Investigators are shifting their focus to Uttar Pradesh after two men from Baghpat district were named in the Delhi probe into an alleged ISI-linked international arms network, senior UP police officials said. The development follows the arrest of four accused in the national capital for allegedly transporting foreign-made weapons into India.
The Delhi police said the network was uncovered on Saturday with the arrest of Rohan Tomar, 30, and Ajay, 37, both from Baghpat, along with two Punjab’s Jalandhar residents, Mandeep and Dalwinder. Acting on specific intelligence, a team intercepted the suspects in Rohini and recovered 10 pistols reportedly sourced from Turkey and China, along with 92 live cartridges.
Officials said the involvement of the two Baghpat residents has pushed investigators to examine how Uttar Pradesh may have figured in the broader supply chain. Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects were not merely transporters but allegedly coordinated the movement of consignments between Punjab, Delhi and western UP.
Sources said the two UP suspects had built links within gang circles, enabling them to connect foreign-sourced weapons with Indian crime groups, including the Lawrence Bishnoi, Bambiha, Gogi and Himanshu Bhau networks.
“According to investigators, the arms were first sent to Pakistan before being flown into Punjab using drones, after which an interstate chain moved the consignments to Delhi, UP, Haryana and other regions,” sources said. The officials said the sophistication of the weapons and the movement routes point to an organised module with international coordination.
{{/usCountry}}“According to investigators, the arms were first sent to Pakistan before being flown into Punjab using drones, after which an interstate chain moved the consignments to Delhi, UP, Haryana and other regions,” sources said. The officials said the sophistication of the weapons and the movement routes point to an organised module with international coordination.
{{/usCountry}}The officials say the unravelling of the UP angle may provide “crucial breakthroughs” in understanding the scale and frequency of the trafficking operation. After the arrests, investigators are examining call detail records, interstate movement patterns, financial trails and suspected hawala channels operating from western UP, along with identifying local aides who may have handled transport or storage.
Police suspect the Baghpat corridor may have served as a regular transit route for earlier consignments, raising concerns over how many shipments may have passed undetected. The exposure of the network comes at a time when security agencies remain on high alert after the November 10 car blast in Delhi, prompting raids in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the national capital targeting alleged facilitators and illegal arms suppliers.
Officials added that no direct terror link has surfaced so far, but the Pakistan route and the organised nature of the supply chain have prompted deeper scrutiny.