Illegal arms factory unearthed in Sahibabad, two men arrested

An illegal arms factory being run out of a house in Balaji Vihar near Hindon Pushta in Sahibabad area was unearthed on Thursday and two people were nabbed.

An illegal arms factory being run out of a house in Balaji Vihar near Hindon Pushta in Sahibabad area was unearthed on Thursday and two people were nabbed.

The tipoff about the factory came as police nabbed a man with a country-made pistol and he revealed the place of purchase. (Representative Photo/Sakib Ali)

The tipoff about the factory came as police nabbed a man with a country-made pistol and he revealed the place of purchase.

Sahibabad station cops were on routine checking near Anand Industrial Area when they stopped Saleem, who was carrying a country-made weapon.

On questioning, Saleem told police that he bought the weapon from one Shamsuddin who makes country made weapons at his house in Balaji Vihar.

“The police raided the house and found the accused manufacturing the weapons. He had also installed a small machine used for cutting and filing metal. He told police that he sold small weapons worth Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 to people known to him. He got contacts of other buyers from his customers,” said officiating circle officer (border), Atul Kumar Yadav.

He said Shamsuddin will be taken on remand and more details will come out.

“The weapons manufactured by the accused are of crude make. He primarily used vehicle steering rods to make the barrel of the weapons. Such metal is burnt and cannot easily break when fired,” he added.

Both Saleem and Shamsuddin were booked under the provisions of the Arms Act. Police seized eight weapons of 31, 38 and 32 bore, a 12 bore gun and other machinery from the latter’s house.

According to police officials, petty criminals use country-made weapons largely in robberies, car-jacking and other crimes.

The bigger gangs have access to more sophisticated weapons as revealed in a recent attack on Bharatiya Janata Party leader Brijpal Teotia in which assailants used AK-47 and automatic pistols, police said.

In 2015, nearly 500 pistols, five sten guns and nine revolvers were seized from criminals. Rifles, single barrel and double barrel guns were also seized, according Ghaziabad Police records.

Most of them were country-made weapons, suspected to be procured from Bihar and neighbouring states.