Ranchi: Police here have intensified investigation after busting an inter-state criminal gang smuggling weapons into Jharkhand using fake arms licenses. These weapons are being procured from Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir and some states in North-Eastern Region, sources said.
It was only after Police managed to arrest smuggler Ram Pukar Rai, that they came to know about the sophisticated arms trafficking network spread across several states.
Ranchi Police has been put on alert after the revelation, but a senior police official said the issue is not new in Ranchi.
DIG-cum-Ranchi SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha said, "In the past there have been instances of purchase of weapons through fake arms license in Ranchi. Now another case has surfaced. Ranchi Police is fully alert and investigating the matter in detail."
According to the SSP, the smugglers have devised two methods for arms smuggling. The first method is common wherein weapons are smuggled without documentation, which is completely illegal. The second method is more strategic which involves fake arms licenses. "This gang is procuring fake arms licenses from various states and using the fake documents to buy weapons and cartridges from government-approved shops, and subsequently smuggling those," he added.
During the course of investigation, Police traced links of this gang to Bihar. Ranchi Police is in touch with and Bihar Police and also Jammu Kashmir Police to track down the network. This apart, many suspicious arms licenses are being verified. While it is being suspected that many security guards have been duped by the gang with fake arms license, the same is under investigation, the SSP said.
He further said that the smuggling network in Bihar specialises in obtaining fake arms licenses from other states. The whole matter came to light when Bihar STF team raised Ranchi and arrested arms smuggler Ram Pukar a week ago.
STF's Shocking Revelation In FIR
Bihar STF stated in its FIR that Ram Pukar Rai used to buy weapons and bullets using fake arms license and then smuggled it into Bihar. The license of the rifle recovered from the smuggler has also been found to be fake. During interrogation, Ram Pukar revealed that with the help of his brother, he had obtained a fake license from a broker of Jammu and Kashmir for Rs one lakh.
The FIR lodged by Bihar STF Sub-Inspector Rajiv Kumar Yadav at Lalpur police station in Ranchi further revealed that on April 16, 2023, Ram Pukar Rai's name came up during the investigation into a case related to weapons seizure from accused arrested by Ara Railway Police in Bihar. Police revealed that Ram Pukar had purchased weapons from S Jaswant Singh and a Company in Amritsar, Punjab, using fake license. Since then, Bihar STF had been on a hunt for Ram Pukar.
As investigation intensified, STF received information about Ram Pukar's presence in Karamtoli area of Ranchi. After confirmation, Bihar STF team arrested Ram Pukar Rai with the help of Ranchi Police. During the search, a modified rifle, 83 cartridges, fake BSF ID card, fake service certificate, fake arms license, receipt of bullets and several other incriminating items were recovered from his possession.
Weapons Also Purchased From UP
During police interrogation, Ram Pukar also disclosed that he had purchased weapons and bullets from Uttar Pradesh using fake arms license. He revealed that he had purchased a rifle and 50 bullets from Jhansi Gun House, Uttar Pradesh on the basis of fake Aadhar card and fake arms license in the name of one Sanjay Tiwari.
In the investigation so far, the police have gathered information that fake arms licenses are made in several districts of Bihar and there is a big gang operating the network. These fake arms licenses are registered in the arms magistrate's office in different cities of the country and weapons are purchased from those cities and later smuggled by criminals and other anti-social elements.
Ranchi police is now investigating the matter separately, to find out how many fake arms licenses were made by Ram Pukar Rai's gang and how many weapons have been purchased using those licenses and to whom those were supplied.
Suspicion Over Fake Licenses
In recent times, many cases have come to light in which arms licenses made from other states have been found to be fake. It has also been found that several crimes have been committed with weapons purchased through fake arms licenses. In such a situation, police is now in no mood to take any chances. It is worth mentioning here that DJ Sandeep alias Sandy was murdered with an illegal rifle. The main accused Abhishek was using the weapon after obtaining a license from Assam and not Ranchi. The accused shot Sandy dead with the same weapon. Later, when the arms license was investigated, it was confirmed to be fake.
