India's most wanted arms smuggler Sheikh Salim, also known as 'Salim Pistol,' has been arrested in Nepal, Indian police said on Saturday.
According to Indian online news outlet NDTV, the Delhi Police special cell and Indian security agencies arrested Salim in Nepal in a joint operation with Nepal Police.
However, Deputy Inspector General Binod Ghimire, central spokesperson for Nepal Police, said that he was unaware of the arrest.
"I learned about it through Indian news reports. If an arrest had been made, I should have been informed, but I have no information," he said.
Salim has long been accused of selling illegal weapons. He allegedly smuggled arms from Pakistan into India.
Investigators have found evidence linking him to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company, NDTV reported.
Salim is also accused of supplying weapons to the groups of gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba. His name was recently linked to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Delhi Police had previously arrested Salim Pistol in 2018, but he later fled abroad.
Following a tip-off that he was hiding in Nepal, Indian security agencies arrested him in coordination with Nepal Police.
His criminal background reportedly began in 2000 with a case involving vehicle theft.
