The Delhi Police have dismantled an illegal arms manufacturing operation in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, recovering a substantial stockpile of country-made weapons, materials sufficient for over 250 firearms, and machinery used in their production, according to an official report on Tuesday. Three individuals have been arrested, including the suspected ringleader who has allegedly been operating such factories for nearly twenty years. The investigation commenced following a shooting incident that occurred on the night of August 11-12 in the Sarai Rohilla area of north Delhi. A juvenile shot a man named Shubham, also known as Lala, during a dispute over the purchase of a Lord Ganesha idol.
A neighbor managed to seize the firearm used in the attack, while the juvenile fled the scene. He was apprehended the following day, and authorities recovered a country-made pistol along with a live cartridge from him. During interrogation, the juvenile revealed that he had acquired the weapon from an individual named Bunty, who resides in Aligarh. Following this lead, a police team was established to trace the illegal arms supply chain. The team successfully located and arrested Bunty from Ganga Garhi village in Aligarh on August 27, seizing five empty cartridges and one live cartridge from him. Upon questioning, Bunty allegedly disclosed that he obtained the firearms from Bijender Singh, a 61-year-old man from Mathura.
Police units then proceeded to Mathura, where Singh was arrested on August 30. Authorities discovered a video on his mobile phone showcasing over 70 illegal firearms. Singh further revealed that a man named Hanvir was managing a fully operational arms factory in Aligarh. Acting on technical intelligence, police executed a raid on September 1 at a site on Jattari Pishawa Road in Aligarh, where they uncovered two locked rooms in a field.