Sultanpur man arrested for arms smuggling across UP

LUCKNOW: Lucknow police arrested a Sultanpur resident for alleged smuggling of countrymade arms in several districts of Uttar Pradesh in early hours of Monday.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by the circle officer, Ghazipur, arrested Surendra Upadhyaya, 54, from Indira Nagar in the state capital. The team also recovered 11 illegal arms from his possession.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) north Sarvashresth Tripathi said, “He revealed that he had bought these arms in Azamgarh and Bihar to sell it to a person in Sitapur.

We are gathering details about the person, whom he was to sell these arms.”

During the preliminary probe, he revealed that he had so far supplied 100 such arms to different persons. Upadhyay already had 5 cases against him in Sultanpur and Jaunpur districts.

Assistant commissioner of police, Ghazipur, Deepak Kumar Singh, who monitored the operations to arrest Upadhyaya, said, “He was arrested from near Indira Nagar metro station.

Out of 11 arms, he had purchased 7 from Azamgarh and the remaining from Bihar’s Munger.”

Upadhyay was booked in a murder case 12 years back in Sultanpur and 7 years back under the Arms Act in Jaunpur.

He was also charged with criminal conspiracy, robbery, dealing in stolen property and Arms Act cases in Jaunpur.

Singh said, “He has been booked under the relevant sections of the Arms Act. Information about the person, whom he was to sell these arms, is being collected.”

Rs 4000-5000 MARGIN PER WEAPON

He had been purchasing these country made arms from Azamgarh in UP and Munger in Bihar for Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 to sell the same in Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Sitapur, Hardoi, Barabanki and Lucknow districts, said police. As per the preliminary probe, he used to operate on his own.

After demand was raised by someone, he used to travel to east UP or Bihar, purchase the arms and smuggle them to the concerned persons.