Inter-state arms trafficking racket busted in Ranchi, three held

Ranchi, April 15 The Ranchi police have busted a major inter-state illegal arms trafficking network with links to Bihar and have arrested three key operatives, officials said on Wednesday.

Police investigations revealed that the gang sourced weapons from Bihar and supplied them across various parts of Jharkhand. The arrested accused have been identified as Vishal Singh, a resident of Mandar, and Abhishek Sharma and Karan Gop, both from Chanho area in Ranchi.

Superintendent of Police, Rural, Praveen Pushkar, said the first breakthrough came on the night of April 13 during a routine vehicle check under the McCluskieganj police station limits.

He said a suspicious vehicle was intercepted, and a search led to the recovery of pistols and cartridges from two youths inside the vehicle.

During interrogation, the duo disclosed that the weapons had been supplied by Vishal Singh, a resident of Karge village in Mandar. Acting on the input, police raided his residence and arrested him.

Investigators found that Vishal Singh had converted his house into a stash point for storing illegal arms.

SP Pushkar further revealed that consignments were sourced through Sharma, who allegedly procured weapons from Bihar and sold them locally at inflated prices. Police said Sharma has prior cases registered against him under the Arms Act.

In a follow-up operation, police cordoned off the Hatma forest area in Mandar and arrested Sharma along with his associate Gop, effectively dismantling the core network.

During the operation, police seized three country-made pistols, 10 live cartridges, four magazines, and two mobile phones from the accused.

Officials said the gang initially operated on a small scale but gradually expanded its network across multiple regions of the state. Based on inputs from the arrested accused, other individuals linked to the racket have been identified.

Police said raids are underway at several suspected hideouts, and further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.

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