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Out on bail, Baghpat man returned to arms trafficking, landed in police net
According to UP STF officers, the arrested man revealed during interrogation that he had been bringing weapons from Punjab and supplying them to various districts across Delhi-NCR, western Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
One of the four men arrested in Delhi on Saturday in connection with Delhi Police investigation into an alleged international arms network with suspected Pakistan links had previously been caught by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in a major weapons haul last year, UP STF officials have confirmed.
The man, identified as Rohan Tomar (30) of Baghpat, returned to arms trafficking and appears to have become active again within interstate routes and gang networks after securing bail, the officials said.
Rohan Tomar was arrested on Saturday along with Ajay (37), also from Baghpat as well as Mandeep and Dalwinder, residents of Jalandhar, Punjab.
According to STF officers, Tomar revealed during interrogation that he had been bringing weapons from Punjab and supplying them to various districts across Delhi-NCR, western Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
According to UP STF records, Tomar was arrested on November 24 last year when the Meerut unit intercepted a black SUV near Pohli Tiraha on the Khirwa bypass under Kankarkheda police station. Tomar, resident of Lohadda village in Baraut, allegedly tried to assault the STF team, hurled abuses, and even opened fire to avoid arrest.
The officials said he was overpowered and taken into custody and a search of his vehicle led to the recovery of 17 illegal firearms and 700 live cartridges, one of the largest arms seizures in western Uttar Pradesh at the time. They said Tomar admitted during questioning that he used to bring weapons from Punjab and supply them across Delhi-NCR, western UP, and several districts of Bihar. He was also suspected to be close to members of the Jitendra Gogi gang.
Senior UP police officials said Tomar’s past involvement and the fresh arrests have triggered a detailed examination of how the Baghpat-western UP corridor may have functioned as a key transit point.
Police suspect that several consignments may have passed through the region undetected in the past.
Officials are now analysing the arrested men’s call detail records, movement patterns across state borders, financial trails and hawala routes and local aides who may have provided storage or logistics support.
Notably, the Delhi Police recovered 10 foreign-make pistols—reportedly sourced from Turkey and China—and 92 live cartridges from the group. Officials suspect the weapons were first routed through Pakistan and flown into Punjab using drones, after which interstate gangs transported them to Delhi, western UP, Haryana, and other regions.
Delhi police had clarified that no explicit terror link has emerged so far. However, the Pakistan-to-Punjab route and the organised supply chain have prompted deeper scrutiny by multiple agencies
