Delhi Police Arrests 6 With 12 Pistols, 75 Live Cartridges Ahead Of Republic Day

Ahead of Republic Day celebrations, the Delhi Police has heightened vigil and arrested six people along with 12 pistols and 75 live cartridges in separate operations this week, officials said on Friday.

The force has deployed a large number of personnel and is carrying out round-the-clock patrolling and vehicle checking. The special cell of the force has been carrying out drives against arms trafficking ahead of Republic Day celebrations.

In a special drive, the special cell three firearms suppliers, including a former state-level athlete, and seized 12 semi-automatic pistols from their possession.

"We received secret information that a member of a Madhya Pradesh-based firearms dealer, Pushpendra Singh, would come to Kalindi Kunj Road on January 7 to deliver firearms to his associates," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal said.

The police laid a trap and arrested Singh and two others -- Naeem and Manish Bhati -- who had come to receive the consignments.

"We recovered a total of 12 pistols from them. It was revealed that Singh was a state-level athlete and participated in an event at the junior level in 2015," the police officer said.

In another operation, the Delhi Police arrested 22-year-old Ehti Sham-ul, a resident of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, during a vehicle check near the ITO bridge on Wednesday.

He was carrying 45 live cartridges that have been seized, the police said.

In a separate operation conducted by the north district police, two criminals were arrested when they were receiving 12 pistols and 30 live cartridges from an arms smuggler from Meerut region. However, the smuggler who was delivering the consignment fled from the spot.

A senior police officer said the seizure of 75 live cartridges and 24 pistols just before the Republic Day parade is a matter of concern.

"More than 8,000 personnel, including senior police officers, are keeping strict vigil everyday ahead of Republic Day. To ensure prompt and effective response, in case of any sabotage or exigency, the police are conducting mock drills on a regular basis," the officer said.

On Friday, three different mock drills, such as bomb calls, were conducted in areas under three different police stations -- Dariyaganj, Nabi Karim and Kamla Market.

According to the police, such mock drills are being conducted at different locations in the central district and focused on improving coordination between different units and agencies.

"Every single call, be it hoax, the security forces will have to check physically. To ensure smooth working process, we are conducting mock drills," said another police officer.

On Friday morning, the Delhi Police conducted drone surveillance as part of Republic Day security arrangements in the Yamuna Khadar area of Geeta Colony.

Besides, anti-sabotage check was conducted at Laxmi Nagar Metro Station, markets, high-footfall areas and other places by the bomb disposal team along with dog squad to enhance the security preparedness ahead of Republic Day by east district.

A police officer of northeast district said that they have already intensified day-and-night checking and patrolling. The police said they are also requesting people to report anything suspicious immediately.

The police said security has been increased across the national capital. Night patrolling staffers have been directed to check hotels, guest houses and dharamshalas.

They are checking security measures in place at these facilities, particularly near railway stations and inter-state bus terminals.

The police said they are taking action against anyone found to be violating rules under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They are keeping strict vigil from the CCTV control room of strategic locations and Delhi's border areas. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)