6 with links to Rashid Cablewala-Hashim Baba gang arrested

Delhi Police arrested six gang operatives linked to Rashid Cablewala and Hashim Baba, recovering 10 illegal firearms and over 81 cartridges.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested six operatives and sharpshooters linked to the Rashid Cablewala-Hashim Baba gang and recovered 10 illegal firearms, officials said on Monday. The accused were allegedly in possession of rifles and over 81 live cartridges.

Police said the accused were planning attacks on rival gang members (Photo for representation)

Those arrested have been identified as Faiz Qureshi (26), Maaz (24), Nawajish (32), Affak (24), Imran alias Teli (39), and Arshad alias Chota (25) — all residents of northeast Delhi.

Police said the accused were active members of the gang operating in the trans-Yamuna region and were planning attacks on rival gang members.

“A team of the crime branch was conducting surveillance on active gangs and wanted criminals when it received information on May 6 that several associates of Rashid Cablewala and Hashim Baba had gathered at a club on Pusa Road in central Delhi. They were planning attacks on rival gangs,” said Harsh Indora, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

According to police, the four suspects were apprehended at around 4 am when they stepped out. From their car, police recovered four sophisticated pistols, including two Beretta pistols, and 32 live cartridges.

In total, police recovered nine pistols of .30 and .32 calibre with 77 live cartridges, and one .312-bore rifle along with four cartridges.

Investigators said the accused were in direct contact with fugitive gangster Rashid Cablewala through a web application and were allegedly involved in extortion, illegal betting, and other gang-related activities.

Rashid Cablewala, a close associate of jailed gangster Hashim Baba, is believed to be operating from Dubai, while Hashim Baba is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, police said.

The gang is allegedly linked to several murders, extortion bids, and firing incidents in Delhi in recent years, including the killings of businessmen Nadir Shah and Sunil Jain.