Of the four held for smuggling AK-47 cartridges in Uttar Pradesh, two are from city; police raided their homes yesterday

Did duo held in UP smuggle ammo to Naxals, LTTE?

Of the four held for smuggling AK-47 cartridges in Uttar Pradesh, two are from city; police raided their homes yesterday

THE police raided the homes of two men, Prakash and Stephen, in Subramanyapura area of the city after they
were arrested by the Gorakhpur police in Uttar Pradesh for smuggling bullets. Besides the duo, two other people were held, including an Uttar Pradesh policeman yesterday.

Naxal connection
The Gorakhpur police caught the two smuggling 150 rounds of bullets. The smuggled bullets are used in SLR and AK-47 rifles. The bullets were said to have been bought illegally by the two from the Gorakhpur Armoury, according to the cops. The police suspect Prakash and Stephen are even supplying arms and ammunition to Naxalites.

Senior officers said they were trying to ascertain who the two arrested men's clients were, but that they could be reasonably sure they would not be from the underworld or poachers, as these two categories do not use such sophisticated weapons. Hunters and poachers commonly use a double barrel rifle, while members of the underworld mostly use small pistols.

The police are including the possibility of Naxalites or terrorists, even LTTE groups, who could be the intended recipients of the 150 rounds of ammunition. The Uttar Pradesh police also arrested a policeman serving in Uttar Pradesh and other person's information yet not exposed. After the Gorakhpur police learnt that out of four arrested, two were from the city, they informed the police here.

Raided homes
The city police wasted no time in taking action and raided the homes of the arrested residents and collected all documents they could find. The police said they were collecting further information.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar declined to disclose any more details and said, "We have raided the houses of both and we won't say anything about this because this very sensitive matter." But internal sources said there may be Naxalites or terrorists groups that have connections with the arrested men.

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