New Delhi: A 45-year-old property dealer allegedly linked to an international arms trafficking network and the terror module of Shahbaz Ansari has been arrested, police said.
Investigators said Praveen Kumar, a resident of Aya Nagar in south Delhi, is suspected of acting as a receiver of weapons that were later supplied to gangsters and other criminals.
In March, a case was registered against Ansari’s operatives under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
During the investigation, police seized a large cache of arms and ammunition allegedly supplied to criminal gangs operating in Delhi. The network is suspected to have links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sanjeev Yadav said 14 accused have been arrested so far. “We have seized 24 firearms, including a sub-machine gun, and 216 live cartridges,” he said.
Police said Kumar is allegedly associated with gangster Rohit Chaudhary and other gang members in illegally occupying disputed properties in the Aya Nagar-Mehrauli area.
The proceeds from these activities were allegedly channelled into gambling and betting operations. A reward of Rs 2 lakh had been earlier announced for Kumar’s arrest. Police said he has been involved in eight previous criminal cases. One semi-automatic pistol (Made in Italy) and five live cartridges of 0.32 bore were recovered from his possession.
Chaudhary, on whom a reward of Rs 4 lakh was declared, was later arrested by the crime branch following a police encounter.
During an earlier period of incarceration, Kumar allegedly came into contact with co-accused Nishant Arora, who has already been arrested in the case. After being released on bail, Kumar is suspected to have begun procuring sophisticated foreign-made weapons for gang members to create fear and assert dominance in the area.
Police said Kumar has emerged as a key operative in a transnational criminal network linked to Chaudhary, who faces multiple cases involving serious offences such as murder, extortion, illegal arms possession and organised gang activity. The gang is believed to have operated in areas including Aya Nagar, Pushp Vihar and Ambedkar Nagar, targeting rivals and extorting money from builders, bookies and property dealers.
Chaudhary has previously been booked under stringent laws, including the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), and was allegedly evading arrest by moving across states. His gang has been linked to several violent incidents, including the killing of rival gang members.
