The illegal firearms industry has moved from the badlands of Munger in Bihar to Uttar Pradesh. The matter came to light when the Bihar special task force, with the help of UP police, raided two locations in Mau and unearthed illegal firearms manufacturing unit, officials said.
The police also arrested nine people, including three women, said to be residents of Munger district.
Police said that Munger region has long been known for the manufacture of illegal firearms over the last few decades. The illegal activities, however, have slowly shifted to UP and West Bengal due to the crackdown.
Those arrested were identified as Mohammad Tanvir Alam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Rizaul Haque, Mohammad Khalid Ansari, Mohammad Liyakat Ali, Mohammad Parvez Alam, Sabana Khatoon, Rubina Ansari and Shabnam Bano (wife of Tanvir).
An FIR has been registered at the Kotwali police station in Mau district against the accused on the charges o allegedly running an illegal firearms manufacturing unit. All of them have been sent to judicial custody. A cache of finished and unfinished arms, a large stock of machinery and raw material needed for the manufacturing arms and ammunition, besides machinery used in manufacturing the weapons, were seized.
Additional director general (operation) Sushil M Khopde said that acting on a tip-off, Bihar police contacted its counterparts and raided two locations in Mau and arrested them. The police also recovered .32 bore pistol, .315 bore pistol, unfinished 31 pistols of 7.65 mm, 24 pistols bodies, 354 barrels, eight dye machines, 99 raw materials, three electronic welding machines, 95 slider, five drill machines, two laptops and 235 iron frames.
During the investigation, the police found that Taverz and his brother Tanvir got married in Mau. Both of them settled there and were involved in arms smuggling and manufacturing. Tanvir was already facing an arms act case in Mau since 2011. Police said the preliminary investigation brought to the fore that the weapons were manufactured at the Mau’s unit and were being sent to Munger for final finishing.
Khopde admitted that following the recovery of illegal weapon consignments in any part of the country, the needle of suspicion always invariably points to Munger, but many a time it is not established. “We are trying to identify their contacts and customers,” he added.
In another operation, with the arrest of one Mohammad Khurshid Alam of Munger, the STF unearthed a minigun and illegal liquor factory at Morkahi police station area of Khagaria district. Police seized five pistol sets, five live cartridges, four drill machines, one leth machine, magazine farma, 12 barrels, gas cylinder, country-made liquor and utensils.
