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Rediff On The NeT: Bombay becoming biggest illegal arms bazaar in India
Bombay becoming biggest illegal arms bazaar in India
Jake Khan in Bombay
Bombay is fast replacing Ahmedabad as the biggest illegal arms bazaar in the country with its underworld already running several outlets for weapons, some very sophisticated pieces, in the nooks and crannies of the city.
The record number of gangland killings executed in the first half of this year essentially relied on such imported weapons. The police allegedly plant some of them at the sites of what are called 'encounters'.
But the police are also frustrated by the unabated influx of arms. Last week, Police Commissioner Ronald Mendonca launched special drives and combing operations to unearth arms stashed away in the city.
So 7,531 nakabandis (point-to-point checks) and 1,676 combing operations were conducted this year in comparison to 4,277 nakabandis and 947 combing operations in comparison to the first six months of last year.
"Beside the residual guns stock floating in the city since the serial blasts in 1993, we have good reason to suspect that fresh consignments of arms are regularly smuggled into the city," said one joint commissioner of police. And the seizure of 153 weapons this year in comparison to 123 weapons recovered last year in the same period has done nothing to comfort them. That's an increase of 24 per cent.
According to Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, P S Pasricha, "It is difficult to say anything about the exact location of illegal arms in the city. But we will step up our efforts to recover more."
He may find it difficult but others don't. For weapons are freely available in various parts in the city with saaman mandis (arms bazaars) flourishing in places like Jogeshwari, Govandi, Grant Road, Mahim, Vasai and Mumbra.
Underworld operatives can directly approach the arms dealer while neophytes have to go through a dalal (broker). Country-made revolvers, the cheapest of the lot, come in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh but are also made in places in and around the city, like Thane, Andheri MIDC, Virar and Panvel. More sophisticated arms are smuggled in from Karachi, Kabul, Colombo and Kathmandu.
"Ek kaua 15 blue mein mileaga (One country-made revolver will be available for Rs 1,500)," said the city's biggest illegal arms supplier, known by the alias of Bullet Bhai.
Bullet Bhai's mobile number isn't very difficult to get and both con and cop allegedly avail of his services. Gangsters use him to purchase and dispose arms, while the police allegedly buys weapons off him that they plant on gangsters after encounters.
Rumour has it that the AK-47 recovered after Sada Pawle was killed in an encounter last September was actually a weapon the police bought from Bullet. A .38 or .45 revolver can be easily obtained for anything between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000. A pistol of the same bore will be available for double the price. A .9 mm pistols of any make is more expensive, commanding a price invariably in five figures, the supplier claimed.
Sattar Bhai, another arms dealer specialises in lambi wali (long-barrelled weapons, including .45 Colts, SLRs and other rifles) or "machine" guns.
"Ek machine ka bees thaan (One AK-47 will cost you Rs 20,000)," he said flatly. New and unused weapons are sold for a marginally higher price, while arms already used in a "game" (incident) are disposed off cheaply. A Tokarev or a Mauser, originally priced at Rs 12,000, would sell between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000 after a killing.
The rarest and most expensive guns available in the market are the Glock, an Austrian pistol, and the Uzi submachine gun. Both guns are delivered after placement of an order between a fortnight and a month in advance.
While an Uzi can be sound for Rs 80,000, the light Glock, made of fibreglass and with a magazine of 18 rounds, can cost up to Rs 200,000. Amar Naik, the gangster killed two years ago, allegedly favoured this gun and made it popular with his gang. Naik allegedly always tucked one in the small of his back. The weapon didn't help him against the .32 bore revolvers of the police that felled him.
Naik used to get his arms supply through the Afghan Mujahideen via Ahmedabad, until recently the biggest arms market in India. It owed its reputation to Pathan goons like Pappa Khan, Abdul Latif, and Nari Khan who had their links in Afghanistan. Abdul Latif died in a police encounter with the Gujarat police and Nari Khan in one with the Bombay police.
Of course, Ahmedabad also has Jehangir Patel, touted as the Adnan Khashoggi of India. Patel allegedly has the most widespread gun-running racket in India, with every infamous hitman of the country allegedly having done business with him at some time or the other. A weaponry whizkid, Patel developed an indigenised AK-47 and was on his way to developing a Remington 700, a marksman's favourite, when he was busted by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad.
Besides such suppliers, even Khalistani terrorists, Bodo militants and Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam activists sell their weapons when they are strapped for cash. The Andheri police recently arrested some Chhota Shakeel men with .9mm pistols with an automatic reloading facility. A classic creation, one allegedly favoured by SWAT teams in the US.
But overall, says former director general of police R D Tyagi, narcotics and weapons smuggling go hand in hand, with both items often going together. Whenever a consignment of drugs is sent, a few imported weapons too are packed along with it. According to him, the arms inflow cannot be curbed till the drug cartel is rounded up.
Whatever be the case, there is a dangerous number of arms floating around in Bombay, and it won't be long before the public too begin getting affected.
Bombay becoming biggest illegal arms bazaar in India
Jake Khan in Bombay
Bombay is fast replacing Ahmedabad as the biggest illegal arms bazaar in the country with its underworld already running several outlets for weapons, some very sophisticated pieces, in the nooks and crannies of the city.
The record number of gangland killings executed in the first half of this year essentially relied on such imported weapons. The police allegedly plant some of them at the sites of what are called 'encounters'.
But the police are also frustrated by the unabated influx of arms. Last week, Police Commissioner Ronald Mendonca launched special drives and combing operations to unearth arms stashed away in the city.
So 7,531 nakabandis (point-to-point checks) and 1,676 combing operations were conducted this year in comparison to 4,277 nakabandis and 947 combing operations in comparison to the first six months of last year.
"Beside the residual guns stock floating in the city since the serial blasts in 1993, we have good reason to suspect that fresh consignments of arms are regularly smuggled into the city," said one joint commissioner of police. And the seizure of 153 weapons this year in comparison to 123 weapons recovered last year in the same period has done nothing to comfort them. That's an increase of 24 per cent.
According to Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, P S Pasricha, "It is difficult to say anything about the exact location of illegal arms in the city. But we will step up our efforts to recover more."
He may find it difficult but others don't. For weapons are freely available in various parts in the city with saaman mandis (arms bazaars) flourishing in places like Jogeshwari, Govandi, Grant Road, Mahim, Vasai and Mumbra.
Underworld operatives can directly approach the arms dealer while neophytes have to go through a dalal (broker). Country-made revolvers, the cheapest of the lot, come in from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh but are also made in places in and around the city, like Thane, Andheri MIDC, Virar and Panvel. More sophisticated arms are smuggled in from Karachi, Kabul, Colombo and Kathmandu.
"Ek kaua 15 blue mein mileaga (One country-made revolver will be available for Rs 1,500)," said the city's biggest illegal arms supplier, known by the alias of Bullet Bhai.
Bullet Bhai's mobile number isn't very difficult to get and both con and cop allegedly avail of his services. Gangsters use him to purchase and dispose arms, while the police allegedly buys weapons off him that they plant on gangsters after encounters.
Rumour has it that the AK-47 recovered after Sada Pawle was killed in an encounter last September was actually a weapon the police bought from Bullet. A .38 or .45 revolver can be easily obtained for anything between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000. A pistol of the same bore will be available for double the price. A .9 mm pistols of any make is more expensive, commanding a price invariably in five figures, the supplier claimed.
Sattar Bhai, another arms dealer specialises in lambi wali (long-barrelled weapons, including .45 Colts, SLRs and other rifles) or "machine" guns.
"Ek machine ka bees thaan (One AK-47 will cost you Rs 20,000)," he said flatly. New and unused weapons are sold for a marginally higher price, while arms already used in a "game" (incident) are disposed off cheaply. A Tokarev or a Mauser, originally priced at Rs 12,000, would sell between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000 after a killing.
The rarest and most expensive guns available in the market are the Glock, an Austrian pistol, and the Uzi submachine gun. Both guns are delivered after placement of an order between a fortnight and a month in advance.
While an Uzi can be sound for Rs 80,000, the light Glock, made of fibreglass and with a magazine of 18 rounds, can cost up to Rs 200,000. Amar Naik, the gangster killed two years ago, allegedly favoured this gun and made it popular with his gang. Naik allegedly always tucked one in the small of his back. The weapon didn't help him against the .32 bore revolvers of the police that felled him.
Naik used to get his arms supply through the Afghan Mujahideen via Ahmedabad, until recently the biggest arms market in India. It owed its reputation to Pathan goons like Pappa Khan, Abdul Latif, and Nari Khan who had their links in Afghanistan. Abdul Latif died in a police encounter with the Gujarat police and Nari Khan in one with the Bombay police.
Of course, Ahmedabad also has Jehangir Patel, touted as the Adnan Khashoggi of India. Patel allegedly has the most widespread gun-running racket in India, with every infamous hitman of the country allegedly having done business with him at some time or the other. A weaponry whizkid, Patel developed an indigenised AK-47 and was on his way to developing a Remington 700, a marksman's favourite, when he was busted by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad.
Besides such suppliers, even Khalistani terrorists, Bodo militants and Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam activists sell their weapons when they are strapped for cash. The Andheri police recently arrested some Chhota Shakeel men with .9mm pistols with an automatic reloading facility. A classic creation, one allegedly favoured by SWAT teams in the US.
But overall, says former director general of police R D Tyagi, narcotics and weapons smuggling go hand in hand, with both items often going together. Whenever a consignment of drugs is sent, a few imported weapons too are packed along with it. According to him, the arms inflow cannot be curbed till the drug cartel is rounded up.
Whatever be the case, there is a dangerous number of arms floating around in Bombay, and it won't be long before the public too begin getting affected.
