3 Meerut dealers arrested for supplying arms to gangsters

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 16

The police have arrested three weapon dealers from Uttar Pradesh on the charge of supplying arms to a gang busted here two days ago.

A police team, headed by Crime Investigating Agency (II) incharge Bikramjit Brar, had arrested seven members of an inter-state gang of criminals. During their interrogation, it was revealed that 

they got weapons from UP-based dealers.

The police today arrested Haider, Salman and Nawab Ahmad, all residents from Meerut. During their initial grilling, the trio confessed to having supplied weapons to some persons in Punjab other than the gangsters arrested on Sunday. “We want to know how many weapons they have supplied,” said the police.

Police sources said these UP-based dealers were a crucial link in their investigation as they had been supplying arms to many other gangs in Punjab. “The initial investigations suggest that the gangsters would get in touch with Haider when they wanted weapons,” they added.

On Sunday, the police had recovered five pistols, cartridges and a robbed Maruti Swift car with Rs 3 lakh from outlaws, namely Manvir Singh, Sanjeev Kumar and Amanjit Singh, all residents of Hoshiarpur, Mandeep Singh Manna from Noormahal, Yadvinder Singh Yadu from Payal, Jograj Singh from Jalandhar and Mukul Dev of Jalandhar.

During their interrogation today, they revealed that they would use the loot money to live a lavish life and spend it on clothes and parties in Chandigarh and Delhi. “We want to know if they have invested the money they got by selling robbed vehicles in realty sector,” said Brar.

“The modus operandi of the gang was unique. We believe the gang members would reveal more crimes they had committed on the highways in Punjab,” he said.

The CIA incharge said the kingpin of the gang, Manvir Singh, was in touch with other gangsters and his interrogation was on. “He had so many cases registered against him. Still he managed to hoodwink police and had been evading arrest,” he said.

Manvir had 17 cases registered against him and was declared PO in 12 of these.