PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) and Maharashtra Crime Branch arrested an accused arms supplier from the Clement Town area in a joint raid conducted in Dehradun on Thursday. The arrested accused Kamran Ahmad had been supplying illegal weapons to international wildlife poaching gangs. He had previously served time in jail after being caught with 2,000 illegal cartridges in Delhi, the senior superintendent of police of STF Navneet Singh Bhullar said.
He informed that Ahmad, currently residing in Keshavkunj area of Dehradun had been allegedly booking orders online and delivering illegal arms and ammunition to gangs in Maharashtra through public transport and courier services. His name surfaced during the investigation of a case registered in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, where a large cache of illegal weapons and ammunition was recovered from members of a wildlife poachers’ gang. The seized weapons included rifles, revolvers, crossbows, live cartridges and a bulletproof jacket, as per Bhullar.
He said that the Maharashtra Crime Branch informed the Uttarakhand STF about Ahmad’s involvement, leading to coordinated efforts to locate and arrest him. Acting on the input, a team formed under the supervision of STF officers verified Ahmad’s identity and background. Investigations confirmed that he was a known arms dealer and had previously been arrested under the Arms Act in 2022 by the Pratapganj Industrial Area police station in Delhi.
The SSP said that the joint team arrested Ahmad from his residence in Clement Town on Wednesday. During questioning, he revealed details about his international connections and other networks, which are now being investigated further by the STF.
Bhullar informed that Ahmad is 30 years old and originally from Yamuna Vihar, Delhi. He currently faces charges under multiple sections of the Arms Act and Maharashtra Police Act for his involvement in supplying illegal weapons to criminal gangs across State borders.
