How firing over Ganesh idol led Delhi Police to illegal arms factory in Aligarh

Image generated by AI for representational purpose only

A major illegal firearms factory operating out of rural Uttar Pradesh has been dismantled by the Delhi Police, unravelling a supply chain that allegedly provided over 1,200 weapons to the criminal underworld. The bust followed the arrest of a teenager in the capital who had attempted to shoot a neighbour over a dispute concerning a Ganesh idol.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the investigation began after an incident in North Delhi’s Sarai Rohilla on the night of August 11. A woman standing on her balcony with her brother heard a gunshot and witnessed a neighbour wrestling a firearm from a teenage boy, who then fled. The woman identified the boy and informed police that his target was her brother; the motive was a petty argument over the purchase of a religious idol.

The subsequent police investigation, reported by The Indian Express, led authorities from the juvenile to an alleged arms supplier known as Bunty in Aligarh. Bunty’s arrest on August 28 then pointed them towards another supplier, 61-year-old Bijender in Mathura. It was during Bijender’s interrogation and the analysis of his phone that a video revealing a large-scale manufacturing operation was discovered, directing the police to its mastermind, Hanvir.

In a raid on Monday, a police team targeted the concealed factory located in a field on Jattari Pishawar Road in Aligarh. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia stated that the operation was hidden within two locked rooms.

The seizure was substantial. Officers recovered six finished country-made pistols, twelve more in an unfinished state without screws and raw materials sufficient to produce over 250 such weapons. The haul also included five live cartridges and a suite of machinery used for manufacturing.

As reported by The Indian Express, Hanvir, the alleged factory operator, was arrested at the scene. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to being in the illicit trade for 15 to 20 years, frequently relocating his operation to avoid detection. The Aligarh facility had been active for approximately one month. DCP Banthia disclosed that Hanvir claimed to have “sold more than 1,200 illegal firearms in the last few years to different persons.”

The Delhi Police have indicated that the investigation remains active, with efforts now focused on mapping the extensive network of suppliers and recipients that sustained this illegal enterprise.