Among the weapons recovered are a Czech submachine gun and advanced PX-5.7 and PX3 pistols – arms typically used by Special Forces. Police also seized pistols made in Brazil, Germany, Turkiye, China and Italy, pointing to the wide international network behind the operation.
Investigators believe the weapons were meant for criminal gangs planning targeted killings across north India. Efforts are now on to trace who had ordered the consignment.
The probe has revealed a well-planned smuggling route. Weapons were first dismantled in Pakistan and sent to West Asia, then shipped to Nepal as “metal scrap” to avoid customs checks.
They were reassembled there and brought into India through porous border points like Sonauli.
Smuggling route ran through Nepal, Old Delhi hub
From there, the consignments were moved by road to Delhi, where Old Delhi’s crowded localities were used as a key transit and distribution hub for supplying gangs across Delhi-NCR and other regions.TOI further repoted citing the police that the network was run by fugitive arms dealer Shahbaz Ansari, who operated a “scrap-to-sniper” chain from abroad. The gang used encrypted messaging apps, frequently changed SIM cards and devices, and routed payments through hawala to stay off the radar.
The Crime Branch had been tracking the module for about two months, carrying out raids at nearly 70 locations using both human intelligence and technical surveillance.
The breakthrough came on March 13, when police laid a trap in Dariya Ganj and intercepted Rahil (37), believed to be the main Delhi operative, along with his brother Hasim (45) and associate Saim (24). A CZ Shadow pistol was recovered from Rahil’s scooty. During questioning, the trio allegedly admitted to supplying around 75 foreign firearms to gangs over the past nine months.
Soon after, police arrested Sonu Gupta, a key receiver with a criminal record. Gupta pulled out a pistol and tried to threaten the team but was quickly overpowered.
Further arrests followed, including Ghanshyam Sharma in Shahdara and Waseem Malik in northeast Delhi, with more foreign-made pistols recovered.
The probe then moved up the chain, leading to Nishant Arora alias Noni and Nawab from Bulandshahr, who was in direct contact with handlers in Nepal.
Police also found that the gang relied on Nauman, a SIM vendor from Ajmeri Gate, who supplied hundreds of mobile connections using fake documents. These were used briefly for encrypted calls before being destroyed along with the handsets.
The final arrest came on March 24, when Naushad (37), who allegedly ferried weapons across the Nepal border, was caught in Bulandshahr’s Sikandrabad. He tried to flee while brandishing a gun but was overpowered after a brief scuffle. His interrogation led to the recovery of a skorpion submachine gun and additional cartridges.
Police further told the news outlet that the bust has dealt a major blow to organised crime networks, though efforts are ongoing to identify the remaining links and the final recipients of the weapons.