HimVani
Shimla (Jan 30): Shimla police is scanning the entire records of an arms dealer from the town held for supplying arms and ammunition to naxals after he was caught with heavy consignment by a team of UP police recently.
The Shimla-based arms dealer was caught by the special task force of Uttar Pradesh Police in December 2010 for allegedly supplying arms to naxals. He is now under police custody till February 1, 2012.
According to SP Shimla, Sonal Agnihotri, arms dealer Manvir Singh Bahra had violated the norms of Arms Act by selling ammunition exceeding his permitted quota and indulged in supplying these to naxals.
The prominent arms dealer belongs to Kaithu suburbs of this town and is having arms outlets at Shimla, Theog and Solan town. Police officials said that records and registers containing detail of arms sale would be scanned by the police team to further reveal the quantum of crime.
He was arrested at Mohalalganj near the India-Nepal border in Bahraich district, nearly 130 km from Lucknow and the STF had recovered 15 ATM cards, four mobile phones, four imported pistols and 1400 round of ammunition.
Police had sealed five shops belonging to him, including four arms shops and one chemist shop. Bahra owns arms shops at Shimla, Theog, Arki in Solan district and Kalka in Haryana and a chemist shop in Shimla.
Agnihotri said as per initial investigations Bahra used to purchase arms and ammunition from a dealer based in Gwalior and sell them to the naxalites.