nA 38-year-old man arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell from Mangolpuri was wanted in a case registered against him under the Arms Act. The accused, Ajay Gautam — a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh — was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, an official said on Sunday.
His two accomplices, Ranjeet Singh and Nakshe Lal, were arrested on April 29 and 30 firearms, including 29 pistols with five magazines and one small rifle, were seized from them, said the police, adding Gautam was on the run since then.
A non-bailable warrant was also issued against Gautam in this case. But after two months, Gautam started smuggling firearms in Delhi NCR and adjoining States of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana through his network, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P S Kushwah.
Investigations revealed that Gautam was living in Najafgarh area and was smuggling firearms from his place to Delhi NCR, the officer said.
He was spotted in Mangolpuri area on October 4 and was arrested, the DCP added. Two semi-automatic pistols, two magazines and 10 live cartridges were recovered from his rented house in Najafgarh, the DCP said.
"During interrogation, Gautam disclosed that he was involved in smuggling illegal firearms for the last five years. He used to procure these firearms from a Madhya Pradesh-based gunrunner of Khargone and also from a gunrunner based in Mainpuri. After collecting firearms from them, he used to smuggle them into Delhi NCR," Kushwah said.