Gunrunning on the rise in Tamil Nadu, say police

In 2012, two bank robberies were carried out at gunpoint during the day. In the same year, five suspected robbers were shot dead in a police encounter in Velachery. 

Since January, the police have seized more than 10 guns from anti-social elements in and around Chennai. “Five guns were seized from gun runners in the city while the rest were seized from criminals,” an official said. 

In most of the cases, the police found that the guns were being smuggled in from states like Bihar and West Bengal. According to police estimates, there are at least 50 to 100 people who are involved in supplying and buying guns in the state. “These illegal weapons are bought from West Bengal and Bihar at the rate of Rs 50,000 to 60,000 per gun,” said a police officer. “One they bring it to Tamil Nadu, they can sell each gun for at least Rs 2 lakh,” the officer added. 

Sources also said that the guns were of particular interest to people who hold kangaroo courts and transport illegal money. “They do not use the guns to shoot people. They would rather flash it to get their work done and make sure that things are under their control,” said another officer.

Couple of years ago, when the police noticed a surge in arms trafficking, they had arrested around eight to ten people, including a few lawyers, for procession and illegal sale of guns. This had led to a decline in the trade but, of late, it has been picking up again, said the officer.

A few weeks ago, two guns were seized from a repeat offender in TP Chatram, while another gun was seized from an extortion gang from Chennai, hiding in Ooty. 

In another incident, a lawyer was arrested in Kelambakkam for opening fire in a hotel after he was served the wrong order. 

The police have also not ruled out the use of illegal weapons by militant outfits as one of the accused arrested in Chennai for arms trafficking had links with Pakistan’s ISI agents.

JANUARY 26: Police halted the Guwahati-Trivandrum Express near Tiruvottiyur station and nabbed two persons, Pradeep (28) and Kamal (27) with five pistols, 25 bullets and fake notes with a face value of Rs 4 lakh into the city. Sources said that the currency might be smuggled from West Bengal. 

JANUARY 27: A three-member gang, including S Parameswaran, a head constable attached to the Chennai City Crime branch, was arrested for illegal gun sale by the Organised Crime Intelligence Unit (OCIU) from Thanjavur near the Tiruchy Central Bus Stand. The guns were reportedly bought and smuggled from North India, and sold in the illegal market at 10 times the price.

MARCH 3: A seven-member gang posed as NCB slueths and robbed five men, who were proceeding to the airport from a lodge in Triplicane on GST Road near Kathipara junction. The victims were blindfolded and taken in a car at gunpoint and released one after another at different spots on NH 45. A week later, police arrested seven members, including one of the victims - Akbar, for the crime

MARCH 19: Farmer shot dead by his brother over drunken brawl. P Sankarappa (35), a farmer of Krishnagiri district, shot down his brother, Ganesan (28), using a country rifle in a drunken brawl over some family issue.

MARCH 23: S Madhavan, a lawyer practising at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, was arrested after he opened fire at the manager of a hotel on Old Mahabalipuram Road, reportedly after a heated quarrel that followed when the hotel staff served him chicken fried rice instead of vegetable fried rice, on Wednesday night. The manager escaped unhurt as he ducked at the right time 

MARCH 30: The Chennai police arrested eight people from Ooty in connection with a series of highway robberies. The police seized a gun, bullets and cash Rs 5 lakh from them.