In the ongoing crackdown on illegal weapons and their suppliers, a special staff of the Police in the North East District of Delhi apprehended a gun runner with eight semi-automatic pistols and 80 live rounds of ammunition, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.

The gun runner has been identified as Adnan, 23, a resident of North East Delhi’s Jafrabad.

According to the police, the accused revealed that the weapons had been procured from Khurja Junction, Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh through his sources to further deliver the consignment to budding criminals in the national capital and the NCR region.

Deputy Commissioner of Police N East District Dr Joy Tirkey said that given the forthcoming general elections in 2024, the special staff team was specifically tasked to make all-out efforts to keep a close watch over anything suspicious & criminals operating in the district.

On Tuesday, the police’s special staff team received a tip-off about a criminal who may supply illegal firearms in the area of North-East District. The same intel was developed and shared with the senior officers.

According to the police, immediately a dedicated police team was properly briefed and directed to nab the suspected person with all the precautions as the suspect was armed.

The team laid a trap in the area near Kuda Khatta, close to the Kheton Wala Mandir, Welcome, and on the instance of an informer, a person having a bag on his shoulder, who was identified as Adnan aged 23 years and was apprehended.

In a cursory search, eight semi-automatic pistols and 80 live cartridges were recovered and a case was filed on Wednesday with the probe being initiated.

Earlier, when Adnan was sent to jail in a robbery case, he got in touch with other criminals and was influenced by their luxurious lifestyle and wanted to earn a name in the world of crime, to become famous so he could earn easy money to fulfill his expenses and desires.

He disclosed that he also met gangster Hashim Baba in jail and has continued to stay in touch with him after coming out on bail. The 23-year-old, before stepping into the world of crime, used to work in a jeans manufacturing factory, however, his income was limited, and he was unable to fulfill his expenses and desires.

So far, it has been revealed that he used to procure weapons from UP, and it was also found that he was an active and habitual criminal with two previous involvement in robbery and an Arms Act case.

According to the police, in a bid to earn easy money several regional and inter-state gangs used to operate in the North East District of the national capital, and most of these gangs are serving time in jail under the stringent provisions of the MCOC Act, like the Hashim Baba Gang, Cheenu Gang and Abdul Nasir Gang.

Meanwhile, according to DCP Dr Tirkey, efforts are on to ascertain the backward and forward linkages of the entire supply chain of illegal Arms in Delhi & NCR, and the accused person’s involvement in other criminal cases is also being traced, he added.