Delhi: 2 held for illegal arms factory in Rajasthan

Two men were arrested in Delhi for running an illegal arms manufacturing unit in Rajasthan, with 18 firearms and tools seized by police.

Two people were arrested by the Anti-Gangs Squad (AGS) of the Delhi Police’s crime branch for allegedly running a clandestine arms manufacturing unit in Rajasthan, officers said on Saturday, adding that 18 illegal firearms, single-shot pistols and rifle components were seized from them.

The accused were identified as Bilal Khan alias Billa, 22, who was arrested from Bamnoli in Dwarka, south-west Delhi, and Sahil (one name), 25, who was arrested from Malhaka village in Rajasthan, police said. (Representational image)

The accused were identified as Bilal Khan alias Billa, 22, who was arrested from Bamnoli in Dwarka, south-west Delhi, and Sahil (one name), 25, who was arrested from Malhaka village in Rajasthan, said deputy commissioner of police (crime) Harsh Indora.

“We caught Bilal when he was delivering arms. Eight single-shot pistols and a stolen scooty were seized from his possession. During interrogation, Bilal disclosed the location of his illegal arms unit at Bhima Pahari in Deeg, Bharatpur in Rajasthan. We conducted a raid and recovered several arms parts and manufacturing tools including a grinder, chisels, barrels, screwdrivers, and metal plates—used for large-scale firearm assembly,” he said.

Based on Bilal’s statement, the AGS team arrested Sahil, police said. Two additional single-shot pistols were recovered from him, police said. The DCP said Sahil facilitated sales through his local connections in the Bharatpur-Deeg region.

“Last month, our teams arrested four people—Ravinder Kumar, Mohammad Mustaq, Pawan and Rahish Kumar. All had pistols that we traced to Bilal’s network. Bilal, who studied in school up to class 5, learned arms-making from his uncle, who ran a small arms workshop. After his uncle’s death, Bilal continued the operations and scaled up manufacturing to meet rising demand in the Mewat-Bharatpur belt. His brother Asgar was arrested by the special cell in 2020 for arms-related offences,” Indora said.

Police said that Sahil studied in school up to class 12 and is a drug addict. He has a history of committing cyber frauds and later partnered with Bilal in illegal arms trafficking, acting as a local distributor, police said.