The Delhi Police Special Cell has dismantled an international arms smuggling network allegedly connected to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), seizing a significant quantity of foreign-made pistols smuggled into India via drones and cross-border routes. Nine individuals have been arrested in connection with the operation.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the seized consignment comprises high-calibre foreign firearms, including Zigana and Glock pistols, along with a total of 23 advanced firearms and 92 live cartridges. The recovery also included indigenously manufactured weapons from Munger in Bihar, indicating a complex network sourcing arms both internationally and domestically.
Initial investigations suggest that the weapons were intended for distribution to gangsters and criminal syndicates operating within the Delhi-NCR region, Punjab, and other Indian states. Officials privy to the investigation indicated that the network maintained direct ties with Pakistani arms suppliers and operatives associated with the ISI.
The module is believed to be orchestrated by Shahbaz Ansari, a resident of Khurja, who is reportedly operating from Bangladesh and managing the network remotely. His uncle, Rehan Ansari, is allegedly providing operational support from Dubai. Shahbaz Ansari has previously been implicated in a case related to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Following his release on bail in that case, he is said to have fled to Bangladesh and resumed his alleged criminal activities.
Further police inquiries have revealed that the group utilized smuggling routes through Nepal and along the Punjab border to infiltrate arms into India. Shahbaz Ansari’s cousin, Rahil Ansari, is reportedly responsible for receiving these consignments within the country.
Among the other arrested individuals are Fardeen from Maujpur, Vishal Singhania from Azamgarh, and Ahmed from Jaunpur. These individuals were allegedly tasked with the distribution of the pistols and other firearms to criminal elements. The Special Cell is continuing its efforts to apprehend other members of the network, with authorities anticipating further developments as the investigation progresses.
The Chenab Times News Desk