Special Cell nabs wanted arms dealer Richhpal Singh

When the Indian Independence movement had started gaining momentum, many freedom fighters were in need of weapons to fight the British. The Sikligar community had helped several freedom fighters and fashioned country-made weapons to aid them.

However, years after Independence from the British, the descendants of the same community have started supplying weapons to Maoist combatants in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

Richhpal Singh, 48, is one of the descendants of this community, who now supplies country-made explosives to Maoists. He had turned into a menace for the Anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police, Special Cell.

The Special Cell, which had confiscated around 70 percent of the weapons supplied by Singh, finally arrested him on Monday.

Singh, who used to operate under the radar, finally came out to deliver a consignment of ten pistols, after several of his couriers were arrested by the Special Cell.

"He was arrested after we received information that he would come near Nirankari Samagam Road, Burari. When the police team tried to catch him, he opened fire at us. One of the bullets hit Sub-Inspector Parveen Rathi, who survived because of his bulletproof jacket," said DCP Special Cell, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

Singh, who has 10 cases of Arms Act, Explosive Substance Act, murder, attempt to murder, dacoity in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Telengana and Maharashtra, was being interrogated by the Special Cell sleuths. "He comes from a tribe in Khargaon District, Madhya Pradesh, which is involved in the work of gun-making. That is the only thing he ever knew and has been in this business for the past 30 years. He has a leith machine in his village and has six brothers who along with his father are involved in the racket," said a Special Cell source.

Singh came under the scanner of the Special Cell after he was found to be involved in the supply of weapons to Maoist combatants in Telangana.

"He revealed to have supplied arms, ammunition, grenades to three cadres, namely Sudhakaranna, Venanna and Mohananna of Praja Prathgatana faction of CPI (Marxist Leninst). Singh, along with two of his associates, were arrested in 2006. He was granted bail, but went absconding," Yadav added.

Local police from various states were hunting for Singh, who was an elusive figure and only operated through couriers. With 30 years of experience on his side, Singh would manufacture sophisticated country-made weapons within just five days. "His customers ranged from terrorists to gangsters. They would make demands for weapons like AK-47s and sophisticated carbines. He would ask them for a dummy model and would make the weapons within a week," said a source. Singh would make the pistols at a cost of Rs 3,000 and sell it in bulk for Rs 25, 000.

Special Cell has confiscated 500 weapons in the year 2016 and arrested 30 people. In this year alone 150 weapons were confiscated and seven arrests have been made.