Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau.
In a major breakthrough, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF), in a joint operation with Rudrapur police, arrested an inter-state arms smuggler with two automatic pistols and two magazines on Monday, exposing a wider network of illegal weapon supply.
The arrested accused has been identified as Bisharat Ali, 30, a resident of Dhanasara village under Bazpur police station in Udham Singh Nagar district. According to officials, Ali had been supplying weapons from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand for a long time and had earlier been arrested in 2018 from Bazpur for running an illegal arms factory.
“During interrogation, it came to light that the accused had been bringing weapons from Uttar Pradesh and supplying them several times in the region. His arrest has helped us uncover the Uttar Pradesh connection, and further investigation is underway,” said STF Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar.
Police officials added that the crackdown was part of an ongoing state-wide campaign against gangsters and illegal weapons, launched under the directives of Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth. The accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act at Rudrapur police station.
“This operation is a significant step in breaking the inter-state arms network that posed a threat to law and order in the region,” SSP Bhullar added.
With the arrest, the STF cops believe they have struck at the core of a larger supply chain that had been active in the Terai region for years.
