India's most wanted arms supplier Salim Pistol arrested in Nepal
What's the story
Salim Pistol, India's most wanted arms supplier, has been arrested in Nepal and brought to Delhi. Pistol, whose real name is Sheikh Salim, was taken into custody on August 9 at the India-Nepal border. He is being held at the Delhi Police Special Cell office, per India Today. The notorious criminal is known for being the first to supply Zigana pistols to Indian gangsters and has been instrumental in smuggling advanced weapons from Pakistan.
Criminal links
Salim's links to ISI and D Company
Pistol's interrogation is likely to center on his links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and how he had contributed to D Company, the criminal syndicate headed by terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. He is also believed to have mentored one of the accused in Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala's 2022 murder. His name was also linked to last year's murder of Maharashtra politician, Baba Siddique.
Criminal history
His criminal career and connections
A resident of northeast Delhi's Seelampur, Pistol started his criminal career with vehicle thefts before moving on to armed robberies and large-scale arms trafficking. He has supplied weapons to several notorious gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba. India Today, quoting police sources, revealed that Pistol dropped out of school after Class 8 due to financial constraints and engaged in petty crime before becoming a key player in the illegal arms trade.
Arrest details
His interrogation may reveal more about his criminal operations
He was first arrested in Delhi in 2018 but managed to flee abroad after securing bail. After fleeing, police claimed he was operating from abroad and had also a base in Nepal, and would return regularly. During one such visit to meet someone at the Delhi-Nepal border, he was apprehended by a Special Cell team, which had set up a trap based on a secret tip-off, sources said.