A 55-year-old man, suspected to be an arms peddler for Naxals, was arrested and over 400 cartridges of INSAS and other sophisticated firearms were recovered from him, the police said today.
The police had received information about a group of Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh-based criminals supplying cartridges of prohibited bore to Naxals active in Garhchiroli and other Naxal infested areas of Maharashtra, said P S Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell).
A team of Special Cell was tasked to identify and apprehend these suspects, he said.
On May 24, a gun-runner named Dhirender was nabbed and a pistol and 95 cartridges were recovered from his possession. During interrogation, Dhirender disclosed that he used to supply cartridges to one 'master' of Bhojpur (Aara) district, Bihar, and that this 'master' used to supply them to Naxals active in the Garhchiroli area.
Based on this information, a hunt was launched to trace and arrest this 'master'. During the course of investigation, it was revealed that his real name was Ram Krishna Singh.
On July 12, information was received that Singh will be arriving near Shanti Van, Ring Road, for supplying a consignment of cartridges to one of his associates in afternoon hours, said the DCP. He was overpowered and nabbed, he added.
A total of 407 illegal cartridges comprising 60 cartridges of INSAS (Indian Small Arms System), 107 cartridges of SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), 80 cartridges of .315 caliber and 160 cartridges of 7.65 caliber were recovered from the hand bag Singh was carrying, Kushwah said.
He has been involved in arms peddling since 2015. Earlier, he was a teacher in a private school. After the school shut down, he came in contact with some arms supplier of Munger, who lured him to the trade, said the DCP.
The accused used to procure firearms from Munger for supplying them to criminals in Bihar and Western Uttar Pradesh. He also used to procure cartridges for supply to Naxals active in Garchiroli in Maharastra, he said.
Till date, he has supplied over 15, 000 cartridges to Naxalites in Garchiroli of Maharashtra, Kushwah said.
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