Hyderabad: The city police have busted a fake arms licence racket by arresting seven persons.
Police seized 30 single bore weapons, 3 double bore weapons, 1 revolver, 140 rounds, 34 fake weapon license books, 29 unused weapons licence books, 9 weapon licences which were affixed with fake stamps, 6 rubber stamps and 1 unsigned No Objection Certificate (NOC).
On credible information, the West Zone task force team arrested the accused when they were in possession of illegal weapons, City Police Commissioner C V Anand said in a statement here on Thursday.
He said that the accused used fake seals of licence issuing officials & forged the signatures to prepare the fake arm licences and procured real weapons.
“ This is a great danger to the security of the city as illegal weapons are in circulation and being used for various purposes by dubious means”, the Police Commissioner said.
Anand said that the mastermind of the racket Altaf Hussain, resident of Rajouri district of Jammu & Kashmir, came to city in 2013 for livelihood and joined Grace Management Security Service. Later he was deployed as Gunman in SIS cash service in West Marredpally here.
Prior to his employment in the City, he purchased a double bore gun using a fake arms licence in Rajouri which he had obtained by bribing the local magistrate office.
As he was familiar with the process and licence details, he teamed up with Hafeezuddin, a stamp vendor in Secunderabad, and started issuing fake gun licences by indulging in forgery and affixing fake seals.
These fake documents have been used to procure real arms. Further he steeped up the illegal activity and started issuing fake arms licences and trapped the unemployed youth residing in J&K who tried to make a living as security guards in private security firms.
Using the fake All India Licences (Rajouri based), weapons were procured from other states by these gullible candidates for Rs 40,000 to 60,000.
This infringement has taken place with the connivance of Venkata Konda Reddy, Regional Manager at Grace Management Security Services and I.Srinivas, xerox shop owner in West Marredpally.
The accused used to collect Rs 20,000 from each unemployed youngster and later deployed them in various private security agencies, a serious lapse in the functioning of security firms.
Asian Security Services, Nandamuri security & Services, Grace Management security services engaged security guards, who were in possession illicit weapons, and deployed them to their clientele which includes VVIPs, jewellery showrooms, agencies engaged for carrying ATM cash and as personal security guards.
Anand said that they will conduct a meeting with all private security agencies and urged them to voluntarily disclose the weapons in their possession.
The City police also contemplate on issuing retainer licences to private security firms who deploy their guards to commercial establishments, ATMs and other firms, the statement added.
