Delhi’s baddies go hi-tech with weapons
24 Oct 2012 2:22 AM GMT
A bank van was recently robbed of Rs 5.25 crore and its guard shot dead. The disturbing trend was the weapon used in the crime, indicating the growing use of modern firearms by criminals in Delhi.
Be it robbery or murder, more and more criminals in the capital are opting for pistols in particular, for a better strike rate and efficiency. Gone is the infamous ‘katta’ [home-made firearm], indicate Delhi Police data.
The pistol’s steep price is clearly not a deterrent.
According to a police official, a handgun or pistol with a magazine containing eight bullets is the preferred weapon of criminals these days as it guarantees precise shooting and more firepower.
‘There was a time when kattas were used as they were cheap and easy to procure. But they are outdated now. The criminals also don’t mind the high price tag,’ a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
According to the official, a pistol costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 while a katta – for decades made in the backyards of Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh – can normally be bought for Rs 1,000-1,500.
Munger district in Bihar, which shares a long border with Nepal where Maoists are said to have sold off their weapons, is where Indian criminals are procuring the pistols, the police officer said.
The kattas usually have only one barrel and low range and only a single shot can be fired at a time. Pistols offer the luxury of shooting long-range targets accurately and repeatedly without reloading.
‘In many cases, kattas backfire injuring the shooter,’ added the official.
Figures with Delhi Police indicate a sudden drop in the number of seized kattas in 2012 and 2011 and a notable increase in the number of pistols – signifying a surge in the popularity of modern weapons.
A total of 80 illegal pistols were seized till September this year. The figure was 99 for the whole of 2011. In contrast, the number of seized kattas was 365 this year, down from 626 last year.
Other modern but illegal weapons seized included nine revolvers and four rifles.
‘We seized six pistols from a weapons supplier who had come to Delhi from Bihar to deliver the consignment,’ Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Bhisham Singh said.
The accused revealed that he bought the six weapons for Rs 10,000 each and would have sold them for Rs 25,000 each, said Singh.
It is not a man’s world alone.
Last week, a woman was caught at the Anand Vihar railway station in east Delhi while on her way to Meerut to deliver a weapons consignment she had procured from Bihar, said the officer.
According to another senior official, police in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been repeatedly told about the units manufacturing illegal weapons in their states but no concrete action has been taken.
‘It’s a worrying trend (use of modern weapons by criminals). We have to be more alert,’ another official said.
He took the police to the house and accused Pankaj was apprehended and on his instance the kingpin of the gang Kamat alias Ganesh was arrested from Matiala Extension and Shyam Kumar from Sukhi Ram Park, the official said. [IANS]
MAN HELD FOR RUNNING ILLEGAL FIREARMS RACKET
A 55-year-old man, who has been running a thriving racket of manufacturing illegal firearms for criminals in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, was arrested in the capital, police said on Tuesday. Om Singh, who had been arrested thrice in connection with his illegal firearms racket earlier, was taken into custody from the capital recently when he had come here for some work. After his arrest, police also busted his factory at Lalpur village in Meerut district and recovered a huge cache of firearms from there. The accused was found running illegal firearms factory since 1980 and supplying thousands of illegal arms to various criminals and gangsters of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab for criminal activities, a senior police official said. During interrogation, Singh said he learnt the technique of manufacturing firearms from his maternal uncle Saroop and began supply them to local criminals of Meerut and Hapur. ‘As he had expertise in manufacturing these firearms, his business flourished in various districts of UP and further extended to Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. During this period, his illegal factories were busted thrice but after release from jail, he continued his illegal racket,’ DCP, Special Cell, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. Singh used to charge Rs 2,000 for a country made pistol and told police that he used to source raw material from iron-waste markets of Ghaziabad and Meerut.
Be it robbery or murder, more and more criminals in the capital are opting for pistols in particular, for a better strike rate and efficiency. Gone is the infamous ‘katta’ [home-made firearm], indicate Delhi Police data.
The pistol’s steep price is clearly not a deterrent.
According to a police official, a handgun or pistol with a magazine containing eight bullets is the preferred weapon of criminals these days as it guarantees precise shooting and more firepower.
‘There was a time when kattas were used as they were cheap and easy to procure. But they are outdated now. The criminals also don’t mind the high price tag,’ a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
According to the official, a pistol costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 while a katta – for decades made in the backyards of Mainpuri district in Uttar Pradesh – can normally be bought for Rs 1,000-1,500.
Munger district in Bihar, which shares a long border with Nepal where Maoists are said to have sold off their weapons, is where Indian criminals are procuring the pistols, the police officer said.
The kattas usually have only one barrel and low range and only a single shot can be fired at a time. Pistols offer the luxury of shooting long-range targets accurately and repeatedly without reloading.
‘In many cases, kattas backfire injuring the shooter,’ added the official.
Figures with Delhi Police indicate a sudden drop in the number of seized kattas in 2012 and 2011 and a notable increase in the number of pistols – signifying a surge in the popularity of modern weapons.
A total of 80 illegal pistols were seized till September this year. The figure was 99 for the whole of 2011. In contrast, the number of seized kattas was 365 this year, down from 626 last year.
Other modern but illegal weapons seized included nine revolvers and four rifles.
‘We seized six pistols from a weapons supplier who had come to Delhi from Bihar to deliver the consignment,’ Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Bhisham Singh said.
The accused revealed that he bought the six weapons for Rs 10,000 each and would have sold them for Rs 25,000 each, said Singh.
It is not a man’s world alone.
Last week, a woman was caught at the Anand Vihar railway station in east Delhi while on her way to Meerut to deliver a weapons consignment she had procured from Bihar, said the officer.
According to another senior official, police in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have been repeatedly told about the units manufacturing illegal weapons in their states but no concrete action has been taken.
‘It’s a worrying trend (use of modern weapons by criminals). We have to be more alert,’ another official said.
He took the police to the house and accused Pankaj was apprehended and on his instance the kingpin of the gang Kamat alias Ganesh was arrested from Matiala Extension and Shyam Kumar from Sukhi Ram Park, the official said. [IANS]
MAN HELD FOR RUNNING ILLEGAL FIREARMS RACKET
A 55-year-old man, who has been running a thriving racket of manufacturing illegal firearms for criminals in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, was arrested in the capital, police said on Tuesday. Om Singh, who had been arrested thrice in connection with his illegal firearms racket earlier, was taken into custody from the capital recently when he had come here for some work. After his arrest, police also busted his factory at Lalpur village in Meerut district and recovered a huge cache of firearms from there. The accused was found running illegal firearms factory since 1980 and supplying thousands of illegal arms to various criminals and gangsters of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab for criminal activities, a senior police official said. During interrogation, Singh said he learnt the technique of manufacturing firearms from his maternal uncle Saroop and began supply them to local criminals of Meerut and Hapur. ‘As he had expertise in manufacturing these firearms, his business flourished in various districts of UP and further extended to Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. During this period, his illegal factories were busted thrice but after release from jail, he continued his illegal racket,’ DCP, Special Cell, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. Singh used to charge Rs 2,000 for a country made pistol and told police that he used to source raw material from iron-waste markets of Ghaziabad and Meerut.
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