The Andhra Pradesh police on Monday announced the busting of an inter-State nexus of illegal arms, drugs and fake currency rackets and seized 18 weapons including pistols, 95 live rounds of ammunition and six magazines.
Six notorious criminals including Bengaluru-based rowdy sheeters-cum-drug peddlers, an arms manufacturer and a supplier were arrested following an in-depth investigation into a fake currency case registered in Anantapur district. The seized arms were displayed at the Police Headquarters in Mangalagiri on Monday.
Director General of Police K. V. Rajendranath Reddy, in a press release on Monday, said that the Anantapur district police led by Superintendent of Police Fakeerappa Kaginelli unearthed the arms and drug racket nexus which is reportedly spread across the country.
He said that the seized weapons include 11 0.32 mm pistols, three 9 mm pistols, two ‘tapanchas’, a revolver and a semi-automatic 9 mm pistol.
The accused persons who were arrested from Bengaluru include rowdy sheeters and drug peddlers, identified as Jamsheed Khan (37), Mubarak (43), Ameer Pasha (30) and Riyaz Abdul Shaik (36) who were booked in several criminal cases including murder.
Rajpal Singh (30) of Madhya Pradesh is an arms manufacturer and Nannu Suthar Adivasi (25), who is also from Madhya Pradesh, is an arms supplier. While Rajpal Singh is an accused in four cases registered under the Arms Act in Madhya Pradesh., Suthar Adivasi is also an accused in four cases in various States.
Mr. Rajendranath Reddy said that the organised network of rowdy sheeters-cum-hired killers of Bengaluru are connected to fake Indian currency makers based in Bellary and Anantapur.
During the investigation into the fake currency circulation case registered at D. Hirehal police station in Anantapur district, the involvement of the rowdy sheeters and their links to the arms manufacturers was unearthed, he said.
The rowdy sheeters have been procuring ganja from Sirpur of Maharashtra and small arms from illegal manufacturing hubs in Madhya Pradesh, he said.
After arresting the rowdy sheeters, a Special Operations Team of the Anantapur police raided the illegal arms manufacturing unit owned by Rajpal Singh in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh and took him and the arms supplier into custody, he added.
Mr. Rajendranath Reddy said that preliminary investigation revealed that the rowdy sheeters were involved in gang rivalries, hired killings, and extortion in Bengaluru limits. Rajpal Singh supplied hundreds of arms to various parts of the country. Further probe to unearth the entire network of the illegal arms trade is on, he said.
Weapons seized from the accused displayed at the press conference.
The DGP said that the Andhra Pradesh police adopted a proactive approach to unearth networks supplying illicit weapons and drugs from the point of origin to rid the State of the crime and drug menace.
Mr. Rajendranath Reddy applauded the efforts of Mr. Fakkeerappa, Kalyandurg DSP B. Srinivasulu, and the 14-member Special Operations Team led by Sub-Inspector C. Rajasekhar Reddy. The team was awarded a cash prize of ₹25,000.
