Gun-running in olive green near border

Posted on September 5, 2007 0 Comments313


Indian army officers have been selling their personal weapons illegally in the grey market with the help of a cartel of ammunition dealers in two border districts of Rajasthan, the collector of Sriganganagar district said on Tuesday.

According to a probe conducted by Rajasthan government officials and the police, at least 48 army weapons including foreign-made pistols, carbines and semi-automatic rifles were sold through dealers in Bikaner and Sriganganagar districts adjoining the Pakistan border over the past four years. A four-member committee of the Sriganganagar district administration has identified 30 army officers, including two major-generals and a brigadier, allegedly connected with this trade.

“Their names have been sent to the ministry of defence and the army high-command,” said Sriganganagar District Collector Bhawani Singh Detha, who is heading the probe. HT has a copy of the list put together by the state government. Defence ministry officials in New Delhi were not available for comment.

Army officers are allotted high-quality pistols and guns for their personal use at nominal rates. These weapons, according to the allotment conditions, can’t be sold or transferred further. The investigation, however, revealed that between 2002 and 2006, army officials traded several 7.62 bore pistols, and .30 mm and 7 mm rifles through a network of dealers in the two districts.

“Most of these weapons were made in China, Europe and the US by manufacturers like Webbers, Colt and Springfield. They were sold for more than Rs 3 lakh in the grey market,” said Kesar Singh, additional SP of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police.

The illegal trade was uncovered when the Sriganganagar district administration began a routine enquiry into illegal arms licenses issued by some of its officials.
While scanning the arms licenses issued by local officials and the sale records of the ammo dealers, the administration discovered that many army officers had traded their weapons through a well-organised network.

“The dealers maintained records of army officers who sold their arms through them. These officers came from several parts of the country to these dealers to sell their weapons,” Detha said. “Some of the buyers were influential builders of Rajasthan and history-sheeters of Punjab and Haryana. Most of them have been arrested,” he added.

The police have also arrested Vikalp Jha, co-owner of Harisharan Ammo Dealers of Bikaner, who is suspected to be the kingpin of the racket. Other dealers involved in the trade are absconding. The SOG, which conducted raids on several ammo dealers, has registered more than a dozen cases and arrested 20 people in connection with the illegal trade. Two senior officials of the state government have been suspended for issuing licenses to buyers of these prohibited weapons.

“The number of people identified is just the tip of the iceberg. We have seized several prohibited guns in our raids on ammo dealers. Their source is being tracked,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity. Army officers identified by the state government have not been booked so far. “The army high-command is in touch with the state government. Action against the guilty officers can be initiated only after a detailed enquiry by the army,” Detha said.

By HT

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