Forged arms licence racket busted by Uttarakhand STF in major clampdown

The Uttarakhand STF conducted a major operation in Udham Singh Nagar against illegal arms licences obtained with forged documents. The STF also busted a gang involved in selling fake medicines, arresting two people in the case.

The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) carried out a major operation in Udham Singh Nagar district against the illegal use of arms obtained through forged licences issued in other states and later regularised for use in Uttarakhand, officials said.

STF busts forged arms licence racket

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Uttarakhand STF IG Nilesh Anand Bharne said that based on confidential intelligence inputs received by the STF, it came to light that a large number of arms licences currently in circulation in Uttarakhand had been transferred from other states and registered in the state's arms records, with a possibility of forgery and procedural irregularities.

Acting on these inputs, the Special Task Force, over the past two months, has been conducting a large-scale verification exercise by obtaining details of thousands of arms licences from District Magistrates' offices and arms licensing authorities across various states.

Notably, under this ongoing campaign, the STF had earlier registered two separate cases related to forged arms licences. Two accused persons were arrested and sent to judicial custody. In one of the previous operations, the STF recovered a forged arms licence, an illegal semi-automatic pistol, and live cartridges from the possession of an accused.

Bharne said that several complaints regarding the manipulation of licenses, involving the submission of fake documents, such as Aadhar cards, and creating licenses under the names of individuals who have passed away, were received over a period of time. These forged licenses were transferred across states and then made permanent.

"Yesterday, the STF of Uttarakhand made a major breakthrough. For quite some time, complaints have been coming in regarding the manipulation of licences. These involve submitting fake documents, such as Aadhaar cards, and creating licenses under the names of individuals who have passed away or for which no such license actually existed. These fake licences are created and transferred across states and then made permanent. The STF of Uttarakhand has exposed this racket. Currently, we are verifying the registers and data of the licensing officers in various states where these licences were issued. Further significant disclosures are expected," he said.

The STF is continuing its investigation into arms licences that were transferred from other states and subsequently entered into Uttarakhand's arms registers, amid concerns that many of them may be forged or irregular.

During the course of the investigation, several significant facts have also emerged regarding illegally obtained and fabricated arms licences operating in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Fake medicine gang busted

Earlier on May 22, the Uttarakhand STF busted a gang allegedly involved in selling and distributing fake medicines, officials said on Friday, adding that two people have been arrested.

Ajay Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Uttarakhand STF, said that police have launched an investigation into the racket operating in multiple states.

The operation has been carried out following the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. "The Chief Minister has directed that a curb be put on fake medicines, for which the STF has been deployed. Teams have been formed, and it was observed that medicines were being sent in large quantities from various states through courier services. Contact was also made with the companies whose medicines were being sold on online platforms, and investigations were conducted," Singh said.

"A case has been registered at the cyber police station. So far, from the inputs received, such a network has been found in 5 states. The accused in Uttarakhand has stated that such medicines were manufactured by him in Kotdwar and Bhagwanpur. Further action is ongoing. Two people have been arrested in the case," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)