PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun
The Special Task Force (STF) has arrested another accused in its ongoing crackdown on fake arms licences and illegal weapons. The latest arrest takes the total number of accused held in the case to 11. The accused identified as Faeem Ahmad (24) was arrested during a late-night raid on Saturday in Kashipur.
The STF recovered one .32 bore semi-automatic pistol and nine live cartridges from his possession. During the investigation, officials found that he had obtained a fake arms licence in the name of Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. According to STF senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh, the STF is verifying arms licences that were transferred from other States to check whether they are genuine.
He said that an FIR in the case was registered at Kashipur Kotwali police station in Udham Singh Nagar on June 4. The investigation is continuing and officials said more arrests are possible as they try to uncover the entire network involved in preparing fake arms licences and supplying illegal weapons.
The STF said that, so far, it has registered three criminal cases, arrested 11 accused, recovered 15 illegal firearms, 350 live cartridges and seized a large number of fake and suspicious arms licences.
Singh said that fake arms licences and illegal weapons pose a serious threat to public safety and law and order. He warned that strict legal action will be taken against everyone found involved in the racket, including middlemen, fake licence holders and weapon suppliers.
The STF has appealed to people who have fake or suspicious arms licences to surrender their weapons and licences voluntarily. It also urged the public to share any information related to fake arms licences, assuring that the identity of informants will be kept confidential.
