In a significant triumph for law enforcement, Sheikh Salim, also known as 'Salim Pistol,' India's most wanted illegal arms supplier, has been apprehended in Nepal. The arrest was a joint effort by the Delhi Police Special Cell, Indian security agencies, and the Nepal Police, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against illegal arms trafficking. Salim had been on the run since 2018.

Salim, a resident of Seelampur in Delhi, had a troubled past, dropping out of school after Class VIII due to financial constraints. He began his criminal career with vehicle thefts, and by 2018, he had moved into large-scale arms trafficking. He was first arrested in Delhi in 2018 but managed to flee abroad after securing bail.

Salim is believed to have deep ties with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, and the underworld network of D Company. He is also known to be the mentor of one of the accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and his name had earlier surfaced in connection with the killing of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddiqui.

For years, Salim had been a key figure in supplying sophisticated weapons from Pakistan into India. He is considered the first person to have supplied Zigana pistols to gangsters in India. Salim played a central role in making the Turkish-made Zigana pistol a preferred weapon among Indian gangsters. Working with two brothers from Khurja in Bulandshahr, he smuggled these pistols into the country. The weapons usually came from Pakistan to Nepal and were then brought into India. To avoid detection, the pistols were dismantled into separate parts and hidden in specially modified compartments in vehicles. Once inside India, they were reassembled and sold.

Salim supplied arms worth crores of rupees to gangs in Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country. His close association with the Hashim Baba gang was confirmed by Baba's aide Ejaz, also known as Monu or Dada, during police questioning. He has supplied weapons to several notorious gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi, Hashim Baba, and others.

Investigators believe Salim's supply network has armed criminals involved in several high-profile cases, making his arrest a major setback for the illegal arms trade in India. He is now being questioned about his links with ISI, D Company, and his role in multiple murders and arms smuggling operations.