E-Paper
Main accused linked to Bareilly violence arms network arrested in Uttarakhand
According to police officials, the accused identified as Gaffar Khan had been evading arrest and allegedly trying to use political connections to escape legal action. He was produced before a court on Wednesday and later sent to judicial custody.
Absconding for several months, the main accused allegedly involved in supplying illegal weapons used during the violence that erupted in Bareilly on September 26 last year was arrested on Tuesday by a Baheri police team from Kichha in Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday.
According to police officials, the accused identified as Gaffar Khan had been evading arrest and allegedly trying to use political connections to escape legal action. He was produced before a court on Wednesday and later sent to judicial custody.
Police had earlier registered an FIR against six people in connection with the supply of illegal firearms linked to the Bareilly violence. Five of the accused had already been arrested, while Gaffar Khan, a resident of Darau village in Uttarakhand, had remained absconding.
Investigators claimed that Gaffar had attempted to get his name removed from the FIR by exerting pressure on police through political leaders in Uttarakhand. When those efforts failed, he allegedly began accusing the police of falsely implicating him in the case.
Following directions from senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anurag Arya, police intensified efforts to trace him and activated their informer network across Uttarakhand.
The illegal weapons network came to light on February 19 when police intercepted a car near Shergarh trisection during an operation. A large quantity of pistols and cartridges was allegedly recovered from the vehicle.
Two accused — Tasleem, a resident of Jokhanpur, and Somu Khan alias Aushaf, a resident of Baripura Shergarh — were arrested at the spot.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly told police that the recovered five pistols and 38 cartridges were meant to be supplied to Gaffar Khan and Sami Khan, both residents of Darau village under the Kichha police station area in Uttarakhand.
The accused also allegedly admitted that firearms used during the Bareilly violence had been supplied through the same network.
Police later tracked Gaffar Khan and arrested him near Pradhan Market on the Kichha-Rudrapur road at around 8 am on Tuesday.
During questioning, Gaffar confessed to being involved in the illegal arms trade along with his associates and admitted to his role in supplying weapons, police claimed.
After his medical examination, police produced him before a court, which subsequently sent him to jail.
Baheri circle officer/DSP Arun Kumar Singh said Gaffar Khan has a long criminal history. According to police, around 10 criminal cases are registered against him at Kichha, Pulbhatta and Sheeshgarh police stations in Uttarakhand.
