Sidhu Moosewala murder link: Police bust arms syndicate run by supplier Shahbaz Ansari, arrest 9

A total 23 pistols and 92 live cartridges were recovered from the accused, the police said.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P S Kushwah said the accused were acting on the directions of Shahbaz and Rehan Ansari. According to police, Shahbaz and Rehan have been operating from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bangladesh.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Nara Chaitanya identified the accused as Rahil, Imran, Waseem Malik, Mohammad Ahmad, Fardeen, Waseek, Aman alias Abhishek, Adil, and Vishal.

Rahil and Imran were allegedly coordinating arms traffic through the India-Nepal border by concealing weapons in vehicles. Sometimes, drones were used to ferry consignments across the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, police said.

10 days and 9 arrests: how the sweeping operation unfolded

Kushwah said the operation kicked off on April 14 with a raid in Usmanpur in Delhi. An Eastern Range team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Kailash Bisht arrested 22-year-old Fardeen, who belongs to Maujpur in East Delhi, and seized a semi-automatic pistol and nine live cartridges.

Fardeen’s interrogation led to the arrest of Waseek (27) in Shastri Park. Two country-made shotguns, one desi katta pistol, 42 live cartridges of various calibres, and six magazines were allegedly recovered from him.

During interrogation, Fardeen pointed police to Waseem Malik, who was lodged in Rohini Jail. Waseem (38) was remanded from jail on April 16. He allegedly told police that the foreign-made pistols were supplied by Rahil and Imran, who are relatives of the two Ansaris, and that the country-made guns were sourced from Munger in Bihar via Mohammad Ahmad who is based in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh.

On April 17, Aman alias Abhishek (38), was nabbed in Khurja in UP. Two semi-automatic pistols, two desi kattas, and two live cartridges were recovered from him, police said.

The next arrest was of Adil, who was picked up on April 19. Incriminating chats on arms deals were allegedly found in his phone.

On April 20, 35-year-old Mohammad Ahmad was arrested in Jaunpur. Twelve semi-automatic pistols including Ziganas and Glocks, 39 cartridges, and tools to repair firearms were seized.

On April 23, Rahil and Imran, both 37 years old, were apprehended. By then, the investigation had confirmed Shahbaz Ansari as the man at the centre of the ring, with Rehan Ansari overseeing logistics through encrypted apps.

The final arrest came on April 24. Based on information provided by Ahmad, the police zeroed in on 32-year-old Vishal. He has allegedly admitted to distributing five foreign-made pistols in Western UP. Three semi-automatic weapons were recovered from Vishal.

From Bulandshahr to alleged global criminal: Story of Shahbaz Ansari

The NIA arrested Shahbaz in Bulandshahr on December 8, 2022 for allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to the gang led by Lawrence Bishnoi, accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Moosewala on May 29, 2022. By then Shahbaz was already heading an extensive arms supply network, police said.

According to police sources, Shahbaz inherited this arms trafficking network from his father Qurban, who allegedly ran the network while using an electrical equipment shop in Khurja as a front. After Qurban died in 2019, this business passed on to his sons Shahbaz and Nadeem, police said.

As Shahbaz allegedly expanded the network aggressively in Delhi, he came in contact with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Unlike older gangs that relied on local suppliers, Shahbaz allegedly introduced high-end foreign-made weapons into the network.

In 2022, Shahbaz allegedly supplied to associates of Bishnoi the AK-47 assault rifles that were used in the murder of Moosewala.

After his arrest, Ansari sought bail multiple times citing family reasons. In June 2025, he was granted interim bail by a Patiala House Court judge to attend to his wife’s medical treatment in Ghaziabad. He was required to remain in contact with the investigating officer and surrender by July 18.

However, he absconded, switching off his phone within 48 hours. Police alleged that some of the medical documents submitted were forged. He was suspected to have fled to Nepal, and later reached Bangladesh.

Shahbaz is thought to have moved between Bangladesh and Dubai while continuing his criminal operations. Police said he had galvanised his network through his cousin Rahil, supplying hundreds of weapons to criminal groups.

Before the operation by the Special Cell, the Crime Branch recently uncovered the scale of this network after seizing high-end weapons, including a Czech-made CZ Shadow pistol and a submachine gun. The weapons were allegedly smuggled from countries such as the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, and Turkey.