In a major crackdown on illegal arms trafficking, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested three men and seized 12 semi-automatic pistols from their possession. The arrests were made as part of a special drive launched by the Special Cell against the firearms suppliers who procure weapons from Madhya Pradesh and sell them in Delhi/NCR and Uttar Pradesh.
The accused have been identified as Pushpendra Singh (25), a resident of Aligarh, UP; Naeem (19), a resident of Hapur, UP; and Manish Bhati (19), a resident of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. According to the police, Pushpendra Singh is the leader of an MP-based firearms syndicate and has been involved in the illegal trade for the last three years. He has supplied more than 150 pistols in Delhi, the NCR, and UP West during this period. He was also arrested earlier by the Bhalaswa Dairy police station for the same offence.
The police said that they received a tip-off that Pushpendra Singh would come to Kalindi Kunj Road, Okhla, Delhi, to deliver firearms to his associates. A raiding party was formed, and a trap was laid at the spot. At about 11:50 am, Pushpendra Singh was spotted coming towards the spot carrying a backpack on his shoulder. After around five minutes, two boys, Naeem and Manish Bhati, came there, and Pushpendra Singh took out two small bags from his backpack and handed over one each to them.
Thereafter, the police team surrounded them and asked them to surrender, but they tried to flee from the spot. Finally, all three accused were nabbed by the police party. On search, six sophisticated pistols were recovered from the possession of Pushpendra Singh, four pistols were recovered from Naeem, and two semi-automatic pistols were also recovered from the bag of Manish Bhati.
During the interrogation, the accused revealed that they used to purchase a semi-automatic pistol for Rs. 9000 to 12,000 from MP and further sell it for Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 to gangsters and criminals in Delhi/NCR and UP (West).
