Barely a month ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections, the Muzaffarnagar police have unearthed illegal arms manufacturing and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition. Three accused, including one Sarfaraz, a resident of Kidwainagar, Shahid, a resident of Khalapar, and Rajesh have been arrested during the raid.
“पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश एवं उत्तराखण्ड में अवैध असलाह बनाने एवं बेचने वाला गिरोह गिरफ्तार” #Muzaffarnagarpolice
— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) January 21, 2022
“131 अवैध असलाह, कारतूस व उपकरण बरामद, 03 अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार”
थाना कोतवाली नगर पुलिस द्वारा 03 अभियुक्तगण को गिरफ्तार किया गया। pic.twitter.com/tM74YJuYTH
SSP Abhishek Yadav said that weapons were being made in the mango orchard near the Badkali village, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The seized arms included at least 131 pistols and guns of various bores and various other firearms and weapons.
According to the police, the accused revealed that they planned to sell the illicit weapons stash to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab.
Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the information adviser to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, shared two videos wherein the police displayed the huge cache of illegal weapons seized during the raid.
पश्चिम UP में चुनावी हिंसा फैलाने के लिए असलहे बना रहे सरफराज़ और शाहिद समेत तीन बदमाश मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर में गिरफ़्तार, अवैध हथियारों का बड़ा ज़ख़ीरा बरामद !! pic.twitter.com/4JO5NHhbaW
— Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) January 21, 2022
It is worth noting that the Uttar Pradesh police have busted several such illegal arms manufacturing rackets in the last few days.
Only yesterday, the Muzaffarnagar police shared information of a similar raid through its official Twitter handle. During the raid, the Police recovered 5 315 bore pistols, two 12 bore pistols, six live cartridges, six semi-finished guns, six 12 bore barrels, eight 315 bore barrels, one drill machine, one welding machine, ten-meter cable etc.
“अवैध शस्त्र फैक्ट्री जब्त, भारी मात्रा में बने-अधबने अवैध शस्त्र व उपकरण बरामद”
— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) January 20, 2022
थाना छपार, मुजफ्फरनगर
01 शस्त्र तस्कर अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार
थाना छपार पुलिस द्वारा बरला बसेडा रोड पर बन्द पडे प्लान्ट मे अवैध शस्त्र फैक्ट्री को जब्त करते हुए 01 अभियुक्त को गिरफ्तार किया गया। pic.twitter.com/GhzgqUeqC3
The primary accused, Tamrez, was apprehended by the Chhapar police in Muzaffarnagar, according to police. He was working out of a factory on Barla-Baseda Road that had been closed for a long time. Tamrez, who had been previously jailed for serious crimes like murder, theft and illegal arms possession had been dodging the police for very long, said the police.
Similarly, on January 13, the Mathura police apprehended 6 accused namely Mubba, Arif, Ansaar, Shahnavaj, Kanjar and Bholi, all residents of Mathura, for running an illegal arms manufacturing unit in a village falling under the limits of the Kosikalan police station. At least 25 country-made pistols and firearms of various bores, as well as over 50 cartridges of various bores, were seized during the raid.
On the same day, in a different raid, eleven pistols, three muskets, one revolver, 13 barrels and other components of firearms were recovered from a dilapidated building near a canal bridge under Shahpur police station limits in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
In this case, too, one person, Noor Mohammad, was detained, and during his interrogation, he confessed that the illegal arms were being made for use in the state’s upcoming assembly elections.
The Uttar Pradesh police have launched an anti-arms-smuggling operation to ensure a free and fair election in the state. Muzaffarnagar goes to poll in the first phase on March 10.
