Gujarat ATS arrests 16 more in arms licences case after statewide raids

Acting on specific intelligence, ATS teams carried out coordinated raids across Gujarat on Thursday and seized 15 illegal weapons and 489 live cartridges

Ahmedabad:The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested 16 more people in connection with its ongoing investigation into the fake arms licences case unearthed over the past week, police said.

The accused paid large amounts — ranging from ₹50,000 to over ₹10 lakh—to procure the forged documents and purchase weapons legally from those states before bringing them into Gujarat (Shutterstock Image/ Representative photo)

An ATS statement said ATS carried out coordinated raids across the state on Thursday that led to the arrest of 16 suspects, seizure of 15 illegal weapons and 489 live cartridges.

“These licences were allegedly arranged through arms dealers based in Haryana, including Soukat Ali, Faruq Ali, Sohim Ali, and Asif. The accused paid large amounts—ranging from ₹50,000 to over ₹10 lakh—to procure the forged documents and purchase weapons legally from those states before bringing them into Gujarat,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

Till now, 23 people have been arrested in connection to this case.

ATS started the probe after its deputy superintendent of police SL Chaudhary received intelligence that there were six people from Gujarat who got weapons from some arms dealers in Haryana on the strength of arms licences purportedly issued in Manipur and Nagaland. A case was registered by the ATS on April 7.

The seven persons were arrested after the Gujarat Police detected over 100 people who bought firearms on the basis of these fabricated arms licences purportedly issued in northeastern states. Eight revolvers, two pistols, five 12-bore guns, and around 490 live rounds were seized from them. Their interrogation revealed the broader network and led to the second round of arrests.

“Our investigation revealed that approximately 108 individuals from various districts of Gujarat had managed to acquire weapons through fraudulent means using fake arms licenses allegedly made in Nagaland and Manipur,” said a senior ATS official.

The official added that more weapons are likely to be recovered soon, and efforts are underway to track down all persons linked to the racket.