brief shootout near the Singhu border in outer Delhi. Nobody was injured in the shootout.
The officer said their arrest led to a raid at the illegal arms manufacturing unit in Meerut from where three others were caught and recovery of raw materials, and machinery tools, used in manufacturing of firearms, were made.
DCP Yadav said the racket was being run by some people in Munger, Bihar — infamous for illegal arms units.
“The manufactured firearms are supplied to criminals in Delhi and adjoining states. One pistol’s manufacturing cost is around ₹7,000 to ₹8,000. They sell it between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000. Each skilled arms manufacturer produces at least 2 pistols a day. The person is paid ₹2,000 for each pistol,” said Yadav.
Yadav said a special cell team had been receiving inputs about this gang for the last three months. The police learnt that the gunrunners were from Munger and they had set up their illegal arms manufacturing unit in Meerut.
On Monday, Yadav said, the team learnt that the gang leader and his associate Naseem would travel to Haryana via NH-1 to deliver a huge consignment of firearms.
The cops stationed themselves and around midnight, the suspects were seen travelling in a Verna car.
“The team members flagged down the car. Shaidulla, who was driving the car, tried to flee. He fired two rounds when police surrounded the car. Our team members retaliated and fired three bullets in self-defence. The duo was overpowered and 13 pistols were recovered from beneath the driver’s seat,” said Yadav.
Their interrogation helped police recover 52 more pistols hidden in a special cavity in the boot. Further interrogation of the two led to the factory, which was the house of Shaidulla’s associate, Furkan.
“Three men from Munger – Mohammad Shabir,32, Mohammad Intiaz,29, and Mohammad Obayed,33 – were caught . We seized 19 more pistols, raw materials, and machinery tools from there,” said a police officer, associated with the operation.