The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted an international arms trafficking network operating out of the Walled City area of New Delhi. The operation led to the arrest of ten operatives and the seizure of a cache of 21 sophisticated firearms along with over 200 live cartridges.
The crackdown, led by DCP Sanjeev Yadav, has exposed a well-coordinated cross-border smuggling route involving Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Among the seized weapons is a Czech-made submachine gun, along with several semi-automatic pistols manufactured by global arms companies such as Beretta, Walther, Taurus, and CZ. Officials also recovered a PX-5.7 pistol, considered a high-grade firearm often associated with elite tactical units.
The presence of such advanced weaponry has raised serious concerns among investigators about the scale, sophistication, and intended use of the network.
Smuggling Route: Pakistan to Delhi via Nepal Border
According to police officials, the weapons were trafficked from Pakistan and routed through the porous Indo-Nepal border before being transported into Delhi. The Walled City area functioned as the central hub for storage and redistribution.
From here, the network allegedly supplied arms to various organised criminal gangs operating across Delhi-NCR and other parts of northern India, effectively acting as a conduit between international suppliers and domestic crime syndicates.
Investigators revealed that the densely populated and historically complex lanes of Old Delhi’s Walled City were strategically used to conceal operations and evade detection. The area served as a critical node where smuggled weapons were stockpiled and distributed further.
Officials described the operation as a major setback for organised crime in northern India, as it disrupted a key supply chain of high-grade illegal firearms. The seizure is expected to impact the operational capabilities of several criminal groups dependent on such arms.
Authorities are now working to trace the end-users of the seized weapons and identify additional links in the supply chain.
The investigation has now expanded to examine the financial trail of the accused, with agencies probing possible funding channels and cross-border connections. Officials are also exploring whether the network had links to sleeper cells or other anti-national elements.
The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated to uncover the masterminds behind the operation and map the full extent of the trafficking network.
The busting of this Pakistan-Nepal-Bangladesh linked arms network shows the persistent challenges posed by cross-border smuggling and organised crime. As investigations continue, authorities remain on high alert to dismantle any remaining modules and prevent the flow of illegal arms into the country.
