Delhi Police bust interstate illegal firearms nexus, 1 held

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) A notorious illegal gun manufacturer and supplier was nabbed by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell along with 10 high quality semi-automatic pistols, an official said on Monday.

The accused identified as Malkhan Singh (39), a resident of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, had a nexus which spread across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Delhi.

The official said that he was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on information leading to his arrest.

Previously, the Special Cell had arrested three men in three different operations and during the investigation, it emerged that the source or supplier of illegal weapons to them was one Malkhan Singh.

“Strenuous efforts were made to trace Malkhan Singh, but he was evading arrest. Further, it was revealed that he was frequently changing his hideouts and mobile numbers, and his nexus of procurement and supply of illegal firearms and ammunition was spread across many states, including Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi,” said the Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal.

Subsequently, a police team was deployed to track and arrest Singh. “On July 26, specific information regarding his movement was received. Accordingly, a raid was conducted near Lal Bagh in Dhar, and Singh was apprehended,” said the Special CP.

Interrogation with Singh exposed the extent of his criminal enterprise.

He had been involved in manufacturing and supplying illegal pistols and ammunition since 2009-2010. “Initially, he produced the firearms himself, but later he shifted to procuring them from local manufacturers in Dhar, Barwani, and Burhanpur Districts of Madhya Pradesh. The illegal firearms were then supplied to gunrunners, who further distributed them to criminal gangs in various states,” said Dhaliwal.

Remarkably, Singh utilised his time in jail to expand his network through imprisoned gunrunners and criminal associates.

The investigation after Singh arrest also shed light on the process of illegal firearm manufacturing in Madhya Pradesh.

As per police, gunsmiths are purchasing iron sheets and pipes from hardware shops in the market. They acquire necessary tools like drills, grinders, hammers, and screwdrivers for making weapons. “After assembling the raw materials and equipment, the illegal firearms were crafted either at home or in remote areas of the forest,” said the special CP.

The production of bullets involved using thin brass sheets obtained from Indore, and the shells were filled with materials such as matchsticks. “These illegal firearms were sold at varying prices to local dealers - a .30 bore pistol sold for Rs 18,000 to 20,000, a .32 bore pistol for Rs 6,000 to 8,000, a .315 bore pistol for Rs 1500 to 2,000, and a 9 MM pistol for Rs 45,000 to 50,000,” said Dhaliwal.

“Subsequently, the local dealers would distribute the illegal weapons to contacts in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh at much higher price,” the official added.