Police believe the Jafrabad brothers were killed for allegedly tipping off the Special Cell about an arms syndicate linked to Salim ‘Pistol’.
Investigations into the murders of two brothers in Northeast Delhi’s Jafrabad, who were shot 35 times earlier this week, have revealed that they had been questioned by the Delhi Police Special Cell in August in connection with an arms supply syndicate allegedly run by Salim Ahmad alias Salim Pistol, India’s top arms supplier, The Indian Express has learnt.
On December 16, brothers Mohammad Fazeel (31) and Nadeem (33) — alleged members of Pistol’s gang — were riding a scooter when they were killed after being overpowered allegedly by three motorcycle-borne men, including their cousin Asad Qureshi, touted to be the mastermind behind the attack. The accused had allegedly fired around 48 shots, with 35 hitting the victims.
Police, sources said, suspect that the two brothers were killed for giving a tip-off to the Special Cell during their questioning, leading to raids to arrest members of the syndicate. At the time, the brothers were not booked by the police and allowed to leave.
Following their questioning, the Special Cell had conducted raids in Northeast Delhi, including at the residence of one Danish Malli, who was found to be absconding. Sources in the police said Danish was a close friend of Asad. One of Pistol’s close associates, Mehfooz alias Bobby Kabootar – also a resident of Jafrabad – has also been booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for his alleged involvement in the syndicate. Kabootar is absconding.
“It is believed that Asad, along with Danish and Kabootar, killed the brothers for allegedly tipping off the Special Cell about them in connection with Salim’s syndicate… Asad had previously worked with the two brothers but later split from them over a monetary dispute,” said a source.
An officer said Jafrabad resident Pistol, who was arrested from near the India-Nepal border in August, was notorious for supplying illegal foreign-made firearms – including Zigana from Turkey and Beretta pistols from Italy – to gangsters in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. He used to operate from Pakistan and Dubai. His arrest was considered significant by law enforcement agencies, as he was also wanted in cases being investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
After his arrest, the Special Cell and the Crime Branch booked Pistol in separate cases under MCOCA. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Sources in the police said that Pistol earlier used to assemble pistols at his house and was involved in their supply. “After being booked in cases of murder, robbery, and illegal firearms supply, he fled to Dubai via Nepal in 2019. From there, he frequently travelled to Pakistan and with the help of his syndicate members in Northeast Delhi, supplied foreign-made pistols to gangs linked to criminals such as Hashim Baba, Abdul Nasir, and Lawrence Bishnoi,” a source said.
Police said that Fazeel and Nadeem, along with their two brothers Waseem and Kafeel, ran a jacket manufacturing business. Nadeem was booked in a case related to the illegal supply of firearms in the area, said police.
