In a cinematic style, a special team of city police chased and nabbed two arms smugglers when they tried to jump out of an express train on Friday.
Following information on smuggling of arms and ammunition into the city from other parts of the country, the police have been tracking the movement of such dealers, especially at railway stations.
The police got a tip-off that two arms smugglers were coming to the city by Guwahati Express.
A special team led by Vepery Inspector T. Veerakumar adopted a strategy. “If the arms smugglers are allowed to alight at Chennai Central, they will mingle with other passengers and then it will become difficult to identify them,” said an officer.
The police team boarded the train in plainclothes in Andhra Pradesh and asked the loco pilot to slow down near the Tiruvotiyur station around 9 a.m.
Two passengers jumped out of the train and started running on the track.
With guns in their hands, the police chased them in the lanes adjacent to the track and nabbed them. Five pistols, 20 cartridges and wads of counterfeit currency with a face value of ₹4 lakh in their backpacks were seized.
The suspects, Pradeep, 27, of Tirumangalam and Kamal, 25, of Perambur, allegedly procured the pistols from Malda, West Bengal.
“The duo have been in the illegal trade for some time. They were also involved in drug peddling and circulation of counterfeit currency. During interrogation, they told us that they procured the pistols from one Mohammed Ryas, the main accused, who was recently arrested and lodged in Central Prison in connection with circulation of counterfeit currency,” said an officer.
