2 held from Delhi airport for trafficking weapons

Delhi Police arrested two key operatives of a transnational arms trafficking module linked to terror activities, recovering 23 firearms and 211 cartridges.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday said they have arrested two key operatives of a transnational arms trafficking and terror module. The accused were arrested from the IGI Airport on Sunday and have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (Photo for representation)

The accused, Imran, 37, and Mohammad Kamran, 27, were detained following the look-out circulars issued by the court, said police, adding that they are linked into an international arms smuggling racket.

DCP (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said the arrests are linked to a larger module operated by fugitive accused Shahbaz Ansari.

“A total of 12 accused have been apprehended so far, and 23 sophisticated foreign-made firearms, along with 211 live cartridges, have been recovered. The accused disclosed their role in receiving illegal arms consignments routed through Nepal and supplying them to criminal networks in Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country,” he said.

The weapons were transported in dismantled form to evade detection and later reassembled before being distribution, police added.

Police said two weapons and 11 live cartridges were recovered from the two accused. “A car fitted with specially designed concealed cavities used for transporting arms was also seized from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The syndicate operated through a structured cross-border network, involving procurement, transit and distribution channels. Funds generated from arms trafficking were allegedly used to support terror-related activities. The module was backed by Pakistan ISI,” said the DCP.