New Delhi: Fugitive arms supplier Shahbaz Ansari ran an extensive syndicate that supplied sophisticated arms to gangsters using contacts based in Pakistan, Dubai, and Bangladesh, according to the Delhi Police.
That syndicate was busted when police arrested 10 syndicate members over a period of one month and confiscated modern weapons including a Skorpion sub machine gun and 20 pistols like Beretta (Italy), Taurus (Brazil), Walther (Germany), CZ Shadow (Czech Republic), Stoeger, PX- 5.7 (Turkey), and PX-3, Star (China). The syndicate, the police said, exploited the porous India-Nepal border and then used roadways inside India to supply the firearms.
An accused in the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Ansari is allegedly involved in supplying illegal firearms to criminal networks in north India, particularly in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), Uttar Pradesh, and adjoining states.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested the Bulandsahar resident in an arms trafficking case linked to murder of Moosewala in that year, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav told a press conference on Wednesday.
Ansari allegedly supplied illegal weapons and ammunition to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang for carrying out the murder in Punjab’s Mansa district, the DCP said, adding that Bishoi took responsibility for the killing citing inter-gang rivalry as motive.
“In 2025, Shahbaz Ansari was released on interim bail but fled India. He is currently believed to be operating from Bangladesh along with his uncle Rehan. His brother Shahzad Ansari is based in Dubai and allegedly maintains contact with Pakistan‑based handlers. His whole family is part of this illegal arm trafficking module,” DCP Yadav said.
Other associates, including his brother‑in‑law Imran, reportedly smuggle arms consignments via Nepal. These consignments are handed over to Rahil who diverts them to criminal gangs across Delhi‑NCR on the directions of Ansari, the police said.
Rahil, a cousin of Ansari, is one of the 10 arrested along with the weapons as well as 200 live cartridges, the police said. The other arrested accused were identified as Hasim, Saim, Sonu Gupta, Ghanshyam Sharma, Wasim Malik, Nishant Arora, Nawab, Mohd Nauman, and Mohd Naushad.
Explaining the modus operandi, the police said weapons consignments are sent to the Middle East from Pakistan. Thereafter, dismantled weapons are sent to Nepal in scrap and assembled there before being smuggled via various border points such as Sonauli in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj, the police said.
Handlers and couriers then come into play to avoid direct exposure of the main trafficker, while communication is often done through internet-based calling apps and disposable mobile numbers.
After entering India, the weapons are transported through road networks using buses and private vehicles to reach major urban centres for selling them to gang members, contract killers, and organized crime groups, the police said.
The traffickers often communicate through internet-based calling apps and disposable mobile numbers to avoid detection, they added.
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VoIP calls
Surveillance led the police to a group of men, primarily residing in Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid area, who were allegedly found actively involved in an organised illegal arms trafficking network.
“The area, due to its dense population, narrow lanes, and high footfall, was being misused as a safe transit and concealment zone for illegal activities,” a police source told ThePrint. “They use encrypted messaging apps and VoIP calls and frequently change their SIM cards and mobile devices. All payments are made through hawala channels.”
The arrested accused, according to the police, were in direct contact with their Bangladesh and Nepal-based handlers who used to procure illegal arms and ammunition from Pakistan
The police analysed and monitored call detail records, location analysis, and other electronic inputs to generate actionable leads. Secret informers were discreetly deputed in sensitive areas to gather real-time information about the activities of suspected traffickers.
On 13 March, Rahil, Hasim, and Saim were arrested near Brijmohan Chowk, Delhi’s Darya Ganj and 3 pistols along with 14 live cartridges were recovered from them, the police said.
Rahil managed to supply 70-75 sophisticated foreign firearms and ammunition during the last 8-9 months, the police said, adding that he supplied firearms and ammunition to Ghanshyam and Waseem in North East, Delhi.
The duo’s arrest led the investigators to Arora and Nawab.
“Rahil’s interrogation revealed that he used a number of mobile phones and SIM cards for trafficking only. After each delivery, he destroyed the mobile phone as well as the SIM card used for registering VOIP apps. These cards were issued on fake documents by Nauman, who is a SIM vender/POS agent,” DCP Yadav said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)