Gurugram: Smuggler carrying 25 illegal firearms arrested from KMP expressway

The suspect has been identified as Abhishek alias Gabbar alias Kalu, a native of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Police said a team of the Sector 17 crime branch received a tipoff that he was coming to KMP expressway to meet a potential customer and was carrying a large consignment

A 20-year-old man was arrested from Panchgaon Chowk on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway late Saturday night for smuggling country -made firearms and ammunition from Uttar Pradesh and supplying them to prospective buyers in Delhi-NCR, said police.

25 illegal pistols and two live cartridges were recovered from the possession of the suspects, said the police on Sunday. (SOURCED)

The suspect has been identified as Abhishek alias Gabbar alias Kalu, a native of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Police said a team of the Sector 17 crime branch received a tipoff that he was coming to KMP expressway to meet a potential customer and was carrying a large consignment.

Police said to evade arrest, the suspect took lifts in different trucks to reach the KMP expressway. Police recovered 25 illegal pistols and two live cartridges from him at the time of arrest.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said when the police team questioned the suspect, he could not produce any valid document. A case under sections 25(1-B)( A), 25-(8) and 29(b) of the Arms Act was registered against the suspect at Manesar police station on late Saturday night.

According to police, Abhishek allegedly supplied over 300 weapons to people in Rajasthan, Haryana and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Preliminary probe revealed he used to buy illegal weapons from his associate in Aligarh with the purpose of selling them to another supplier or to prospective customers in Delhi-NCR. “The list of people to whom he sold the weapons is being compiled. He operated along with another associate and used to supply weapons, such as country-made pistols, guns and 12-bore shotgun. He has so far sold over 300 weapons in the past five years,” said Sangwan.

Sangwan said the illegal weapons were bought for nearly ₹15,000- ₹20,000 each and sold to gangsters in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for ₹60,000- ₹70,000 each.

“During questioning, the suspect revealed he was on his way to supply the illegal arms to different people in Gurugram, from whom he had already taken an advance. He planned to sell these firearms and earn more than ₹5.5 lakh,” said Sangwan.

Rajeev Deswal, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said the suspect was earning more than ₹2 lakh a month. “He completed his Class 10, soon after which he took to smuggling weapons in Aligarh and started his own network in 2018. He is the sole breadwinner in his family. He fell in bad company and started consuming drugs. To make quick money in a short time, he joined hands with illegal arms manufacturers in Uttar Pradesh and started supplying weapons,” said Deswal.

Police said the suspect was produced before a duty magistrate on Sunday and was remanded in police custody for two days. Sangwan said they are questioning him and scanning his call detail records to know more about his networks and other suppliers.