Police crack down on illegal arms; 350 weapons seized, 83 nabbed

The seizure of weapons and apprehension of people came as police carried out a special operation across all three zones – Noida, Central Noida, and Greater Noida

Noida: The Gautam Budh Nagar police have confiscated over 350 illegal arms and apprehended 83 people for allegedly being involved in possession and distribution of such weapons in the district, officers said on Tuesday.

The two-day long special operation led to seizure of 65 pistols, 270 live cartridges, and 19 knives. (Representational image)

The seizure of weapons and apprehension of people came as police carried out a two-day (November 9 to 10) special operation across all three zones – Noida, Central Noida, and Greater Noida – under the Arms Act.

District police commissioner Laxmi Singh during a press conference held on Tuesday said that the operation intended to enhance public safety and curb spread of illegal arms in the region.

“A notable incident included the recovery of a one-year-old girl who had been kidnapped. The child was found near a multilevel car parking area in Sector-18, Noida, following an extensive search involving six police teams and CCTV footage analysis. Subsequent combing operations in the area led to the arrest of Babloo Chaudhary, the suspect involved in the kidnapping, who was found with an illegal firearm,” the officer said.

The 46-year-old suspect, originally from Bihar and a resident of JJ Colony in Sector 20, allegedly kidnapped the little girl from Sector 18 market on Friday (November 8). When Chaudhary came to know that police were looking for him, he left the girl in bushes at an isolated place near multilevel parking and fled. He was arrested on Saturday evening after a brief shootout.

To be sure, the child and her grandmother Saroj had gone to a market where Saroj left her at China Cut and went for some work nearby but on returning, she did not find her granddaughter there.

Meanwhile, the special operation led to seizure of 65 pistols, 270 live cartridges, and 19 knives.

In the Noida zone, police registered 30 cases under the Arms Act, arresting 30 suspects. They confiscated 25 country-made pistols (CMP), 18 live cartridges, one spent cartridge, and four knives. Additionally, 20 tetra packs of local liquor were seized.

In the Central Noida zone, 26 cases were registered, leading to the arrest of 28 suspects. Authorities recovered 13 CMPs, 14 live cartridges, two spent cartridges, and 13 knives.

“In Central Noida, the police’s significant operations included a confrontation with Rohit Kumar and Anil Kumar, resulting in Kumar being injured and arrested with one illegal firearm and recovered stolen property, including an e-rickshaw and a Hero Honda Splendor motorcycle,” the commissioner added.

The Greater Noida zone saw 24 cases getting filed, with 25 suspects apprehended. Besides, 27 CMPs, 238 live cartridges, two knives, 12 magazines, one four-wheeler, two mobile phones, and four stolen motorcycles, were seized, officers said.