Sikkim arms unit busted

TT, Gangtok, June 2: Police busted an illegal rifle manufacturing unit being run allegedly by a father-son duo at a remote village not far away from the Nepal border in West Sikkim yesterday.

While Mahavir Kami, 62, was arrested, his son Prakash Kami, 24, managed to flee.

The duo were allegedly making rifles at their house at Sardung, around 90km from Gangtok.

"We raided a house at Sardung yesterday evening after receiving information that two persons were manufacturing and selling rifles illegally. The raid was conducted in the presence of the subdivisional magistrate of Geyzing," West District superintendent of police Pratap Pradhan said today.

A Sashastra Seema Bal camp is located in the area and its help was sought in the raid, said Pradhan.

The police have recovered a single barrel rifle, four rifle butts made of wood and two iron barrels.

A drilling machine, a heavy electric motor and various other tools required to make the guns were also seized from the house.

The SP said as the village where the raid had been conducted was not far from the Nepal border, it had to be investigated if the arms were being smuggled into the neighbouring country.

"That Sardung where the arms were being made is near the Nepal border is a cause of concern for us. Now that the arms manufacturing den has been unearthed, we are trying to find out certain things. First, we are trying to know for how long was the unit being run and who the buyers were. Second, we need to find out if the arms were being smuggled across the border into Nepal. Finally, the police will have to find out if more people were involved in the manufacture of illegal firearms," said Pradhan.

Sardung is about 40km from the Nepal border.

Mahavir and the son were booked under Section 25 of the Arms Act 1959.

The arrested man was produced in a court in Geyzing today and remanded in police custody for five days, said sources.

"We are making all possible efforts to catch the other accused. All police stations in Sikkim have been alerted so that he can be caught," said a police officer.

Pradhan said Mahavir had been arrested in 1994 on the same charges.