Arrested arms dealer’s shops raided in Himachal

SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh Police Monday sealed five shops of an arms dealer who was arrested near the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh Sunday for allegedly supplying arms to the Naxalites, an official said here.

The police sealed shops of Shimla-based arms dealer Manvir Singh Bahra that included four arms shops and one chemist shop.

“Bahra’s all five shops, including two in Shimla town, and his house here were sealed. However, no more arrests have been made in this connection,” Shimla Superintendent of Police Sonal Agnihotri told IANS.

His arms shops at Theog town in Shimla district, Arki town in Solan district and Kalka town in Haryana were also sealed.

Agnihotri said 15 ATM cards and four mobiles phones were seized from Bahra.

“Initial investigations reveal that the accused used to purchase arms and ammunition from a dealer based in Gwalior (in Madhya Pradesh) and sell some of them to the Naxalites,” Agnihotri said.

“We are trying to find out if any other person from the state is also involved in this clandestine trade,” he said.

The special operations group of the Uttar Pradesh Police had Sunday arrested two members of the gang, including Bahra, and seized four sophisticated imported pistols and 1,400 rounds of ammunition from them in Bahraich district, about 130 km from Lucknow.