Commissioner's task force busts fake arms licence racket; arrests 7

HYDERABAD: The West Zone team of the Commissioner's Task Force on Thursday apprehended seven persons for allegedly running a fake arms licence racket. The accused were involved in cheating innocent unemployed persons by issuing fake gun licences. The police recovered 33 guns and one revolver from their possession.

Speaking about the case, City Police Commissioner C V Anand said that the accused, Altaf Hussain, a resident of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir was the mastermind behind the racket. "The accused came to the city in 2013 for livelihood and joined Grace Management Security Service. Later, he was deployed as a gunman in SIS cash service, west Marredpally. Prior to his employment in the city, he purchased a double bore gun using a fake arms licence in Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir, which he had obtained by bribing the local magistrate office," said the Commissioner.

He added, "As the accused became familiar with the process and license details by then, he teamed up with Hafeezuddin, a stamp vendor in Secunderabad, and started issuing fake gun licences by indulging in forgery and affixing fake seals. These fake documents have been used to procure real arms. Further, he stepped up the illegal activity and started issuing fake arms licences and trapped unemployed youths of Jammu and Kashmir, who tried to make a living as security guards in private security firms."

Reportedly, the accused used to collect Rs 20,000 from each unemployed youngster and later deploy them to various private security agencies. The task force had probed and busted the racket and a case has been registered against them.

The Commissioner said that, as a security measure, they would conduct a meeting with all private security agencies and urged them to voluntarily disclose the weapons in their possession. The city police also contemplate issuing retainer licences to private security firms that deploy their guards to commercial establishments, ATMs and other firms.