Reward-carrying smuggler busted after trap

New Delhi: A 21-year-old arms smuggler, who was carrying a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, was arrested from southeast Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area for allegedly planning to kill an elderly couple, police said on Tuesday.

The accused has been identified as Mohit Verma alias Virat, from Uttar Pradesh, they said. Information was received that Verma would come near Timber market, Kalindi Kunj, Delhi to meet one of his contacts between 10 pm to 11 pm on Sunday, police said.

Later, a trap was laid and Verma arrived at 10:15 pm. He was asked to surrender, but he took out his pistol. However, he was overpowered by police team, PS Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) said.

During interrogation, Verma disclosed that he has been smuggling arms from last 4 years, police said. He used to procure weapons from Sendhwa in Madhya Pradesh and Munger in Bihar and he further supplied them in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Kushwah said.

Verma disclosed that he had developed his own network and already supplied more than 250 pistols in Delhi and adjoining states, the DCP said.

The accused also said that his brother-in-law Aakash Patel was working as a nursing attendant with an old couple, who were in their 90's and were staying in south Delhi. They were financially well-off and were living alone in their house, he said.

Patel discussed with Verma and allegedly planned to kill both the elderly persons to rob them of cash and jewellery from their house, the DCP said. Verma procured weapons to execute this plan and he handed them over to Patel.

But the Special Cell got the information of their plan and arrested Patel in May this year, Kushwah said.