NEW DELHI: In a crackdown on the illegal firearms trade, the city’s crime branch arrested an arms trafficker linked to the Neeraj Bawana gang, along with three of his alleged receivers, and seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
DCP(Crime Branch) Harsh Indora said the seizure—15 semi-automatic pistols, 150 live rounds, and eight additional magazines—underscores the scale at which organised crime networks continue to arm themselves through covert supply lines stretching into Uttar Pradesh.
The key accused has been identified as Mohammad Shajid(42), who was caught on August 11 in a parking lot near Netaji Subhash Place District Centre. Acting on a tip-off, police laid a trap and found him seated inside a car carrying 10 pistols, 118 live cartridges and extra magazines. “A case was immediately registered, leading to further investigation.”
During questioning, Shajid allegedly admitted that he had been sourcing firearms from Meerut and Mawana in western Uttar Pradesh and selling them to several gangs, including the Bawana and Afsar groups. Police said he confessed to having trafficked over 100 weapons in the past, each bought for around Rs 35,000–40,000 and resold for nearly double the amount.
“Subsequent operations carried out over the next month led to the arrest of three men identified as his receivers: 28-year-old Vishal Rana of Inderpuri, 32-year-old Aniket of Rajouri Garden, and 38-year-old Sourabh Dhingra of Kirti Nagar”, an official said.
Police recovered additional pistols and ammunition from each of them. Rana has earlier been booked twice for illegal arms possession, while Dhingra has three previous cases, including attempt to murder.