Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In the past nine months, Bhopal has witnessed 21 incidents of firing involving illegal firearms. While police have managed to arrest some of the accused, the larger network behind the supply of these weapons remains untouched. Despite repeated incidents, no major breakthrough has been made in identifying or dismantling syndicates smuggling weapons into the city.
The alarming trend reveals that criminals are not only freely procuring illegal guns but are also boldly using them for loot, personal vendettas and gang-related violence. Investigations in multiple cases show that while firearms have been recovered and shooters arrested, law enforcement has failed to trace the original source or suppliers of these weapons.
In fact, in the past year, police and crime branch teams have not busted a single smuggling syndicate, raising concern about the resurgence of older networks and apparent lack of proactive intelligence-gathering.
Earlier, Bhopal Police had successfully cracked down on gangs of Sikligars and weapon smugglers from Uttar Pradesh, who were allegedly supplying arms through the Gwalior–Chambal region. Officials now suspect that the same routes and networks might have become active again.
Recent cases
Recently, the son of a retired CISF personnel opened fire at a jewellery showroom in Shahpura. He was arrested and claimed he received the pistol from a friend.
In February, a man fired shots at a bike rider, Mohd Zahid, following a road rage incident in Karond. The accused was later nabbed.
In December last year, miscreants opened fire on Nafees during a clash between two groups in Aishbag’s Sonia Colony.
In September, a wanted criminal fired at his rival in Semra (Ashoka Garden), but the bullet struck an unrelated person.
