Delhi Police Bust Cross-Border Arms Network Linked to Drone Smuggling, 9 Arrested

New Delhi: Delhi Police’s special cell has seized 23 country made weapons and arrested nine people on charges of weapon trafficking. The accused, police said, worked for fugitive arms trafficker Shahbaz Ansari.

The nine arrests were made in the last 15 days. It was a multi-layered arms trafficking network and the syndicate had linkages across north India with “indications of international sourcing”.

“The syndicate’s modus operandi involved encrypted messaging applications, a layered hierarchy of operatives, and cross-border smuggling routes via Nepal, with distribution networks spread across Delhi-NCR and eastern Uttar Pradesh,” police said.

The breakthrough came following a raid in northeast Delhi’s Usmanpur area, where Fardeen (22) was apprehended. His interrogation led to a series of arrests, including Waseek from Shastri Park, from whom multiple country-made weapons and ammunition were recovered. Further investigative leads pointed to Waseem Malik, an accused lodged in Rohini Jail, who was formally arrested on police remand.

Malik allegedly facilitated arms procurement through Rahil and Imran, both linked to the Ansari network, and routed weapons through intermediaries in Uttar Pradesh, including Jaunpur-based Ahmad. The supply chain also extended to the procurement of country-made firearms from Munger in Bihar.

Investigators suspect that the arms were brought into India through drone drops, allegedly on the directions of ISI.

In total, police have recovered 18 semi-automatic pistols (including foreign-origin weapons), country-made shotguns, desi pistols, 92 live cartridges, multiple magazines, mobile phones and other documents.