New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested nine people in connection with an alleged arms-smuggling and sales network that operated in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Officers said 23 pistols, including semi-automatic handguns, were seized during the operation.
Police said the arrests followed inputs about the associates of Shabaz Ansari, who had earlier faced questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and was released on parole but later failed to appear and remains absconding. The detained suspects were also said to be in touch with Rahman Ansari, described as a proclaimed offender and a close relative of Shabaz.
Investigators allege the group sold handguns across multiple locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and maintained links with gangs involved in anti-national crimes. Searches at the accused persons’ homes and places they frequently visited led to the recovery of the weapons, police said.
Police further claimed that the Shabaz-Rahman network routinely procured weapons at low prices from terrorists in Pakistan and smuggled them into India via the Nepal border. Officials said key questions in the case are expected to be resolved only after the alleged masterminds are caught.
