NEW DELHI, Mar 25: Delhi Police on Wednesday said they have busted an arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, arresting 10 individuals.
A cache of sophisticated foreign-made weapons, including sub-machine guns and automatic pistols along with around 200 live cartridges, was recovered from the accused, officials said.
Police stated that a total of 21 firearms were seized during the operation, including high-end automatic weapons and pistols sourced from multiple countries. Among them was a sub-machine gun made in the Czech Republic and several pistols of different international makes.
The recovered weapons include PX-5.7 pistols, commonly used by special forces, Stoeger pistols from Turkey, PX-3 pistols from China, Shadow CZ pistols from the Czech Republic, as well as Beretta (Italy), Taurus (Brazil) and Walther (Germany) pistols, officials added.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the module was part of a well-organised cross-border network involved in smuggling and supplying illegal arms to criminal elements in India.
The accused were allegedly in contact with international handlers and suppliers operating from neighbouring countries, police said. The syndicate used covert routes and intermediaries to transport weapons across borders and distribute them to contacts across different parts of the country.
Police said efforts are underway to trace the network’s backward and forward linkages and identify other associates involved. Further investigation is in progress. (Agency)
