Illegal factory of arms unearthed in Noida, one held

The police recovered 14 countrymade pistols, live ammunition, iron pipes, barrels, wooden body cover for handguns, iron body cover for pistols, drill machine, hammer, chisel, saw, spring iron, welding machines, injectors, chimney machine pipe, nuts, bolts and other equipment.

Just a weak ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, police on Thursday impounded an illegal arms factory in Greater Noida and recovered live ammunition, weapons and equipment from the site. The police have also arrested a person from the factory site during the raid.

The illegal arms factory was being run by two persons in a deserted building in the Greater Noida’s site 5 area near Kasna village. (HT Photo/Representative Image)

The Gautam Budh Nagar parliamentary constituency will go to polls on April 11.

The arrested man has been identified as Ranjit, a native of Kasna village in Greater Noida.

The police said that the illegal arms factory was being run by two persons in a deserted building in the Greater Noida’s site 5 area near Kasna village.

“Our team was keeping constant vigil at an abandoned factory building in site 5 after we received reports of illegal activities. Around 1am on Thursday, we raided the factory premises and seized equipment, illegal weapons and ammunition from the building. The accused, who was held, has a past record of arms smuggling in Greater Noida,” Sujeet Upadhyay, station house officer, Greater Noida police station, said.

The police have recovered 14 countrymade pistols, one pistol, live ammunition, iron pipes, barrels, wooden body cover for handguns, iron body cover for pistols, drill machine, hammer, chisel, saw, spring iron, welding machines, injectors, chimney machine pipe, nuts, bolts and other equipment.

The police said that the weapons were being made by a person identified as ‘Chhotu’, who is currently on the run.

“It is unclear whether Chhotu is a juvenile or not, but efforts are on to nab him. According to the arrested accused, Chhotu used to assemble the parts to make guns and Ranjit would sell them to the parties in Greater Noida and other parts of West Uttar Pradesh,” Upadhyay said.

Ranjit told police that it was a small-level operation they were running for the past two years. “Ranjit used to pay ₹1,000 to Chhotu for each countrymade pistol and then sell it for ₹3,000. Till now, he has not revealed about his network in West UP, but efforts are on to track the network,” Upadhyay added.

The accused was held under the Arms Act.