Crackdown on those committing crime with licensed arms in Prayagraj

A list of more than 350 people who have committed crimes by getting arms licences in the name of self-protection has been prepared by the district administration of Prayagraj, confirmed a senior district administration official.

In the wake of rising incidents wherein licensed weapons are being used by their owners for committing crime, the Prayagraj district administration has decided to begin a crackdown on such people.

In the past too, the Prayagraj district administration has acted against such people (FOR REPRESENTATION)

A list of more than 350 people who have committed crimes by getting arms licences in the name of self-protection has been prepared by the district administration of Prayagraj, confirmed a senior district administration official.

“Action will be taken only after scrutinising the type of crime they have been involved in,” he added. In the last one year, there have been many such cases in which people have committed crimes in some form or the other after obtaining arm licences.

After a probe, the reports from the police stations have reached the district magistrate’s court and their hearings are under way. After this, the process of cancelling their arms license will begin, said another official aware of the development. “Most of these are cases are of the licensed weapons being used either in celebratory firing or to settle disputes. The list of 350 such people has just been prepared,” the official said.

It has issued orders to cancel 200 licences in the past one-and-a-half-years alone. The fresh list of continuously pending cases was prepared only on the orders of the DM and the DM’s court is taking action after a thorough hearing. Decisions in some of these cases have been delivered while the rest are under consideration.

There are more than 42,000 arm licence holders in the district. Most have taken arms licences claiming that there is a threat to their lives while some have obtained them on the grounds of being in need of a job as a security guard, the officials said.