The Delhi Police has busted an inter-State module of arms suppliers with the arrest of a 28-year-old key arms supplier identified as Mohammad Intezaar. With his arrest, the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the Dwarka district seized 28 pistols of different calibers which he came to deliver in Uttam Nagar area. Police said that the accused supplied weapons to criminals in Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The accused disclosed that the cost incurred on manufacturing one improvised pistol was about Rs 1200 inclusive of Rs 700 for the raw material and Rs 500 towards labour charges. Pistols were manufactured in three sizes small, medium and large. The gang operated as a wholesaler and sold pistols only in bulk and not in retail. To escape the police dragnet the gang members would use pre-decided code words for weapons such as ‘Machine’ and ‘Bhains
Police on Thursday said that the recovered weapons were manufactured with high proficiency, skills and precision, making it extremely difficult for anyone to identify the imitation. This gang was operating for the past six months and has supplied more than 350 illegal pistols to various gangsters/criminals of NCR, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Keeping in view, the spurt in the incidents of firing in areas adjoining Dwarka, in which illegal weapons were used by criminals, the AATS squad found that these firearms were being smuggled by several gangs.
During investigation, the team found that a gang involving one Mohammad Intezaar and his associates were actively involved in supplying these arms to various criminals.
“On Wednesday, information was received that one arms supplier from Meerut (UP) is seen in Dwarka area with a consignment of illegal weapons for delivering to some splinter gangs. Accordingly, sleuths of AATS was sent as a decoy customer who met the arms supplier in the garb of a local goon and a deal for supply of one Pistol and 25 to 30 improvised pistols was struck with him. The delivery was to be made at a fixed time and place. A team was constituted and a trap was laid near Metro pillar no. 803, Najafgarh-Uttam Nagar Road,” said Shibesh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka district.
“At about 6:35 pm, one person who was later identified as Mohd Intezaar (28), resident of Meerut, came in a Maruti Esteem car for delivery of the consignment. He was apprehended and from his possession one Pistol and 27 improvised pistols were recovered. The Maruti Esteem car No. DL-6C-J0583 used by him was verified and found to be stolen. A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered at Uttam Nagar police station,” Singh added.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that the gang headed by him is involved in this trade of illegal weapons for the last six months. He owns a small unit in Meerut where he used to manufacture compressor valves which are used in cold storages. He had earlier been to Saudi Arabia and had worked there for three years. Six months ago, one of his friends who too is a manufacturer of compressor valves in Meerut, arranged his meeting with another person who had technical expertise and was an old hand at manufacturing country made pistols.