Be it the recent shootout in Shahdara where a man and his nephew were gunned down, the killing of a gym owner in the Greater Kailash area of South Delhi, firing at a car showroom in Naraina any other incident of killing or even threatening a person in the national capital – do you know what common thread joins all these crimes? It is the usage of a weapon or a firearm.
Knives, machetes or any pointed object — they are mostly used in a fit of rage. But when there is a proper plan to either eliminate, extort or threaten someone — it is always a gun, the most vital aspect of a criminal’s prowess.
The crucial thing to understand is that a firearm is not a toy that is easily available in India. The Arms Act states that no person can carry a firearm or ammunition “without a license” unless they are carrying it in the presence of the license holder or with their written permission.
The firearms which the criminals use do not have a license but are always “illegally procured”.
Think of any incident that has happened in the capital in the past five years where a firearm was used. Two incidents would immediately come to your mind — Shahrukh Pathan, who aimed a pistol at a policeman during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, and another one was Ram Bhakt Gopal, who opened fire at the group of anti-CAA protesters that was marching towards Rajghat. Both of them had illegally procured the firearm.
There are about 3.22 deaths due to gun-related injuries per 1 lakh people in India every year. Around 90% of them are committed to using an “illegal firearm”. A couple of years back the country recorded 9,706 deaths that were committed using a firearm. Among this 1,117 were women.
Acquiring sophisticated guns isn’t an easy task for any petty criminal or even a local gangster. They fulfill their requirement with country-made pistols whose cost is almost 10 times less than any imported pistol.
But who is making these weapons and why are the law enforcement agencies failing to curb the menace that ultimately fuels the menace of ‘organised crime’ in the capital?
To comprehend and understand the Menace, it is vital to know the history of gun culture in the country which traces its origin back to the 16th century.
Gun chronicle
It was in 1760 when the Nawab of Bengal, Mir Qasim Ali, noticed a unique composition of the soil in Bihar’s Munger, rich in potassium nitrate, and realised its potential for manufacturing firearms. He moved his capital to Munger and established gun factories that would come to define the region.
Mir Qasim’s general, Gurgin Khan, brought skilled gunsmiths from the border areas of what is today Pakistan and Afghanistan to work in these factories. Munger’s soil is locally known as Kharwa Mitti, which is rich in “sorra” (potassium nitrate). The descendents of these gun smiths continued with their traditional occupation of making gun.
During the British Raj era, many government-owned gun factories were located in Munger and Madhya Pradesh’s (MP) Khargone and Dhar districts. These gun manufacturers supplied arms and ammunition to the armed forces during the First World War.
The Indian government after 1947 granted licenses to small-scale industries to produce firearms. When the India-China war broke out in 1962, the gun factory in Munger supplied samples of 410-bore Musket to the Union Defence Ministry.
After Independence, several of these factories were shut down, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed who took the illegal route to manufacture arms as they knew no other work. To earn a living, they started an illegal business by making country-made pistols — “kattas” or “tamanchas”.
Where is ‘Kaleen Bhaiya’s’ factory?
The famous crime-thriller web series, Mirzapur, showed the character of actor Pankaj Tripathi as iron-fisted Akhandanand, who is a millionaire carpet exporter and the crime boss of Mirzapur city. In reality, he was not exporting carpets but illegally making guns at his factory.
While the TV series is mere fiction, yet, it gives an insight into the illegal gun manufacturing business.
The primary source of illegal arms and ammunition, which is clandestinely smuggled into Delhi is no longer Bihar’s Munger but it has now shifted its base to Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district.
Apart from that the Delhi Police has also identified some areas of western Uttar Pradesh where the smuggling of illegal firearms is rampant.
A senior Delhi Police officer, who requested anonymity, said that they have conducted multiple raids in Khargone and Khurcha areas of MP and nabbed hundreds of illegal arms suppliers in the past few years.
“The problem is those who we catch in Delhi never reveal the name of their source from where they had procured the weapon,” the officer told this newspaper.
He said that it is not like a factory is running in an entire forest area of Madhya Pradesh but small units established in single-room flats have been unearthed multiple times. “There are some manufacturers who make single-shot country-made pistols only on order from Delhi gangsters,” theofficer said.
Another channel from where the firearms are infiltrated into India is across the border from Pakistan and Nepal. Several officers privy to the ongoing probe of arms traffickers said that arms manufacturers sitting in Pakistan used the resources of local drug suppliers to pump their consignment of firearms into the country.
“There have been multiple instances of dropping of firearms with the help of drones across the Punjab border touching Pakistan,” the officer said.
Another officer who has headed several multi-state operations to catch illegal firearm traffickers said that the manufacturing of illegal arms is rampant in Dhar, Khargone, Burhanpur and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Guns to bullets — they make everything
The art of arms-making, once a legitimate skill, has been preserved and expanded by descendants of the original gunsmiths hailing from Munger, Khargone and Dhar.
Today, they replicate sophisticated models like AK-47s, operating in clandestine workshops hidden in forested areas or residential complexes.
In villages near UP’s Meerut and Mewat in Haryana, illegal arms factories proliferate, with skilled labourers from Munger producing country-made pistols, rifles and semi-automatics upon demand.
A senior police officer told this newspaper that gunsmiths in MP’s Khargone buy iron sheets and pipes from the hardware shop in the market (easily available in the open market).
“They procure the equipment, like drills, grinders, hammers, and screwdrivers, used in making weapons from the market. After arranging all the raw materials and equipment, they either prepare the illegal weapons at home or in remote areas of the forest,” the officer said.
Making a pistol is still easier than making a bullet which requires more precision. The bullet’s design determines the potential of the harm it can inflict.
These illegal firearms makers purchase thin sheets of brass from Indore to make bullets. Using the thin sheet, with the help of tools, the shell of the bullet is prepared, and then the gunpowder is filled in that shell.
Thereafter, a brass screw is fitted on the back of the round, on which the pin hits to fire the bullet. An illegal firearms maker takes about three days to manufacture a pistol.
Once done, the illegal firearm manufacturers sell one .30-bore pistol for about Rs 20,000, .32-bore pistol for Rs 6,000-8,000, .315-bore pistol for Rs 1,500 to 2,000 and one 9 MM pistol for approximately Rs 50,000 to local dealers.
Local dealers further sell illegal weapons to their contacts in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP at much higher prices.
How the trade runs
According to police, the illegal firearm trade in Delhi is thriving due to convenient transportation links, especially bus and railway routes. Criminal networks from neighbouring states—Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana—play a key role in supplying weapons to the city. These arms enter Delhi through multiple covert methods, keeping law enforcement constantly vigilant.
In September this year, a routine traffic check in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar area led to the seizure of 500 sniper rifle bullets while being transported on a motorcycle. The case was handed over to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police who are still finding probing the matter.
A senior police officer had said that the recovered 7.62 calibre cartridges are used in AK-47 rifles, self-loading rifles (SLRs), light machine guns and also for sniper rifles. “These bullets are very pointed. When fired at someone, it leaves a small entry wound but causes maximum damage while exiting,” the officer said.
To avoid detection, smugglers frequently change buses and trains when transporting consignments, and they use creative concealment methods. Weapons are hidden in vehicle cavities, scooters, milk cans, and even bags. “The traffickers employ several discreet methods to infiltrate the firearms in the capital which also includes making a woman accompany them so that the enforcement agencies would not suspect them,” the officer said.
Delhi is surrounded by Ghaziabad and Noida from the eastern side, Sonepat from the northern side, Gurugram and Faridabad from the southern side and Bahadurgarh and Jhajjar from the western side.
Officers say that they guard some borders round-the-clock and keep tracking the movement of firearm traffickers. Still, the firearms reach the hands of local criminals despite heavy policing.
“There are several motorable roads which connect Delhi to nearby satelite towns. We install pickets at some crucial points but it is not possible to guard the border completely. We have to rely on our informers to catch the culprits,” the officer said.
Notably, once the firearm has reached Delhi, the next step is to deliver the consignment to the local ganglords or their aides. For this, the traffickers increasingly rely on social media platforms, as they are able to reach clients and coordinate with each other without drawing attention.
Gangsterism adds fuel to fire
Machismo or gangsterism – it seems that the minor boys are more attracted to such a hollow sense of pride which is ultimately landing them behind bars.
Songs depicting the “use of guns” and showing violence in a positive way leave an impression on a child’s mind where they are not able to choose correctly between right and wrong.
Most of the teenage boys — either living in a shabby shanty or a posh upscale locality — have a desire to have a gun just to show off. Hundreds of social media accounts of powerful gangsters present them as a hero is another problem which is yet to be addressed by anyone.
“The glamorisation of guns and violence in films, TV shows, and social media has had a profound impact on young people’s attitudes towards firearms. Characters who use guns are often portrayed as powerful, commanding respect or fear. This portrayal can lead to the normalisation of violence, especially among impressionable juveniles who might equate guns with strength or self-worth,” says Dr Sneha Sharma, Consultant - Psychiatrist, Aakash Healthcare.
For juveniles and younger adults, especially those influenced by gang culture, owning a gun can be a way of fitting in or earning respect within a social circle. Guns can become symbols of status and control, causing more young people to take risks to acquire them, legally or illegally.
“Addressing this issue requires a multi-faceted approach, including strengthening socioeconomic opportunities, improving law enforcement, regulating media portrayal and fostering alternative ways for youth to gain status and respect without resorting to violence,” Dr Sharma said.
However, it is not just a minor boy’s attraction to a fake sense of pride that lands them in jail, often, it has been seen that they are enticed by big gangsters to commit the crime and are being regularly recruited by them.
Minors are on gangsters’ lists
The sole reason is Indian law which does not allow a minor criminal to be sent to jail but to a correctional home. According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, a juvenile is a child below the age of 18 years. Under this Act, “in no case a child alleged to be in conflict with law shall be placed in a police lock-up or lodged in a jail.
Moreover, even after spending some time at a correctional home, a juvenile is set free. This is why some gangsters prefer minors to commit crimes, even murders, as the law is a bit lenient for them.
Senior police officials told this newspaper that there has been a growing trend where they have seen juveniles being tasked specifically to commit crimes.
Moreover, even after spending some time at a correctional home, a juvenile is set free. This is why some big time gangsters prefer minors to commit crimes, even murders, as the law is a bit lenient for them. Senior police officials told this newspaper that there has been a growing trend where they have seen juveniles being tasked specifically to commit crimes.
Bullet-making Process
Making a pistol is still easier than making a bullet which requires more precision. The bullet’s design determines the potential of the harm it can inflict. These illegal firearms makers purchase thin sheets of brass from Indore to make bullets. Using the thin sheet, with the help of tools, the shell of the bullet is prepared, and then the gunpowder is filled in that shell. Thereafter, a brass screw is fitted on the back of the round, on which the pin hits to fire the bullet. An illegal firearms maker takes about three days to manufacture a pistol.
MODUS OPERANDI - How firearms are reaching the national capital
The primary source of illegal arms and ammunition, which is clandestinely smuggled into Delhi is no longer Bihar’s Munger. The base has now shifted to Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district.
The Delhi Police has also identified some areas of western Uttar Pradesh where the smuggling of illegal firearms is rampant
The firearms are also reaching from across the border from Pakistan and Nepal. The arms manufacturers sitting in Pakistan used the resources of local drug suppliers to pump their consignment of firearms into the country. There have been multiple instances of dropping of firearms with the help of drones across the Punjab border touching Pakistan
The network is thriving due to convenient transportation links to Delhi, especially bus and railway routes.
Criminal networks from neighbouring states—Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana—play a key role in supplying weapons to the city. These arms enter Delhi through multiple covert methods.