67-year-old woman held for supplying firearms to gangsters in Delhi

New Delhi: A 67-year-old woman was arrested for alleged involvement in an organised illegal firearms trafficking syndicate that supplied weapons to gangsters and dreaded criminals operating in Delhi-NCR, an official said on Saturday.

Using her age as a cover to evade suspicion, the woman would procure firearms from suppliers in Madhya Pradesh and transport the consignments to Delhi or Meerut, where the weapons were sold to gangsters and other criminals, police said.

Rambiri, a Meerut resident, was arrested and a consignment of illegal firearms — four pistols and three extra magazines — was recovered from her possession.

According to the police, the arrest was made as part of a special drive in view of the increasing use of firearms in recent crimes reported across Delhi NCR.

Intelligence was gathered about syndicates involved in the sale, purchase and transportation of illegal arms, leading to the identification of Rambiri as an active member of one such network.

Investigations revealed that she used her age as a cover to evade law enforcement agencies.

“Based on specific inputs, the team tracked and apprehended Rambiri, who was found in possession of a fresh consignment of illegal firearms,” a senior police officer said.

Police said Rambiri has a long criminal history linked to organised crime. After the death of her husband in 2003, she allegedly came into contact with criminals and became involved in crime.

In 2008, she was allegedly involved in a bank robbery involving Rs 1.48 crore in Gurugram, Haryana, and another bank robbery in the Jawalapur area of Haridwar, Uttarakhand. In 2009, she and her associates allegedly attempted yet another bank robbery in Delhi’s Kamla Market area.

Considering the continued criminal activities of the gang, a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act was registered at the Special Cell in 2009. Rambiri was arrested in the case along with her associates, including Baljinder, and remained in judicial custody from 2009 to 2017, police said.

After her release from jail, she allegedly re-established contact with her associates and resumed the illegal business of buying and selling firearms, officials said, adding that further investigation is underway to identify her suppliers and the end users of the seized weapons.