In a daring operation, the Delhi Police has busted an illegal arms factory near the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura by crossing nearly three kilometres of waterlogged fields where the depth of water ranged from 3 to 8 feet.
According to police, the operation led to the arrest of Shiv Charan (60), a resident of Mathura and the recovery of a huge cache of illegal firearms and raw materials within 10 days of a similar recovery in Aligarh.
“The factory was located near the Yamuna River in Anerda Garhi village of Mathura. To reach the site, the team had to cross nearly 3 km of waterlogged fields where the depth of water ranged from 3 to 8 feet,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.
It took the team almost two hours to reach the spot. Despite the flooded terrain, lack of light and loss of mobile communication, the team recovered the weapons and arrested the accused, the officer said. The accused tried to escape by taking advantage of the waterlogged fields while being escorted back but was overpowered by the team. Police said villagers revealed that Charan used to keep two dogs near the factory site to deter outsiders from entering the area.
During interrogation, Charan disclosed that he had earlier assisted his partner Hanvir, who was arrested in a similar raid in Aligarh a few days back. While Hanvir later started another unit, Charan continued to run the Mathura-based factory on his own. The arms were manufactured and supplied through Hanvir, with both sharing profits equally, police said.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members of the syndicate, police added.
A raid at the factory premises led to the recovery of 14 country-made pistols, one musket gun, raw material for over 350 pistols, 50 barrels, 28 barrel pipes, wooden handles and other components. Machinery, including drill machines, a cutter, a grinder and saws used for arms manufacturing, was also seized, officials said.
Earlier this month, a major illegal firearms factory operating out of rural Uttar Pradesh has been dismantled by the Delhi Police, unravelling a supply chain that allegedly provided over 1,200 weapons to the criminal underworld. The bust followed the arrest of a teenager in the capital who had attempted to shoot a neighbour over a dispute concerning a Ganesh idol.
A woman standing on her balcony with her brother heard a gunshot and witnessed a neighbour wrestling a firearm from a teenage boy, who then fled. The woman identified the boy and informed police that his target was her brother; the motive was a petty argument over the purchase of a religious idol. The subsequent police investigation, led authorities from the juvenile to an alleged arms supplier known as Bunty in Aligarh.
