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An inter-state illegal arms smuggling racket has been busted with the arrest of two persons by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused have been identified as Honey Nihal alias Pandat, a 20-year-old resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and Jatin Bhati alias Prince, a 19-year-old resident of Kotla village in Delhi. Police said six sophisticated country-made pistols, 10 live cartridges and a car were recovered during the operation. According to police, credible information was received on August 19 that a person carrying a consignment of illegal arms and ammunition would travel from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi to deliver the weapons. Acting on the information, a trap was laid at Dhaula Kuan on Ring Road in Delhi. The police team intercepted and apprehended Honey Nihal alias Pandat. During a cursory search, five country-made pistols and 10 live cartridges were allegedly recovered from his possession. A case was subsequently registered under Section 25(8) of the Arms Act and an investigation was initiated. During questioning, Honey allegedly disclosed that he had brought the illegal firearms and ammunition from Madhya Pradesh for delivery to Jatin alias Prince. Based on the information provided by Honey, the police team on August 20 intercepted Jatin at Vasundhra in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, after a brief chase. One pistol was allegedly recovered from his possession. Police said Honey came in contact with Jatin through a common friend in August 2026. Jatin allegedly asked him to travel to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh to collect a consignment of arms from a contact in exchange for payment. After collecting the alleged consignment, Honey travelled by bus to Indore and subsequently took another bus to Delhi, police said. Police alleged that Jatin subsequently became involved in procuring and selling illicit weapons and earned profits through the illegal trade. He allegedly procured weapons through carriers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and supplied them in Delhi-NCR, officials said. The police are now conducting further investigation to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged inter-state arms network. The authorities are also probing the source of the recovered weapons, their intended recipients and the wider network involved in their procurement and distribution. (ANI)
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