10-05-2025
Illegal arms unit busted in Etah, three held with 16 pistols
A joint team of the UP Special Task Force (STF) and local police busted an illegal arms manufacturing unit being run under the cover of a lock-making business in Etah district on Friday evening. Three men were arrested, and 16 country-made pistols, along with cartridges and firearm-making tools, were recovered from a rented house in Nagla Chandan locality under Kotwali Nagar police station, additional superintendent of police (SP) Abdul Qadir said on Saturday.
The raid was conducted around 6:45 pm on Friday following specific intelligence inputs, according to a press statement issued by the UP STF. The accused — Seenu and Meenu, both sons of Bholu alias Bhole of Bankner village in Kasganj district, and their uncle Morsingh Yadav, a resident of Shanti Vihar in Bareilly — were apprehended from the spot. They were allegedly found displaying illegal firearms at the time of the raid.
'16 country-made pistols of .315 and .32 bore, two live and two empty cartridges of .315 bore, one live cartridge of .32 bore, one empty cartridge of 12 bore, along with firearm-making equipment and an auto used for transporting weapons, have been recovered,' the officials said.
During interrogation, Seenu and Meenu reportedly told police that they had rented the premises, pretending to operate a lock-manufacturing unit. In reality, they were running a workshop producing country-made pistols, which were later sold in Etah, Bareilly, and nearby districts. Morsingh Yadav, their uncle, is said to have played the role of buyer and distributor. He was present to collect a fresh batch of pistols when the STF raided the site.
Officials said the raid was part of a wider operation targeting illegal arms factories operating across western UP.
An FIR has been lodged under sections 3, 5, and 25 of the Arms Act at the Kotwali Nagar police station. Police are investigating the network and trying to identify other buyers linked to the weapons supply chain.
