New Delhi, July 25 -- An illegal arms and fake currency smuggling cartel that utilised coded messaging on social media platforms to coordinate operations has been busted and five of its members, including a former railway employee, were arrested, a police official said on Friday.
He said the cartel sourced illegal firearms from Madhya Pradesh and counterfeit currency from Siwan in Bihar, and distributed them across Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
Ten pistols, 68 cartridges, fake currency worth Rs 4.10 lakh in Rs 500 denomination, and three vehicles, including a bulletproof SUV, were recovered from their possession, the official said.
In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said, "The accused have been identified as Ravi Thakur (35), Yogesh Phogat (28), Meera (27), Kuldeep alias Chhotu (33), and Samsu Khan alias Rehan (27). Samsu Khan was the mastermind, and Kuldeep used to work in Group D services of the Indian Railways in Ambala Cantonment."
The DCP said Ravi was the first to be arrested. He was caught with five pistols and 10 cartridges near a transit point in Delhi on July 6. An auto driver from Mathura, Ravi began supplying weapons for Rs 5,000 per firearm after getting acquainted with some handlers of arms supply chains in Madhya Pradesh.
His interrogation led to the arrest of Yogesh, who allegedly financed weapons purchases and stored them in his car. One pistol was recovered from his vehicle.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Kuldeep, who was found with another illegal pistol and 35 cartridges.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.