The accused, identified as Sonu, was declared a proclaimed offender in a 2022 arms trafficking case, they said, adding that the accused had shifted base to Mumbai and taken up work as a cab driver to evade the police radar.

“Sonu revealed that he had studied up to Class 10 and joined the Neeraj Bawana gang through local contacts in Panipat,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said.

The DCP said that he played a role in procuring and supplying firearms, and even after relocating to Mumbai, he remained in touch with some gang members.

In September 2022, one of his associates, Sachin, was arrested by Bawana police, and four pistols, two magazines, 79 live cartridges and five barrel cleaning rods were recovered from two vehicles.

The accused managed to flee and went underground soon after. In April 2023, a local court declared him a proclaimed offender, the DCP said. To avoid arrest, he moved to Mumbai and assumed a low-profile existence, working as a driver and staying away from public attention.

On July 2, Sonu was tracked and arrested from Madh Island in Mumbai. He was produced before a magistrate in Borivali, Mumbai, and a transit remand was obtained.

Two of Sonu’s associates, Arvind and Deepak Pakasma, are still absconding and are suspected to be abroad.

Sonu is also previously involved in a case registered under the UP Excise Act in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, in 2019. PTI SSJ SSJ AMJ AMJ AMJ