NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted an arms manufacturing unit and recovered illegal weapons buried under the ground in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. The alleged kingpin and supplier of the network has also been arrested, an official said on Saturday. 18 illegal country-made pistols and firearm components, as well as manufacturing tools were recovered, he said.
The arrested accused were identified as Bilal (22) and his associate Sahil (25), both residents of Rajasthan. Bilal, the primary accused disclosed the name of one of his suppliers Sahil (25) who was also arrested and two single-shot pistols were recovered from his possession.
During an ongoing Crime Branch investigation, a man identified as Bilal emerged as a key source of illegal firearms supplied to gang members in Delhi for the past two years. The probe led authorities to an illegal arms factory in Rajasthan, allegedly owned and run by Bilal. However, the accused fled before he could be arrested.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said that Bilal’s elder brother Asgar was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2020 for a similar offence, the DCP added. Bilal admitted that he turned to the illegal arms trade in search of quick money after noticing rising demand for weapons in the Mewat region, the DCP said. He learned to manufacture firearms from his uncle in 2017, who ran a small illegal arms unit.
After his uncle’s death in 2018, Bilal began producing single-shot pistols on his own. What started as small-scale supply through known contacts soon expanded, with increasing demand in the Bharatpur-Mewat area boosting his reputation. Over time, Bilal built a full-fledged distribution network, becoming a key player in the illegal arms trade.