Uttar Pradesh Police Crackdown on Illegal Arms Networks

Police in Uttar Pradesh have disrupted illegal arms networks in separate operations in Muzaffarnagar and Pratapgarh districts. Four men were arrested with numerous firearms and ammunition seized. The raids are part of a larger effort to combat illegal arms trade in the state, according to officials.

Police operations in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar and Pratapgarh districts have led to the dismantling of illegal arms networks, with authorities recovering a substantial cache of firearms and ammunition. During these raids, four men were apprehended, as confirmed by officials.

In Muzaffarnagar, authorities uncovered an interstate gang suspected of supplying illegal arms, seizing five pistols, 10 country-made pistols, one musket, and 32 cartridges in the Shahpur police station area, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar. The arrests were made after a tip-off led to the detention of three suspects allegedly involved in arms distribution across western Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi. Efforts continue to apprehend three other gang members who remain at large.

Meanwhile, in Pratapgarh, police arrested an alleged arms smuggler at a checkpoint near an under-construction toll plaza on the Prayagraj-Ayodhya highway. Ravindra Kumar Mishra, alias Happy, was found with a .32 bore pistol, a .32 bore revolver, a homemade firearm, and several live cartridges. He has been charged under relevant sections of the Arms Act and remanded in custody. Senior officials emphasized that these operations reflect a broader initiative against the illegal arms trade in Uttar Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies.)