Delhi emerges as big buyer, transit point of illegal arms

The national capital seems to be fast emerging as a transit point of arms trade as well as big buyer of these weapons as more than 558 cases were registered under the Arms Act up to September 15, 2019. Similarly in 2018, the police registered 1,515 cases under the Arms Act, recovered 1,540 arms and arrested of 1,841 criminals with arms.

In the past two years, the special cell of the Delhi Police has busted 55 gangs of arm traders. They supplied illegal arms and ammunitions to criminals in the National Capital Region (NCR), western UP, Punjab and Haryana.

According to a senior police officer, most of these arms were sourced from Bihar, MP and West Bengal. Use of illegal weapons in rapidly rising incidents of shoot-outs in NCR pointed to easy availability of such arms and ammunitions.

According to the police, seized weapons showed the expertise of arms makers. Not many could distinguish fake from original, said an officer.

According to Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Ajit Kumar Singla, for gangs operating in the NCR Delhi is the main point for arms transactions, which is evident from arrest of so many arms traders in the recent years.

Major areas where these arms are supplied are Alipur, Bawana, GT Karnal Road, Prashant Vihar, Rohini, Najafgarh, Jaitpur, Badarpur, Gazipur, Anand Vihar, Vivek Vihar, Seemapuri, Madangir, Nand Nagri and Jafrabad, say the police.

During interrogation, said a police officer, one arms dealer confessed that they were selling weapons in Delhi for some time. In Delhi, a .32 mm pistol purchased for Rs 15-20,000 fetched Rs 25,000, a .9 mm pistol sourced for Rs15-20,000 sold for Rs 30,000, and a .30 mm pistol procured for Rs 25-30,000 went for for Rs 35,000, he said.

The arrested dealers, according to the police, said they procured 'good quality' arms from Munger in Bihar. One of them claimed to have sold carbines, automatic pistols, revolvers, double and single barrel guns through his network across the country.

To curb the illegal arms' proliferation and smuggling, the Delhi Police have launched several action plans and have nabbed many such dealers and seized arms and ammunitions in recent time.