Come election time, desi gun manufacturing booms in UP

As many as 453 pistols have been seized from Khurgan and Dabhedi villages in Shamli district; police said today. 

"We raided three factories and seized 453 pistols yesterday," police officer Ajaypal Sharma said.

The police received information regarding the factories after they intercepted two vehicles carrying arms to Yamuna area on the Haryana-UP border. 

"These factories were manufacturing and supplying arms for the upcoming Assembly election," Sharma said. 

"Search for the accused is on," he added.

An illegal arms factory was busted in Greater Noida by the Kasna police and two persons arrested, who were making country-made pistols to supply them to candidates standing in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, police said.

Six country-made pistols, a dozen half-made pistols and other weapon-making equipment were recovered from the accused, SP (rural) Sujata Singh said.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided Sigma-4 area last night and arrested Israr and Kurban who were running the weapons factory there, Singh said.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that they were making the pistols to supply them to the candidates who are contesting the Assembly polls, starting from February 11, the SP said.

Police are now investigating to find out the politicians who were in contact with the duo to purchase the pistols. 

In checking drives at different places in Varanasi, police seized around Rs 40 lakh worth of cash, a double barrel gun along with some election campaign material.

Police seized some publicity material and a double barrel gun along with few cartridges from another car in which Ramashankar Patel, claiming himself to be the JD (U) candidate from Rohaniya Assembly seat, was travelling.

Patel was travelling in the car along with two more persons, the official said.

The arms and the campaign material was seized, and a case was registered against him for violation of model code of conduct for elections, they said.

• UP Elections 2017