Police in the northern Indian city of Patiala have busted an inter-state arms smuggling gang that allegedly used the uniforms of Flipkart and other parcel delivery companies to transport illegal weapons while avoiding suspicion.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma said the operation led to the arrest of four alleged members of the gang and the recovery of 15 illegal .32-bore pistols and 30 live cartridges.
According to Sharma, the accused procured firearms at low prices from interior areas of Madhya Pradesh before supplying them at higher prices to gangsters and criminal elements in Punjab. He added that the group was in direct contact with jailed gangster Sonu Khatri and was allegedly planning to carry out a major criminal incident in Punjab.
The arrests were made by a team led by SP Vaibhav Choudhary and CIA In-charge Pardeep Singh Bajwa following a tip-off. The four suspects were apprehended near Basantpura on the National Highway in Rajpura.
The accused have been identified as Vishal, 20, of Garhdiwala village in Hoshiarpur district; Subhash, a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh; Jinder, alias Sagar, 21, of Talla village under Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur district; and Badal, 20, of Bhargav Camp under Rama Mandi police station in Jalandhar district.
Sharma said all four suspects were aged between 20 and 21 and had allegedly turned to arms smuggling in pursuit of quick money.
“To avoid suspicion, these accused travelled by bus and train wearing the uniforms of Flipkart or other parcel delivery employees. They packed the weapons in delivery cartons and used old boxes to make them appear to be genuine parcel consignments,” he said.
Police said the gang was closely linked to Sonu Khatri, who is currently in jail and faces several serious criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, dacoity, kidnapping and robbery.
The recovered weapons were allegedly destined for members of Khatri’s gang. Police said the accused were being questioned to establish the full extent of the smuggling network, its operating methods and any intended targets.