Hyderabad: Cops lax in guarding rifles

Hyderabad: The police has come under the scanner in the wake of their failure to achieve a breakthrough, leave alone nailing the culprit, with the regard to the sensational disappearance of an AK-47 in 2017.

That incident is back in the news after police personnel recovered the AK-47 and a 9mm carbine from a shepherd living at Akkannapet in Siddipet district. They could never find out where the weapon that went missing was. The laxity drew condemnation because the missing weapon was used by the gunman of a circle inspector.

A case was registered into the incident. Pointed questions related to how an assault rifle went missing from the police station, how one could walk away so easily with an AK-47 and, most importantly, who had dared to do it.

It was quirk of fate that it was traced when the shepherd D. Sadanandam opened two rounds of fire at his neighbour.

In 2014, a Greyhounds police constable was held by the Hyderabad police after he opened fire at the busy KBR Park in Banjara Hills in an attempt to escape after a vain bid to kidnap a pharma company owner.

The constable, Obulesu, had stolen the AK-47 in 2013, and it was only after a year, and on his arrest, that the weapon was recovered from his possession.

Apparently, the department has not lessons from this experience. Safeguar-ding arms and ammunition is a fundamental duty of the department. It would prove disastrous if they go into the hands of criminals and those with such a bent of mind.

A similar incident had taken place at Siddipet district.

Meanwhile, the shepherd using the weapon has put in more fear among the public. They are concerned over safety aspects and wonder what could have happened if the firing had taken place at a crowded place or if the accused had opened fire indiscriminately.

Weapons are allotted to each police station from the Bell of Arms at the district police headquarters and details would be noted. At the police station level, the allotment of weapons would be noted by a station writer or by the in-charge of Bell of Arms.

In the Husnabad incident, it was said that the details of weapons and live rounds issue were reportedly not noted. Once or twice in a year, an inspection has to be done by senior officials to check the condition of the weapons issued and the count of live rounds, which was also reportedly not done in this case.

The reasons for the police officials not disclosing full details about Husnabad firing and also on how the weapons landed in the hands of a common man have also raised several doubts.

Meanwhile, the inspector of the police station at the time the weapon went missing is now retired and the then superintendent of police has since been elevated and posted in another wing. Senior officials at the headquarters are tight-lipped on who has to be held responsible for this incident. And that is a bigger tragedy.