PATIALA – Security agencies are worried that gangsters in the state may have an easy access to weapons. They point to the recovery of weapons in recent high-profile crimes. Acquiring an illegal firearm seems a child’s play. All one needs is money and the right connections. Callous officials make the task even easier.
“When 14 armed men attacked the Nabha Jail on Sunday, they fired 200 rounds in 20 minutes. The gangsters used walkie-talkie sets and sophisticated weapons. This is alarming,” said a senior official.
Information collected by The Tribune reveals that the Punjab Police recovered over 300 weapons this year alone, a majority of these were illegal.
Two years back as many as 18 prohibited bore (PB) weapons — including 18, 30-star pistols which cannot be legally imported — were seized by the Rajpura police from an arms dealer.
In the past one year, illegal weapons were used in the murder of Namdhari matriarch Chand Kaur, RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja and the attack on religious preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale.
Former DGP SK Sharma, who has worked during terrorism days in Punjab, said: “It is a well-established network. Illegal weapons come easily from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Many persons arrested recently with illegal arms are not Punjab residents, but have licences issued on the basis of fake addresses in the state,” he said, adding that proclaimed offenders from these states work as labourers in Punjab make available these weapons for as less as Rs5,000.
A senior IPS officer said it was indeed worrying that weapons were easily available. “Punjab has over 3.5 lakh licensed weapons, but we are more worried about illegal weapons in the hands of youngsters,” he said.
