IMPHAL, April 7: In a significant development, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Morbi Police has arrested eight individuals for allegedly acquiring firearm licenses under suspicious circumstances from Manipur and Nagaland. The case has raised concerns about systemic loopholes and the possible misuse of All India weapon permits.
According to Gujarat Samachar, the SOG operation led to the seizure of nine firearms, including revolvers and pistols, along with 251 cartridges, with the estimated value of the confiscated items exceeding Rs 9 lakh. Specifically, the weapons are valued at Rs 8,74,760, and the cartridges at Rs 57,792.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused had acquired All India Permits for the weapons through intermediaries operating in Manipur and Nagaland, even though they likely would not have qualified for licenses in Gujarat due to previous criminal records or other disqualifications.
A post from the Gujarat Police on X (formerly Twitter) in Gujarati stated:
“A total of 25 illegal weapons were seized by Surendranagar district police. Investigation has revealed that the licenses for these weapons were suspiciously obtained from the states of Manipur and Nagaland.”
The eight individuals arrested have been identified as:
- Rohit Nanji Fagliya
- Ismail Sajan Kumbhar
- Mukesh Bhanu Dangar
- Mahesh Parbat Miyatra
- Prakash Chunilal Unaliya
- Praveensinh Chatubha Zala
- Mavjibhai Khengarbhai Boricha
- Shiraj alias Dukhi Amirali Popatiya
The SOG was already probing the illegal trafficking of arms into Morbi and surrounding regions when the arrests were made. Investigators have now launched a deeper inquiry into the network of agents who allegedly helped the accused bypass standard legal procedures to secure firearm licenses from Manipur and Nagaland.
