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Azamgarh: Illegal arms manufacturing unit busted, two held
Senior police officials said some gun houses operators also had links with firearms manufacturers and suppliers and further action against them had been initiated.
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) seized a huge cache of firearms, including sophisticated pen guns under the process of being manufactured, after it unearthed an illegal firearms manufacturing unit in an Azamgarh village on Friday.
Two people were also arrested in this connection. Senior police officials said some gun houses operators also had links with firearms manufacturers and suppliers and further action against them had been initiated.
Additional director general (ADG), U.P. Police, Prashant Kumar said the two arrested were identified as Aftab Alam and Mainn-u-deen Sheikh, both residents of Bilriyaganj, Azamgarh.
He said the duo was involved in illegal supply of firearms and cartridges to different gangs across east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar with help of one licensed gun house operator Sayyed Qazi Arshad.
He said Sheikh had set up the illegal firearms manufacturing unit in his farming field in Ibrahimpur village of Azamgarh and had hired a trained manufacturer to prepare illegal firearms, including some sophisticated weapons. Kumar said the accused was presently operating from his house in Gauspur village as the field was submerged in flood water.
The ADG said several weapons, including two prepared pistols, two long guns, eight airguns, two shot guns as well as semi-prepared firearms, including two pen guns, four carbines, two revolvers, two shotguns and two telescopes for rifles were recovered from Sheikh’s house.
He said huge quantity of barrels, springs, magazines, a drill machine and other material used in manufacturing of firearms were also recovered from them. He said primary investigation revealed that Sheikh had links in Pakistan, Dubai and Nepal. He said further probe in this connection was in progress. Kumar said the efforts were on to arrest the gun house owner who helped them in selling illegal manufactured firearms.
