The Hindu : New Delhi News : Focus on curtailing gunrunning racket

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 08, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Focus on curtailing gunrunning racket

Sophisticated firearms being supplied in bulk from Munger in Bihar is cause of concern for the police. Devesh K. Pandey finds out more...

The big gunrunning racket smashed by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police recently is a grim reminder of how the merchants of death have easy access to handmade and sophisticated firearms being supplied in bulk from Munger in Bihar.

According to the local administration, over a dozen licensed firearms manufacturing units were operating in Munger at one point in time.

But these gradually closed down leaving scores of labourers unemployed. As the "skilled" workers were not rehabilitated, they began setting up illegal firearms manufacturing units. During a visit to Munger, the Crime Branch discovered that some of these workers had even taken loans from the Government and used the money to buy machines required for weapon manufacturing.

It is suspected that every month, hundreds of finished sophisticated firearms are churned out by these units. To manufacture a single firearm requires at least 10 skilled labourers, each an expert at carving a particular part of the weapon. As the so-called factory of firearms is run from ten houses, it becomes difficult for the police to seize all the manufacturing tools in one go. Interestingly, family members of the workers also lend a helping hand in the business.

Senior police officers are astonished over the quality of firearms of .32 and 9 mm bore being supplied from Munger. "They are in many ways superior to the firearms manufactured in Government ordinance factories. They are better in terms of precision as each part of the weapon, from the barrel to hammer, is carved out with great finesse. It becomes evident even from the sound the weapon makes when the trigger is pressed," said a police officer, adding that the bullet ejection mechanism in these firearms is pretty similar to that of Beretta.

Such sophisticated firearms are sold by the manufacturers to local dealers for about Rs. 15,000 each.

The local dealers are contacted by out-station gunrunners at whose instance orders are placed. Usually, the local dealer sells the firearm for about Rs. 25,000 which is then re-sold for over Rs. 35,000 and then in the open market for Rs. 60,000 to even Rs. 1 lakh. In case of special and regular clients with criminal background, some concessions are made.

The popularity of Munger weapons is so widespread that even criminal elements operating in western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi opt for them. The police have found that the firearms are also making their way into the hands of naxals operating in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

The police have a strong suspicion that those involved in this flourishing gunrunning trade have a strong network of informers who keep track of the movements of the enforcement agencies and tip them off well before raids are carried out.

In such circumstances, the police of the States concerned will have to put in a coordinated effort to check gunrunning which in turn would automatically bring about a drop in the crime rate.

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