Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur

Jaipur, Oct 9: In a major blow to illegal arms trafficking, the Jhalrapatan Police in Jhalawar district, Rajasthan, have dismantled an interstate weapons smuggling racket, arresting six individuals, including the gang leader, and recovering a cache of loaded country-made firearms and live cartridges.

The crackdown, part of a district-wide campaign against organised crime, led to the seizure of six loaded pistols and eight live rounds over a two-day operation on October 7 and 8, officials confirmed.

Key Arrests Include History-Sheeters

Among those apprehended are:
• Nandlal alias Nanda Gurjar, a known criminal with multiple cases in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
• Hafizullah alias Hafiz Khan, a history-sheeter from Susner, MP.
• Lalchand alias Lalu Khatik, the gang leader, arrested from Bhairupura Basti with a pistol and two cartridges.

Other accused include:
• Dev Singh Gurjar (58) and Bal Singh Gurjar (40) from Bhalata, both caught with 12-bore country-made pistols.
• Ramnarayan Dangi (67) from Raipur, caught with a similar weapon and ammunition.

Police stated that over two dozen criminal cases are registered against Nandlal and Hafizullah, spanning charges from arms smuggling to violent crimes.

Weapons Traced to Madhya Pradesh

During initial interrogation, gang leader Lalu Khatik confessed to procuring the arms from Manawar in Madhya Pradesh, and distributing them across the region through his network.

“The operation has uncovered a deeper interstate arms supply chain. Further interrogation may lead to more arrests,” said Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar.

Operation Details

The operation was led by Station Officer Harlal Meena, under the supervision of Additional SP Chiranji Lal Meena and DySP Harshraj Singh Khareda. A coordinated series of raids across Bhairupura Basti, Dudh Dairy Tiraha, Purvaj Hotel, and Purana Toll Naka Tiraha led to the swift arrests.

Commendation for the Police Team

The team of officers involved included Head Constable Sitaram, Pritam Singh, Manoj Kumar, Babu Lal Swami, Mukesh Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Karan Singh, Suresh Kumar, Pawan Kumar, and Suraj Kumar.

SP Amit Kumar praised their efforts, calling it a "significant breakthrough" in the fight against illegal arms trade.

All accused have been booked under various sections of the Arms Act, and a deeper probe is underway to trace additional members of the network.