Cross-border firearms trafficking racket busted, 9 arrested from Delhi, UP

Delhi Police dismantled a major arms trafficking syndicate linked to Pakistan, arresting nine members and seizing 18 firearms during "Operation Dismantle."

New Delhi: The Delhi Police special cell on Wednesday said it has dismantled a multi-layered arms trafficking syndicate that procured sophisticated foreign-made firearms allegedly from Pakistan, smuggled them into India via the Nepal border and supplied them to gangs and criminals active in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh.

Syndicate procured sophisticated foreign-made firearms allegedly from Pakistan, smuggled them into India via the Nepal border and supplied them to gangs active in Delhi-NCR and UP. (Representative photo)

Nine members of the syndicate run primarily by two fugitives – Shahbaz Ansari and his uncle Rehan Ansari – were arrested following an 11-day-long special crackdown named “Operation Dismantle” carried out across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, said additional commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah.

The arrests led to the recovery of 18 semi-automatic pistols, two country-made shotguns and three country-made pistols, 92 cartridges and six spare magazines.

Mobile phones containing encrypted data, the apps the accused used to communicate with their handlers, and laptops were also recovered, the officer said.

According to police, Shahbaz, who was last arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2022 in connection with Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder in the same year, is suspected to be in Bangladesh after jumping parole granted in 2025 for his wife’s treatment.

Rehan, who was last arrested in 2016 along with his brother, Qurban Ansari, for arms trafficking, is believed to be in Dubai.

The officer said the special cell’s eastern range team, led by inspector Sunil Toetia, on April 14 arrested a 22-year-old from Usmanpur with one pistol and nine cartridges. “He disclosed procuring the firearm from a 38-year-old accused, lodged in Rohini Jail in another arms trafficking case,” the officer said.

His 27-year-old nephew was also arrested the same day with three illegal firearms, 42 cartridges and six magazines.

He disclosed the sourcing of foreign-made weapons through relatives of Shahbaz and Rehan, and distribution through a resident of Jaunpur, UP. He also procured country-made pistols from Bihar’s Munger.

Another suspect, a 38-year-old man, was arrested the next day in his hometown, Khurja, UP, with four pistols and two cartridges. Police also arrested a 23-year-old, a 35-year-old, two 37-year-olds, and a 32-year-old from UP and Delhi and recovered 15 pistols and 39 cartridges, the officer said.

Shahbaz and Ansari were identified as key kingpins, and they together form the first layer of the international arms trafficking module.