delhi

Updated: Apr 22, 2017 11:29 IST

A suspected smuggler was arrested from Delhi’s Nizamuddin area with 30 semi-automatic pistols, a carbine and cartridges, police said on Saturday, the second arms haul in as many days just ahead of municipal polls in the capital

The arms were allegedly being smuggled in for use by criminals during Sunday’s polls, police said.

Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), said the smuggler arrested on Friday night was identified as Rajpal Singh from Madhya Pradesh.

“Singh was caught from the Nizamuddin area by our team following information that he would be in the area to deliver a consignment of arms and ammunition to his contact,” Yadav said.

According to Yadav, the price of the seized carbine in grey market is between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh whereas one semi-automatic pistol’s is sold between Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000, depending upon its quality.

“The weapons seized by us are not of good quality but made in illegal firearms manufacturing units in Madhya Pradesh. Singh has been involved in smuggling and supplying arms and ammunition to criminals in Delhi and its adjoining states for the past some years,” said Yadav.

The police are now looking for the person who was to receive the consignment from Singh. Yadav said that they have already identified the person and their teams were conducting raids in Delhi-NCR to jab him.

On Thursday, another arms smuggler from Uttar Pradesh, identified only as Tayyab, was arrested from Delhi’s Harkesh Nagar with 20 semi-automatic pistols, which were also meant for criminals in Delhi.

Though common earlier, violence during elections have come down significantly in recent times after the Election Commission introduced several measures to clean up the country’s democratic process.