Delhi Police re-arrest Seelampur arms dealer Salim Ahmed under UAPA
The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Friday re-arrested arms dealer Salim Ahmed, also known as Salim Pistol, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Ahmed, who hails from Seelampur in Delhi, was re-arrested in connection with an alleged cross-border illegal arms syndicate linked to gangster Shahbaz Ansari.
Ahmed, 52, had been lodged in Tihar Jail following his initial arrest near the India-Nepal border last August. Following his re-arrest, officials confirmed he was brought on a five-day police remand for further questioning.
According to Crime Branch sources, fresh evidence gathered during the investigation into Ansari's network pointed to Ahmed's role in coordinating a supply chain that routed foreign-made pistol components through Nepal. The racket allegedly smuggled these parts by concealing them inside cargo consignments or declaring them as industrial scrap metal to evade customs scrutiny.
Once the consignments reached Nepal, the components were sorted, assembled, and tested in clandestine workshops. The finished firearms were then smuggled into India, hidden inside vehicles or legitimate cargo, and supplied to prominent gangsters.
Investigators uncovered the Nepal assembly route after busting Ansari's network earlier this year. Ansari is believed to be operating from Bangladesh. While the syndicate also used the Pakistan border for drone drops and shipments along Punjab and Rajasthan, the Nepal route has emerged as a major pathway following the new leads tied to Ahmed.
Ahmed, a school dropout who once worked as a driver, was first booked in a vehicle theft case in 2000. He was later arrested in connection with a robbery in Jafrabad before becoming involved in illegal firearms supply.
Police records show Ahmed has allegedly supplied weapons to major Indian gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba. He was previously arrested in 2018 but fled to Pakistan after securing bail. Investigators also allege he has ties to Pakistan's ISI, Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company, and that his name cropped up in connection with the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and NCP leader Baba Siddique.
