Illegal firearms trade thriving in city

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), till the end of July 2013, 68 persons were arrested for possession of 35 DBBLs, 7 revolvers and nine pistols

Aditya Parankusam

Is the recent seizure of illegal firearms from smugglers by personnel of the Langar Houz police and Task Force just the tip of the iceberg? Unfortunately, the answer is a ‘resounding’ yes, if one goes by the rather revealing predicament of the police top brass who are understandably not in a position to be upfront about the thriving trade in illegal and smuggled fire arms in the city.

The bulk of the firearms, which sell like hot cakes in the well-knit underground centres, are sourced from gangs based in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Haryana. For the baffled police, what has already come to light is alarming. “Due to the Police Department’s close monitoring of smuggling, we fear teams of gunrunners (from the areas mentioned above) are operating in the city and are training people in the city to manufacture weapons,” according to a source in the Task Force. “We have reasons to believe that many such illegal units are operating across the city.

There was a meeting of the senior most officials of the city at which we were warned of the alarming increase of gunrunning and gun culture in Hyderabad,” the source amplified. According to statistics available with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), till the end of July 2013, 68 persons were arrested for possession of illegal fire arms and 35 DBBLs, 7 revolvers and nine pistols were seized in Hyderabad alone. For a city that has seen terror strikes and battled extremist outfits time and again, these figures are a chilling testimony of the emerging challenges to internal security.

Unlike in the US, we have a licensing system that governs possession of firearms. A gun cannot be bought from even registered arms dealers unless a person has a valid licence issued by the police. With stringent rules in place for issuing a licence for possession of guns, anti-social elements have been sourcing firearms illegally. There are areas in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh that are notorious for producing illegal firearms and weapons in bulk. The Task Force authorities, during their recent investigations following the arrest of two individuals carrying illegal firearms near Chanchalguda petrol bunk, could trace out some of the places from where the illegal firearms had been acquired. “We have also found that there are a few places in the city, gallis in particular, that are hoarding, transferring and selling these fire arms,” an official of the Langar Houz Police Station said.

Hyderabad is perceived as a land of opportunities among gunrunning networks. The operators come from various parts of the country, ostensibly in search of work, but ultimately end up as conduits of illegal weapons that are transported via trains. Some of the gangs making firearms and operating in UP, MP and Bihar in fact coerce people travelling to city in search of work from those places to transport their consignments. Such couriers, yielding to pressure or tempted by the moolah involved, transport the firearms and weapons. In the process, some of them also get sucked into gunrunning and the vicious circles of felony. This is because the illegal fire arms are sold at a premium in the city.

The Secunderabad Railway Station is a very busy junction and most trains halt on the outskirts of the city, usually Maula-Ali or Bibinagar for clearance and platform availability. The couriers get down at these places and head off to their pre-arranged rendezvous.

At times when the signal is through and the train goes uninterrupted to its designated platform, the couriers simply get down and walk on the track until they are far enough from station and the RPF. What is the use of a cigarette when there isn’t a lighter? Although 53 illegal fire arms were seized, the bullets that the police found were only 30. The police assert that they are keeping a strict watch on arms dealers in the city. When contacted, Addl. Commissioner Anjani Kumar shared, “No dealer in Hyderabad, authorised by the government, is selling bullets. Bullets cannot be made too. We suspect that they are getting them from neighbouring states.”