Anantapur police bust MP-based illegal weapons racket

ANANTAPUR: In a major breakthrough, a special operation team of Anantapur police on Monday busted a six-member interstate gang that sold illegally procured weapons to hired assassins from Bengaluru and had links with fake Indian currency racketeers. They seized 18 weapons and ammunition.

Rajpal Singh from Ummarthi in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, a dealer and distributor, and Suthar, also from MP, were arrested for their weapons manufacturing unit at Ummarthi.

The gang operated in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and MP. The team also seized 95 live rounds of ammunition and six extra magazines.  

DGP K.V. Rajendranath Reddy addressing a press conference in Vijayawada briefed the media about the operation that was headed by Anantapur SP Fakeerappa Kaginelli. He said that Rajpal Singh had supplied hundreds of weapons in various parts of the country and four cases were pending against him in MP.

He said that the other four members purchased weapons from an unauthorised weapons manufacturing unit in MP. They were also involved in drug supply in Bengaluru.

Jamsheed alias Khan of Bangalore was involved in 12 cases including  in supply of ganja and arms, while Ameer Pasha, also from Bangalore, was accused in seven cases and Riyaz Abdul Shaik of South Goa and a native of Bellary was involved in four criminal cases.

“During raids on a manufacturing unit in MP, our team seized a Beretta, 9mm semi-automatic pistol with 15 rounds, three 9mm pistols with 15 rounds, 11 0.32 mm pistols with 63 rounds, a revolver and two tapanchas”, the DGP said.

It was revealed during preliminary investigation that the accused were involved in gang rivalries, hired killings, extortion in Bangalore limits.

The DGP appreciated Fakeerappa and Kalyandurg DSP B. Sreenivasulu and other team members.