For the past few months, an automobile workshop in Ashiana area of Lucknow was being used as a firearms manufacturing unit by a gang involved in supplying weapons to criminal elements across Uttar Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Friday raided the workshop and seized equipment used in the manufacturing of illegal firearms. The raid followed the arrest of two persons in Shahjahpur district of the state on Thursday night.
The STF had seized from the duo’s possession six firearms that were meant to be supplied to criminal gangs in western Uttar Pradesh.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) -- STF, Satya Sen, said the two arrested accused included Lucknow resident Harpreet Singh and Shahjahpur resident Guddu Khan. “Singh operated the motor engineering workshop — Preet Engineering Works — near Kasimpur, Pakri locality, under Ashiana police station limits in Lucknow,” he said.
The ASP said that Singh had installed multiple machines meant for different engineering jobs and was using them to prepare barrels and other parts of the firearms.
“The parts were assembled at the workshop and later supplied to different criminal gangs through their contacts. Singh said he prepared six to seven firearms in one lot and sold them for ₹9,000 -- ₹10,000 per piece,” said the ASP.
{{/usCountry}}“The parts were assembled at the workshop and later supplied to different criminal gangs through their contacts. Singh said he prepared six to seven firearms in one lot and sold them for ₹9,000 -- ₹10,000 per piece,” said the ASP.
{{/usCountry}}He said Singh was being further interrogated about others involved in this illegal firearms manufacturing racket. “He is also being grilled to extract details about the people to whom he supplied the firearms,” said the cop.