: A day after the formation of a dedicated cell for arms and ammunition control, the Lucknow police on Friday tightened the noose around 25 arms licence holders who had failed to give details about the cartridges purchased and used by them over the past few years.
The police lodged FIRs against four arms licence holders for violation under Sections 29 and 30 of the Arms Act 1959 and seized their weapons and cartridges.
The four FIRs were lodged at Gomti Nagar, Gosainganj, Alambagh and Para police stations. More FIRs were likely against those who fail to give details of cartridges purchased and used by them, said Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP (Lucknow).
“After getting details from the office of district magistrate, we summoned 25 licence holders who purchased pistols. The FIRs were lodged after four of them failed to give details about the purchased/ used cartridges and its shells,” the SSP said.
“Initially, we aim to verify details of licence holders who have .30 and .32 bore firearms. Bullets of such weapons have mainly been used in recent incidents of gun violence in Lucknow,” he said.
Citing an example, the SSP said a Gomti Nagar property dealer Kamlesh Yadav got a firearms licence issued in his name in 2006 and purchased a .32 bore pistol and 225 cartridges in 13 years. He was in possession of at least 46 cartridges and seven bullet shells but could not give an account of the remaining cartridges and shells, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Citing an example, the SSP said a Gomti Nagar property dealer Kamlesh Yadav got a firearms licence issued in his name in 2006 and purchased a .32 bore pistol and 225 cartridges in 13 years. He was in possession of at least 46 cartridges and seven bullet shells but could not give an account of the remaining cartridges and shells, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, a marriage lawn owner Rahul Singh of Para owned a .30 pistol and had purchased around 75 cartridges in the past few years. He had not purchased any cartridges in two years but failed to give details of the ones purchased earlier, added the SSP.
“As many as 25 cartridges and 10 bullet shells were found in his possession but he failed to give details of the remaining cartridges/ bullet shells, following which the case was registered against him,” he said.
The SSP said two others against whom action was initiated were Ved Prakash Yadav of Gosainganj and PK Gupta of Alambagh, who own .32 bore pistols. Similar action was likely against other licence holders, if they failed to give details of cartridges purchased and the ones used.