Gurugram emerging as big market of illegal arms

Sanjay Yadav

Gurugram, January 20

Gurugram is emerging fast as the biggest market of illegal weapons. Last year, around 500 illegal weapons were seized from the suppliers and other criminals by the police. The supply of illegal arms continues unabated, it can be gauged from the fact that the police nabbed four accused last night and seized seven illegal weapons from their possession.

In the past 19 days of 2023, the police have seized 30 country made pistols and 15 cartridges. Last year, the police had recovered a total 493 illegal weapons while 290 illegal arms were seized in 2021. The number of seized weapons has increased, which also hints at the fact that these are easily available in Gurugram.

Our crime teams are on constant vigil and we have stepped up our operations against illegal arms trade. — Preet Pal Singh Sangwan, ACP, Crime

A senior police officer said the largest networks of illegal arms traders were in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. The criminals through their contacts got the weapons from these locations while the suppliers of illegal arms had also chosen a new path of selling illegal arms on “social media” platforms. Through advertisements the suppliers offer the general public to buy weapons. An FIR was registered against an unidentified accused regarding the same last year at the Sadar police station.

The arms buyers have now graduated from country made pistols or “desi katta” to pistols. Police sources said a majority of dealers got weapons from four states — UP, MP, Bihar and Rajasthan. There is a huge demand for these guns in the NCR, especially Gurugram, for the purpose of committing crime. Some of the suppliers from UP and MP also offer a wide range of weapons and provide consignments on the basis of mark and strength of preference.

“There has been a change in weapons being used in crime now. The criminals some years ago preferred ‘desi katta’ priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs 7,000, but now, they prefer pistols, which cost around Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000. Since the past one year, there is negligible use of ‘desi katta’ in crime because ‘katta’ can be shot only once at one time and there are also chances of it bursting in hands”, said a senior police officer posted in the crime unit.

A senior official investigating illegal arms trade in the city said the suppliers came to Delhi mostly in trains and handed over the arms to their contacts. After which the local suppliers supplied these on demand.

“Our crime teams are on constant vigil and we have stepped up our operations against illegal arms trade to have are also kept a tab on manufacturing units and suppliers of illegal arms”, said Preet Pal Singh Sangwan, ACP, crime.