In a huge coordinated operation, members of the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) have arrested a total of 24 people and seized as many as 54 semi-automatic pistols from the state’s Saurashtra region this week.
The arrests followed a tip off that two people – Devendra Boria alias Dendu from Sayla and his accomplice Champraj Khachar from Than – were carrying country made pistols. They were both apprehended from the Geeta Mandir ST bus stand on Tuesday.
Harsh Upadhyay, deputy superintendent of police, ATS Gujarat, told the Indian Express, “We received input that the accused Devendra who had jumped parole from Limbdi sub-jail in February this year in an attempt to murder case, was seen around Geeta Mandir ST Bus stand along with his accomplice Champraj. After a team apprehended the duo, we seized four pistols from them. During investigation, the accused revealed that they were going to Vadodara to sell the pistols to a person.”
The ATS then got the duo to divulge the names of the buyers and conducted raids in various locations in Surendranagar, Rajkot and Morbi on Wednesday. “Four teams were made for the raid. Within 24 hours, we managed to detain 22 persons and seized 50 more weapons,” said Upadhyay. According to the police, the duo had sourced 100 such pistols from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh and sold them to buyers across Saurashtra in the past four months.
While their endgame is not known yet, such a large number of weapons being purchased and sold in Gujarat, does raise questions about law and order in a state that is going to polls later this year. One cannot also ignore the ramifications of such an arms haul, especially in light of communal clashes that have taken place in the recent past. Readers would recall that communal violence broke out in Khambat and Himmat Nagar in Gujarat during Ram Navami. It is alleged that stone pelting was triggered by offensive songs being played as Ram Navami processions passed through Muslim neighbourhoods.
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