Delhi Police bust Pakistan-backed international arms racket

Four accused linked to an ISI-backed network supplying high-end foreign-made weapons to criminal gangs across North India have been arrested after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police dismantled an international arms trafficking module, an officer said on Saturday.

According to the police, the arrests led to the seizure of 10 semi-automatic pistols and 92 live cartridges.

Advertisement

“The operation was executed by the ARSC unit of the Crime Branch following specific intelligence inputs on Wednesday about a cross-border arms syndicate tied to the Sonu Khatri alias Rajesh Kumar gang,” said Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch).

He further stated that the network allegedly smuggled Türkiye-made PX-5.7 pistols—typically used only by special forces—and China-made PX-3 weapons into India using drones deployed along the Pakistan border.

During the probe, a trap was laid near Khatu Shyam Temple, Sector-28, Rohini, where a white Swift Dzire matching the informer’s description was intercepted.

“Two men — Mandeep Singh (38) and Dalvinder Kumar (34), both from Jalandhar — were apprehended. A concealed duffle bag inside a speaker box was found containing eight foreign-made semi-automatic pistols and 84 cartridges,” DCP Yadav added.

Based on sustained interrogation, the duo’s confession led the team to two more intermediaries: Rohan Tomar (30) and Ajay alias Monu (37), both from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.

“Two additional pistols and eight cartridges were recovered at their instance. Investigators said both men had long-standing links with gangs such as Gogi, Bhau, and Kapil Sangwan and were deeply embedded in the illegal arms supply chain in Delhi-NCR,” the officer said.

Police also revealed that Pakistan-based handlers used customised commercial drones to drop weapons at pre-selected GPS coordinates along the border, wrapping consignments in carbon sheets to evade detection.

Local operatives retrieved the drops and routed them to criminal networks across several states. Payments were allegedly channelled through hawala and proxy accounts.

Sonu Khatri, the kingpin of the syndicate—currently believed to be in the U.S.—is wanted in at least 45 cases, including attempted murder and extortion. His close associate Jaspreet, who coordinated drone deliveries from Pakistan, is also absconding.

The Crime Branch has intensified efforts to trace the remaining network and cross-border handlers. Further investigation is underway.