Illegal gun factory near city busted

BANGALORE: The Shankarpuram police have raided an illegal gun manufacturing unit in Nandigrama, Chikballapur, and have arrested the manufacturer, Manjunath. Two revolvers have been seized. Until now, the police thought rowdies procured country-made revolvers from Bihar and Rajasthan.

The police stumbled upon this case after the arrest of Iliyas Khan, who was arrested recently in Shivajinagar for possessing a revolver. During interrogation, Iliyas said he got the revolver from his associate Fayaz. After a month-long search, Fayaz was arrested and he gave startling details about Manjunath’s manufacturing unit, located just 40 km from the city. Apart from the guns, accessories and other materials used for gun manufacturing have been seized. “The proximity to Andhra Pradesh made it easier for him to get important accessories to make revolvers. He confessed that he supplied revolvers to six persons in and around the city. We’re trying to track down his customers,” a senior police officer said. Manjunath said he sold revolvers to JCB Manja in Varthur, Balaraj of Vasoodya, Chikballapur, a person from Shidlaghatta. He also had customers in Andhra Pradesh.

Revolvers manufactured at the unit couldn’t be used after two or three rounds were fired as the heat released causes the gun barrel to explode.