Delhi Police have apprehended a key operative in a transnational arms trafficking ring with suspected ties to Pakistan, shedding light on the network's operations and connections to organised crime and potential terror activities.
Key Points
- Delhi Police arrested Harsh Pal Singh, a key operative in a transnational arms trafficking and terror module.
- Singh is allegedly linked to Pakistan-based handlers and has connections to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
- Police recovered a foreign-made pistol and live cartridges from Singh, who is accused of receiving illegal arms and mediating extortion cases.
- The arms trafficking module is allegedly backed by Pakistan's ISI, with foreign-based handlers coordinating operations.
- Singh had links to online betting networks used to identify potential extortion targets, primarily businessmen.
Delhi Police has arrested a key operative of a transnational arms trafficking and terror module with alleged links to Pakistan-based handlers, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, Harsh Pal Singh alias Rubal (31), is believed to be a close associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Rohit Godara, they said.
"One foreign-made pistol, along with five live cartridges, was recovered from his possession. He was arrested in connection with a case registered last month," a senior Crime Branch officer said.
"Singh played a key role as a receiver of illegal arms consignments and acted as a mediator between gang operatives and victims in extortion cases. So far, 13 accused people have been arrested in the case, with recoveries including 24 foreign-made weapons and 216 cartridges," the officer said.
Investigation Details and International Links
Police said the module is allegedly backed by Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with foreign-based handlers coordinating operations.
Singh, a resident of Ghaziabad, ran an eatery in east Delhi and had links with co-accused Nishant Arora, the officer said.
He allegedly came into contact with the gang operatives in Dubai in 2023 and later travelled to Bangkok to strengthen connections within the network.
Extortion and Further Investigation
Police said Singh also had links to online betting networks, which were used to identify and approach potential extortion targets, primarily businessmen.
Further investigation is underway to identify the other members of the racket and trace its financial transactions, police said.
