the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has busted an illegal weapons manufacturing factory operating from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, and arrested its owner along with an illicit arms supplier, the police said on Sunday.
The police recovered 16 country-made pistols, weapon-making equiptment and 41 gun barrels, a senior official said.
According to the police, it was based on a tip-off that a team of crime branch’s Central Range, carried out an operation under the overall supervision Additional Commissioner Sanjay Bhatia, and apprehended one Ikram, who had come to Delhi to supply illegal firearms to local criminals.
The cops recovered two pistols and six live cartridges from his possession, and he was arrested as per law.
during sustained interrogation, the accused, Ikram, disclosed that he had procured the illegal arms from a Meerut-based agent known as “Mashook Ali”. Later, the police verified the information disclosed by the arrested arms supplier.
Based on technical surveillance and at the instance of accused Ikram, a police team succeeded in apprehending Ali from Meerut city and arrested him after questioning.
Ali gave crucial information to the crime branch team based on which the cops conducted a raid at an isolated flat in Meerut’s Kashi Ram Colony, where they found a factory set up by Ali to make illegal weapons.
The accused confessed to have manufactured more than 80 country made pistols so far, the police added.
According to the police, Mashook Ali, who studied up to Class 10, also runs a mobile shop. He was previously involved in many criminal cases of Arms Act, cheating and forgery including others, police added.
The weapons made here are supplied to criminals in Delhi, the police said, adding further investigation is underway in the case.