Made in Turkiye, China, routed via Pakistan: ISI-backed major arms network busted

The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday arrested four persons and unearthed an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed arms supply network, seizing Türkiye- and China-made pistols intended for gangsters in Delhi-NCR, officials said.

They added that the weapons were smuggled into the country from Pakistan using drones.

Police have identified the four arrested smugglers as Mandeep, Ajay, Dalwinder and Rohan, all residents of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Investigators are now examining how many weapon consignments entered India through this network and which criminal groups received them.

To map the entire chain, including foreign handlers, teams are scrutinising mobile locations, bank transactions and social media activity, an official said.

The police added that the four accused were part of a module that sourced advanced firearms from Pakistan using drones and supplied them to major gangs such as those led by Lawrence Bishnoi, Gogi, Bambiha and Himanshu Bhau.

Acting on specific intelligence that a fresh consignment was headed to Delhi, the Crime Branch set up a trap in the Rohini area. The accused were arrested during the operation, and police recovered 10 sophisticated pistols originating from Türkiye and China, along with a large stock of cartridges.

According to investigators, the quality of the weapons and the scale of the operation suggest a well-funded, tightly coordinated international network.

The supply route, police said, was managed from Pakistan, where firearms imported from Türkiye and China were first collected.

These consignments were then dropped in Punjab via drones, after which smugglers from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh transported the weapons to Delhi and nearby states, supplying them to various crime syndicates.